Paul Pogba made it clear that Manchester United weren’t fearing the worst when Tottenham equalised for the second time at Old Trafford on Saturday, as he told Sky Sports.
The Manchester United midfielder added that they gave Tottenham ‘confidence’ by their poor passing in the second half, before Cristiano Ronaldo netted the killer blow during his side’s 3-2 win.
In what is his second return to the Premier League, Ronaldo netted his first hat-trick and one that proved why he is still such a magical footballer.
There’s no doubt that Tottenham had their chances, but when Ronaldo is scoring goals of that quality, then you might as well pack your bags.
Nonetheless, when Pogba was asked if Man United feared the worst when Tottenham equalised, he issued this simple response.
“To be honest, no, no,” said Pogba. “We kept believing. We stopped, for some reason, when we conceded the second goal.
“We just went back playing again because we are good at this. We have to trust ourselves and we can hurt them anytime.
“In the second half, we didn’t get the through pass. The nice passing. Keeping the ball and the movement wasn’t there.
“We lost a few balls, also by myself, when we should have kept it and we gave them a bit of confidence. I think that’s why they score. Then, after we play again, we go to a corner and score this winning goal.”
Those three points were pure relief for Man United because it was a huge boost in their quest to finish in the Premier League’s top-four.
But it doesn’t help matters that Arsenal eased to victory again, this time at home to Leicester City on Sunday.
Whilst Man United are one point behind, after playing three games more than the north London club, Spurs are six points behind having played one game extra than their neighbours.
Simply put, Arsenal’s home clash against Man United and away tie at Tottenham might just prove to be the deciding factors in who secures Champions League football, not forgetting Wolves and West Ham who are also in that fight.
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