Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick admitted his side were “fortunate” to get a draw against Chelsea at Old Trafford that does little for their hopes of a top-four finish.
United remain sixth in the Premier League table, five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal having played two games more than the Gunners.
On their part, Chelsea maintain their third spot and look to secure Champions League football next season.
The Blues marked their early dominance in the second half by taking the lead through Marcos Alonso’s 60th-minute volley.
But just two minutes after Chelsea took the lead, Cristiano Ronaldo came to the rescue of United again with a brilliant strike to draw his side level.
And speaking after the game, Rangnick praised the Red Devils for their immediate reaction after going behind.
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“We were fortunate in the first half,” Rangnick said. “We needed some great saves from David [De Gea] again and some last-ditch tackles.
“I thought in the second half we were better. We had more moments when we could get hold of the ball, although we conceded the goal then after 60 minutes.
“I think we showed a good reaction to that goal, scored a brilliant goal ourselves with an amazing assist by Nemanja [Matic] and a great finish by Cristiano.
“I think in the last 20 minutes, it was an open game. They could have scored. We were fortunate when Reece James hit the post.
“But we also had our moments. With Cristiano, we could have scored another one or two goals, but I think overall we have to admit we were fortunate to get that point.
“But the reaction that we showed in the second half was good.”
Rangnick confirmed he will move into an advisory role at the end of the season with Ajax boss Erik ten Hag recently confirmed as the club’s new permanent manager on a three-year deal.
The 63-year-old may well be juggling his role with a national team job as according to the PA news agency, he is considering an offer to become Austria’s head coach.
And when asked if he had accepted to become the head coach of Austria he said: “Tonight (Thursday) is about our game against Chelsea and I don’t want to speak about anything else.
“Please accept that and respect that, so please only ask questions about the game.”
