Frank Lampard is not looking beyond the end of his caretaker spell with Chelsea and said he is focused on immediate results after making a sensational return to the Stamford Bridge dugout.

The Blues have reappointed their ex-manager and legendary midfielder on an interim basis following Graham Potter's dismissal earlier this month.

As Todd Boehly steps up his pursuit of a long-term successor, Lampard's return could well double as a fairy-tale audition for his old job on a permanent basis.

However, the 44-year-old insists he is not getting ahead of himself following his return.

"I'm a very practical person," he said. "To come back in a time where the club has asked me, I'm delighted to get the opportunity, and I'm thankful for that.

"I think the role speaks for itself, in the period that I'm here. I'm not getting anywhere ahead of myself. I want to do the best that I can in the best possible way."

Lampard was dismissed in 2021 and had to watch on as his successor Thomas Tuchel guided his squad to Champions League success.

He refused to mull the poetry of him succeeding Potter with a European quarter-final against Real Madrid on the horizon, but acknowledged he is relishing the test.

"It's certainly a chance," he added. "I'm not naive, Real Madrid is a huge football club. My job is to go step-by-step.

"But of course having played a part in coaching in the Champions League, I'm excited to be fighting in that competition again.

"I want to say credit to Graham Potter. Sometimes, for whatever reason, things don't align. I've been in that situation.

"[But] in terms of unfinished business, I don't quite see it like that. Unfinished business sounds a little bit Hollywood. I want to work, and I want to help this club as much as I can."

Lampard would not be drawn on the future of Mason Mount either amid questions over the England international's place at Stamford Bridge.

However, he was glowing in his assessment of the midfielder, who he helped nurture at both Derby and Chelsea in separate spells.

"I don't know enough about it for me to talk about it," he added. "Mason has always been a fantastic player for me, from my days at Derby.

"It has been a pleasure watching him. I know he's had a few slight injury problems, but I know what I get from Mason. I think he's a huge player for Chelsea."

Christian Eriksen could make his first Manchester United appearance since January when the Red Devils host Everton on Saturday, Erik ten Hag has revealed.

Eriksen has not played since an FA Cup win over Reading in late January, having sustained an ankle injury during that game.

United initially handled the midfielder's absence well as they lifted the EFL Cup in February, though Ten Hag's men endured a three-game winless run in the Premier League prior to Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Brentford.

Asked whether Eriksen could return to the matchday squad against Everton after that win, Ten Hag told Viaplay in Denmark: "We will see. We see it from day to day.

"He is progressing. He is only back in team training this week. We have two sessions. After that, we will decide if he is back in the squad again."

United have won 63.2 per cent of the Premier League games in which Eriksen has appeared this season (12 of 19), compared to 44.4 per cent of those he has missed (four of nine).

The Red Devils have relied on a midfield pairing of Eriksen and Casemiro for much of this campaign, and the Brazilian will serve the final game of his four-match domestic ban against the Toffees.

While Ten Hag is excited by the duo's return, he believes United's other midfielders have stepped up in their absence, adding: "They're two very important players for us, don't get me wrong, but we have a good squad. 

"[Against Brentford] there was brilliant midfield occupation with Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes. Marcel Sabitzer, in his role, was very good. 

"I can't say this midfield trio was bad, not at all. It was very good."

Frank Lampard is back at Chelsea after being confirmed as caretaker manager until the end of the season.

Lampard returns to Stamford Bridge to take the reins after the sacking of Graham Potter on Sunday, with the club reportedly meeting several other candidates in recent days as they look to their long-term appointment.

Just over two years after being sacked by previous owner Roman Abramovich as permanent Chelsea boss, and just over two months on from his dismissal by Everton, the 44-year-old is back in charge of a Premier League club.

Chelsea confirmed the news on their official website on Thursday, with Lampard's first game back being Saturday's trip to Wolves, followed by a Champions League quarter-final fuirst leg against Real Madrid.

Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge. Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club.

"As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season.

"We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.

"We have an important game against Wolves on Saturday and then we will turn our attention to our Champions League quarter-final in Madrid next week.

"We are all going to give Frank our full backing as we aim to get the best possible outcome from all our remaining games."

The former Chelsea and Manchester City midfielder finished fourth in his one full season in charge of the Blues, and also reached the FA Cup final where they were beaten by Arsenal.

After replacing Rafael Benitez at Everton in January 2022, he just about managed to keep the Merseyside club in the Premier League, but their struggles carried over into the 2022-23 campaign.

Having played 20 games by the time Lampard was sacked just under a year later, they sat 19th on 15 points following a 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers West Ham, and had lost eight of their previous nine matches in all competitions.

Frank Lampard is back at Chelsea.

The club's record goalscorer and former boss has taken on an interim position in the dugout until the end of the season, when Chelsea will bring in their long-term choice.

Of course, should Lampard do well enough, he could put his own name into consideration, but either way he still has plenty to do over the next two months.

