Monday 4 May 2015 16:23, UK
Juan Mata admits Manchester United risk being caught by Liverpool in the race for the top four if they cannot end their poor run of form.
United lost their third consecutive Premier League game on Saturday when they were defeated 1-0 by West Brom at Old Trafford.
That result followed defeats to Chelsea and Everton, with Louis van Gaal’s men failing to score a single goal in all three matches.
Mata admits United must rediscover their killer touch in front of goal if they are to prevent fifth-placed Liverpool from bridging the four-point gap that separates them from their old rivals.
"The weekend wasn't good for several reasons," the United playmaker wrote in his weekly blog, One Hour Behind.
"Obviously the 0-1 at Old Trafford is a tough score for us and we are forced to win as soon as possible: our rivals ahead keep adding points, and also the teams behind are getting closer.
"It's the tendency of the last few weeks: we have more ball possession than our opponent and create chances but we aren't able to take them.
"We must focus on being effective because we haven't scored in the last few games and we can't afford it any longer. On Saturday we tried until the end but their goalkeeper was brilliant."
Mata watched his old teammates at Chelsea lift the Premier League title on Sunday and, while he is happy for his old club, he made it clear he hopes to be lifting the trophy with United next season.
The Spaniard wrote: "Chelsea are officially the Premier League champions. I had congratulated my former team-mates already and I do it again: you have been the most consistent team this season. I hope the congratulations are to us the next year ;-)."
