Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has backed his teammates to bounce back following the club's recent defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho's side suffered their second loss of the new campaign following Alvaro Morata's solitary header at Stamford Bridge, leaving Mata, who did not feature in Sunday's squad, to call on his side to come back stronger after the setback.

"The return to Stamford Bridge didn't work out as we expected. It was a tough and intense game where Chelsea were able to take their chances to get the three points," Mata wrote in his weekly blog.

"In sports you have to accept the defeats, but with the only goal of learning from them and trying to improve in the next game. That's what we're going to do. There's still a lot to play for, so let's carry on.

"In this sense, I think that we shouldn't forget our victory against Benfica at Old Trafford on Tuesday that took us really close to the next stage of the Champions League.

"Four wins out of four games are an extraordinary record; we must give value to that, and yet remain vigilant. We still need at least one more point, and our goal, of course, is to finish on top of the group."

United currently hold second spot in the league standings, eight points behind leaders Manchester City.