Victor Lindelof Manchester United 2020-21Getty

Man Utd 'can beat every team' at their best, says Lindelof

Victor Lindelof has expressed his belief that Manchester United "can beat every team" when at their best.

United picked up their first victory of the season against one of the traditional 'Big Six' on Sunday, bringing Manchester City's 21-game winning streak to an end in the process.

Lindelof claims the 2-0 triumph at the Etihad Stadium proves that the Red Devils are a "great team" and has called on his team-mates to maintain the same high level until the end of the season.

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What's been said?

“We are always confident going into every game. We know we can beat every team,” the Swedish centre-half said.

“It’s a very tough away game to play against a really good team. It shows what a great team we are and what we can do on the pitch.

“We need to keep working hard and hopefully we can get some more wins.”

Man Utd's record against the 'Big Six' in 2020-21

United's first game against fellow 'Big Six' opposition this season was a 6-1 home defeat by Tottenham in early October, which was also the only match in which they had scored prior to Sunday's win over City.

They subsequently drew 0-0 at home against Chelsea and City, either side of a 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal. In January, they drew 0-0 away to Liverpool and Arsenal before holding Chelsea to the same scoreline last month.

Luke Shaw's goal against City was their first in open play against the 'Big Six' this season, and they still have Tottenham away and Liverpool at home to come.

What can Man Utd achieve in 2020-21?

United cut the gap on Premier League leaders City to 11 points by winning at the Etihad, but they only have 10 games left to prevent their neighbours from lifting the title.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side will likely have to settle for second place, provided they can go on and put together a consistent run of wins, with Leicester and Chelsea hovering just below them in the final Champions League places.

The Red Devils still have two other avenues open to their first major trophy since 2017, having reached the FA Cup quarter-finals and the last 16 of the Europa League.

The bigger picture

United are not quite ready to return to English football's summit, but significant progress has been made under Solskjaer once again in 2020-21.

Improving on last season's third-place top-flight finish will be another step in the right direction, and their performance against City will surely provide an extra injection of confidence in their ongoing bid for domestic and European silverware.

The Red Devils will face AC Milan in the first leg of their European tie on Thursday, while their last-eight meeting with Leicester in the FA Cup is due to take place on March 21.

Further reading

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