Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata sends message to fans after Chelsea defeat

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has admitted that the club's supporters deserve better from their team. The 28-year-old Spaniard was part of the Reds side that capitulated 4-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (23 October), and he has admitted to feeling like they let the supporters down.

Despite their one-sided defeat in West London, United's supporters were in good voice throughout the match and Mata has thanked the fans for their unwavering support.

"They kept going for 90 minutes," Mata explained to United's in-house TV station MUTV. "I say this every time I speak. They are incredible. We were losing 3-0, 4-0 and they were still supporting us. That's something that we feel and obviously when we win and enjoy good moments it's all for them because they deserve it."

Mata, who spent two-and-a-half seasons with Chelsea between 2011 and 2014, conceded it was a "painful afternoon" for United, who conceded the first goal after just 30 seconds and never recovered. "Obviously we were thinking about a different kind of game and it started badly with the first goal in the first minute," he shared.

"After that we tried to create, we tried to score goals, but I think when we were in our best moment we conceded the second goal. It was one of those difficult days but we have to keep going."

United are set to face Manchester City on Wednesday (26 October) in the EFL Cup, and Mata admitted the Reds will need to show their resilience in order to bounce back from their Stamford Bridge disappointment.

"It's time to think about keeping the team together, being strong in our mind and face the next game, which is a very important game in these conditions," the United star said following the game against Chelsea.