Darmian delighted at United defence

Tightening up in defence has been a major priority for Manchester United according to left-back Matteo Darmian after a fourth straight victory in all competitions.

Jose Mourinho’s team stuttered at the start of the season but have bounced back strongly with three wins in a week over Tottenham, Crystal Palace and West Brom on Saturday.

They have conceded just once in those three games, and appear to have landed on a back four combination with Darmian and Antonio Valencia on the flanks, with Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones in the centre.

And having closed the gap yet further on the top four, Darmian insists United can get back into the hunt for the title with a strong Christmas run.

(John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images)

He said: “Clean sheets mean a lot for us and we didn’t give them too many chances. We worked together at the back with a great team spirit.

“We only conceded a couple of corners in the game (against West Brom) and that was great because before the game we aimed to try and keep the corner count down.

“We deserved to win the game.

“We scored early and we controlled the game.

“It gave us three more very important points and a fourth win in a row. Confidence is high, each win gives us confidence to keep working and keep improving.

“We must continue like this and be focused over the tough festive period.

“Our recovery over the next few days is important so that we can be ready for a really important Christmas period. We have to keep fighting so we can reduce the gap at the top of the league.”