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Cape Town - Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata said that despite the scoreline, the Red Devils were the better team against Arsenal.
The 1-1 draw at Old Trafford means Arsenal need just one point from their two remaining fixtures to send Manchester United into the playoffs for a place in the Champions League group stages.
Mata, who writes a weekly blog, praised his side's performance - especially in the first half against the Gunners.
Those looking for any signal into the future of David De Gea's future could read between the lines on Mata's thoughts on the incident which left David De Gea limping off the Old Trafford pitch.
Mata said: "I hope David gets well soon and at the same time I wish Víctor the best, always. A goalkeeper like him, so good and with so much experience, is always a big help to any team."
"What I’m going to say may sound weird but this is how I feel right now… To be honest, as I write this I’m looking forward to the next game in Old Trafford. I know it won’t happen in the next few months but playing in this stadium with this crowd is amazing… You never get tired of it… We wanted to finish the season at home with a win against Arsenal, in order to keep fighting for the third spot, but we couldn’t make it. We know we have played very good games this season but at the same time the team and the fans have had to cope with tough moments, and even so they have shown unconditional support. This union with our fans will be the key to celebrate titles soon. They deserve it. As every year, the lap of honour after the game was touching.
We couldn’t beat Arsenal although I think we were the better team during most of the game. In the first half we had a very high performance, moving the ball quickly and pressing Arsenal in their half of the pitch. We didn’t concede any chances for them to score. At half time we were ahead thanks to a good goal from my friend Ander Herrera.
After the break we had chances to score a second goal, but we missed them and they started to push to tie the game, which they did with a bit of luck. They are a team with a great attacking power as they showed in the last few minutes… Anyway, it was a pity. Apart from the chance to be third, we were looking forward to offer a win to our fans against such a big rival. We had more bad news when David had to leave the pitch with an injury, which allowed Víctor to make his debut as a Manchester United player. I hope David gets well soon and at the same time I wish Víctor the best, always. A goalkeeper like him, so good and with so much experience, is always a big help to any team.
Now we must finish the season in the best possible way. We owe it to this badge. Besides, we must respect the fight against relegation between Hull City, Newcastle and, maybe, Sunderland, so we will try to win, as always."
