Juan Mata has admitted that Manchester United must quickly recover from their barren run of form in order to shake off the challenge of Liverpool for fourth place.
The Red Devils lost 1-0 at home to West Bromwich Albion this evening to make it three Premier League defeats in succession.
United still hold a four-point advantage over arch-rivals Liverpool in the hunt for the final Champions League berth, although Mata has acknowledged the importance of getting back to winning ways in the final weeks of the season.
"It's a frustrating afternoon for us. If you don't score, it's impossible to win," he told Sky Sports News. "We know some teams will do this and we have to find a way to beat them.
"We need to learn from this and keep going. We know that Liverpool and more teams are coming from behind so we need more points as soon as possible."
United, who last lost three games on the bounce in 2001, return to action next weekend when they face Crystal Palace.
