• Premier League

Vidic: Title gone for Manchester United

ESPN staff
January 20, 2014
Nemanja Vidic was sent off against Chelsea © Getty Images
Enlarge

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic conceded the Premier League trophy will be leaving Old Trafford in May.

United's 3-1 defeat at Chelsea on Sunday was compounded by a late red card for Vidic, with the defender admitting his side may find it tough to secure a top four finish in the Premier League.

"I think we are too far behind and we have to focus now on the top three or four," Vidic told Sky Sports. "We have to focus on the [Capital One] Cup and the Champions League.

"It's not going to be easy, we have to now fight to achieve the Champions League. We have to stay positive and stick together and work hard. With a bit of luck hopefully we can achieve that.

Feeling the heat

Rafael Nadal made it through to the second week in Melbourne © Getty Images

"We have to be positive, we have to stick together, we have to change things around. Hopefully we can play better football and with a bit of luck, we can turn things around.

"We didn't play a bad game [at Chelsea]. They had three shots and scored three goals and that's the difference in the game, we have been punished for every mistake we made."

Vidic went on to back Moyes' credentials, insisting the mounting criticism of him was not justified.

"We cannot always speak about managers, it keeps coming back to this kind of question," stated Vidic. "The players are tired of speaking about that because the manager is trying to do the best he can."

Vidic suggested he was unfortunate to be sent off following a late challenge on Eden Hazard, with the looming suspension ruling him out of Wednesday's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Sunderland.

"My feeling is that it was very harsh because I went for the ball," he added. "Hazard is a sharp player and he just pushed the ball. In my opinion it was not a red card. I was disappointed with that decision."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
ESPN staff Close