Lindelof relishing top-four race

Sunday 17 April 2022 07:00

Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof believes the Reds' 'important' 3-2 win over Norwich bodes well for United's hopes of Champions League qualification, and explained what Ralf Rangnick's side need to do to finish in the top four.

The Swede spoke to MUTV following United’s vital Premier League victory over Norwich on Saturday, outlining the importance of gaining three points on a day when two of our top-four rivals- Arsenal and Tottenham- lost.

“Especially at this stage of the season, the three points is very, very important,” said the 27-year-old.“Obviously the results [elsewhere] today were in our favour, so just got to stick to it."

He added:“[We need to] try to win as many games as possible and hopefully we can finish in the top four.”

Lindelof highlights two match-winners Video

Lindelof highlights two match-winners

In our interview, Victor pointed to the influential performances of Cristiano Ronaldo and David De Gea...

The victory over the Canaries was fuelled by a sublime Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick – his 60th of his career – which was rounded off with an excellent free-kick.

On his teammate’s latest milestone, Lindelof said: “I mean it's just unbelievable, and the way he keeps on scoring goals is unbelievable.

“But, I mean we are seeing every day the work he puts in and the way he takes care of his body. His mentality is just unbelievable, so I'm not really sure what else to say.”

United changed their shape in search of the win, which even saw Anthony Elanga drop to the right-back position, and Lindelof was full of praise for his compatriot's adaptability.

He said: “Of course it's not Anthony’s position, so we had to try to speak with him a lot and help him out with his positioning. But I think he did great and he won a few duels and won a few balls back to us, so yeah, [he did a] great, great job.”

Having been 2-0 up against the Canaries after just 32 minutes, the Reds were pegged back by Dean Smith’s side, who levelled the score at 2-2 just after half time.

But Ronaldo rocketed in a free-kick to complete his hat-trick and earn Ralf Rangnick's side all three points.

Suggesting United could have had a more comfortable afternoon, Lindelof said: “I thought we made it a little bit too difficult for ourselves today, but we got the three points, so I mean, that's the most important thing.

“I think overall, we did an OK game. [In the] first half especially, we controlled the game we scored two goals and I think we could have just kept the ball a little bit better."

He added: “I think even if it's 2-2, we know we can score another goal, so it's I think it's a point to keep the head calm and try to control the game a little bit better. They got a few really, really good counter attacks on us and I think we could have could have avoided that, and then Cristiano scored another goal, so yeah fantastic.”

Highlights: United v Norwich Video

Highlights: United v Norwich

Watch all the goals, and a great De Gea save, after an Easter Saturday thriller at Old Trafford...

Next up for Ralf Rangnick’s side is the small matter of a trip to Anfield for a derby with rivals Liverpool, something which our Swedish centre-back is looking forward to.

“It’s going to be a massive game for us and I think everyone wants to be involved in that type of game,” he said. “We are happy for the win today and now it's just time to recover and get ready for Tuesday.”

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