Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has insisted that he and his teammates are targeting a second-place finish in the Premier League following their recent victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

The Red Devils' 3-0 win over Spurs on Sunday has put the club just two points behind Manchester City, who currently occupy second spot.

This weekend, they face arch rivals Liverpool, who themselves are just four points adrift of second place following their 1-0 win over Swansea City on Monday evening.

"We've got to aim for [second]," FourFourTwo quotes Carrick as saying. "We're within touching distance now. You look at the table now and it's so tight, but I suppose really we've just got to look to next Sunday at Liverpool.

"There are going to be ups and downs because that's how it is, especially in the last nine or 10 games. Sunday is a big game for a lot of reasons and that is probably all we can focus on at the moment."

United are the only team to beat Liverpool in the last 17 league games.