Mata turns focus to FA Cup after miserable West Brom defeat

A disappointed Juan Mata says Manchester United must shift their focus to a crucial week in their season following their 1-0 loss to West Brom on Sunday.

Jay Rodriguez’s second-half header condemned United to defeat at Old Trafford and handed the Premier League title to Manchester City.

Jose Mourinho’s side had kept the title race just about alive with a dramatic 3-2 derby win in their previous game, but a dismal performance against the league’s bottom club means they cannot now finish higher than second place.

With a league trip to Bournemouth and an FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham to come this week, Mata is hoping his side can move on quickly from their setback.

“I know that you don’t want to read anything after a defeat like this one, that any comments made after the game sound like hollow words,” he wrote on his blog. 

“I’m not trying to explain anything here, or to make an excuse, I just want to keep this weekly meeting with you, although in days like this one it’s complicated. Some Mondays are happy and some others are not. This is one of the latter.

“We played a bad game this Sunday. There’s not much to add. There’s nothing to detract from West Bromwich, but we didn’t live up to our expectations. It’s disappointing, even more after the win last week, but this is football. That’s why it’s so important to keep the right balance in the good and in the bad times. Congratulations to Manchester City, who are mathematically the Premier League winners.

“We will keep focusing on two goals from here to the end of the season: keeping the second place and trying to get to the FA Cup final and to win the title. In order to do that, this new week is really important.

“I hope that we can have a happier Monday in seven days.”

5 – Man City have won the Premier League title with five games remaining; equalling the English top-flight record. They have equalled the efforts of Manchester United (1907-08 and 2000-01) and Everton (1984-85) who all won the top-flight title with five games to spare. Cruise. pic.twitter.com/SbeV1CXB0u

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 15, 2018