Juan Mata has insisted that Manchester United must keep Manchester City honest as they attempt to close an 11-point gap on their bitter rivals in the Premier League table.
United have won 12 of their 17 Premier League matches this season, but currently trail City by 11 points due to Pep Guardiola's side making a record-breaking start to the campaign.
The Red Devils will look to build on their 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Wednesday night when they travel to West Bromwich Albion this weekend, and Mata is still hopeful that his team will challenge for the title this term.
"In any other different season, we probably would be top of the Premier League with this amount of points (38). But we need to focus on ourselves. Obviously City are doing very well, that's why they are first in the table," Mata told reporters.
"But we need to focus on us and how well we are doing. We also need to be learning from the games we didn't win and then carry on through this difficult Christmas period. Hopefully, come the end of the season, we'll be fighting for the title."
City will have the chance to move 14 points clear of second-placed United when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Etihad Stadium for Saturday's late kickoff in the Premier League.
