Manchester United’s midfielder Juan Mata says 1-0 win over Norwich City will boost their chances of qualifying for the Champions League
London: Juan Mata said all that mattered to Manchester United on Saturday was winning after his goal sealed a 1-0 victory away to Norwich City in the Premier League.
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An ecstatic Juan Mata of Manchester United celebrates after scoring a goal during the English Premier League match against Norwich City at Carrow Road in Norwich on Saturday. pic/Getty Images
Victory saw United close to within a point of fourth-placed Manchester City, who play Arsenal — currently in third position — on Sunday. United could yet finish a difficult season by winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the Champions League.
They had to wait until the 72nd minute for Mata to score the only goal of the game at Carrow Road, following a mistake by home defender Sebastien Bassong, but the Spain midfielder told BT Sport: “We needed to win and have to win our three games then see what Manchester City and Arsenal do. We controlled the game and had more chances to score goals,” he added.
'Doing it for fans'
“It was about winning. We want to play and create chances but we won the game. We do everything for the fans. They deserve happiness.”
Saturday's result left Norwich second-bottom in the table and in a desperate fight to preserve their Premier League status. “It has been the story of our season,” said Norwich manager Alex Neil.
“There were not many chances in the game and we kept United at bay,” added Neil. “When you gift goals and make errors, it was not going to be enough. It looks a lot difficult now and we have to rely on Newcastle and Sunderland to lose games. We have to keep fighting.”
Other EPL results
Bournemouth 1 – 1 West Brom
Aston Villa 0 – 0 Newcastle
Crystal Palace 2 – 1 Stoke City
Sunderland 3 – 2 Chelsea
West Ham 1 – 4 Swansea City
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