Mata Makes Top-Four Claim

Juan Mata says cementing their place in the top four is all that matters to Manchester United, not derailing Liverpool’s title hopes.

Hours before the Carabao Cup final takes place in the capital, Old Trafford arguably plays host to an even more hotly-anticipated clash on Sunday afternoon.

Liverpool won 3-1 in December’s meeting between these old foes – a result that brought an end to Jose Mourinho’s tumultuous reign and set United on course for an exciting new chapter.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s in-form side have risen up to fourth in the table and Mata says the focus is on strengthening that position rather than looking to throw Jurgen Klopp’s title-challenging Reds off kilter at this crucial stage of the season.

“We see it in a different way, which is we’re trying to stay in these top four positions,” the Spaniard said. “We got there after a very good run in the last months.

Honestly, it felt quite difficult to do it, if you asked me two months ago. “But we are there now, and we want to keep that position by winning, and obviously we’ll have to play against Liverpool and Manchester City, and both are fighting for the title with Tottenham, so let’s see what happens.

“But obviously what we want is to win every game and especially against the big teams.”