Graham Potter was hired to give the team an identity, but Lampard will have no such responsibility given his short-term deal and the fact that someone like Julian Nagelsmann or Luis Enrique would bring their own ideas should they ultimately be hired ahead of next season.

Lampard was sacked by Chelsea in January 2021, before suffering the same demise at Everton two years later, but his continued legendary status at Stamford Bridge has secured him another lucrative opportunity to lead them.

Stats Perform has taken a look at five areas where the former West Ham and Manchester City midfielder will need to thrive to improve the club, as well as his own chances of finding a long-term gig beyond this one.

Find a way to score goals again

To say that Chelsea have been goal-shy this season is somewhat of an understatement.

Following their 0-0 draw with Liverpool on Tuesday, the Blues have scored 29 goals in 29 Premier League games this season, only ever netting fewer at this stage of a league campaign twice before (23 in 1921-22 and 16 in 1923-24).

During his 57 Premier League games in charge of Chelsea between August 2019 and January 2021, Lampard's team scored 102 goals.

They also had a shot conversion rate of 11.5 per cent, compared to their remarkably profligate 7.9 per cent this season.

Potter's issue was that he generally played without a striker and his midfielder's didn't score enough. If there is anyone who can teach midfielders to score goals, you would think it's Lampard, who hit 211 of his own during his playing days at Chelsea.

Get the old Mount back

It appears to be a widely held belief that Mason Mount enjoyed the best spell of his Chelsea career under Lampard.

He actually produced more under Thomas Tuchel, with 38 goal involvements (19 goals, 19 assists) in 86 games, compared to his 21 (11 goals, 10 assists) in 80 games under Lampard.

Mount was given his initial opportunity by Lampard though, and certainly developed and learned impressively in the first season and a half of his time in the Chelsea first-team.

The England international has struggled this season though, with just three goals and three assists from 32 games, and he has even been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool or Manchester United with his contract situation still up in the air.

If he can get his groove back at Stamford Bridge under Lampard though, maybe it can lead to a renaissance for Mount at the club.

Qualify for Europe

With nine games remaining in the Premier League, Chelsea sit in 11th place, five points behind seventh place Aston Villa, and 14 off the top four, meaning they are closer to the relegation zone (12 points) than Champions League qualification.

The table has been a strange place this season, so it is not beyond the realms of possibility that a few wins can catapult a team up several places.

While a top four finish is almost certainly beyond them, Chelsea could still at least keep themselves in European competition with a few victories.

Europa League successes in 2013 and 2019 laid foundations for bigger achievements, and in a season that has seen so few positives on the pitch, it would be a notable tick in the box should Lampard secure a place in Europe.

Overcome a familiar face

While they probably won't be in the competition next season, Chelsea remain in this season's Champions League, though with a daunting quarter-final against defending champions Real Madrid on the horizon.

The first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu will be Lampard's second game in charge, and Chelsea gave Los Blancos quite a scare when they went 3-0 up there in last season's final eight second leg.

Madrid ultimately won on aggregate after extra-time, but really struggled to deal with the Blues' approach, albeit with the tactical acumen of Tuchel directing them.

Lampard played under Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea, and so could perhaps have one or two insights into how to get the better of him.

He might not be feeling too confident after seeing what Madrid recently did to Liverpool and Barcelona, though.

Set the table for successor

It might not be what Lampard envisioned his role at Chelsea ultimately being when he was initially hired in 2019, but the opportunity to help the club in the interim also means preparing the team for the next boss, whoever that may be.

As mentioned, he could even fancy himself to convince Todd Boehly to give him a longer chance, but either way, he will be tasked with making sure the team goes into next season with more optimism than they have now.

With so many new arrivals in the last two transfer windows, giving Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke more chances to shine will be key, while Joao Felix could learn plenty from him should he eventually make his loan move from Atletico Madrid permanent.

At the very least, it is likely having Lampard back at the helm will appease the fans, and having a better atmosphere will hopefully be a springboard for anyone to hit the ground running next season, when significant improvement will be an absolute must.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic says his decision to leave out Jude Bellingham against RB Leipzig had nothing to do with recent criticism from Emre Can.

Bellingham was named among the substitutes for Wednesday's 2-0 loss at Red Bull Arena as Dortmund's DFB-Pokal hopes were ended at the quarter-final stage.

The England's international's omission came a day after Can publicly said his team-mate has "to learn a lot" after regularly letting his emotion get the better of him on the field.

But Terzic confirmed Bellingham was overlooked for a starting spot against Leipzig for fitness reasons, rather than any sort of falling out behind the scenes.

"Jude signalled after the game against [Bayern] Munich that he wasn't 100 per cent fit," Terzic told Sky Germany.

Asked about Can's criticism of Bellingham, Terzic said: "That has nothing to do with the decision."

Only Nico Schlotterbeck (37) has played more times for Dortmund than Bellingham (36) this season, with all but three of the midfielder's appearances being starts.

The 19-year-old, who has been linked with an array of Europe's top clubs, was introduced with an hour played against Leipzig but could not help Dortmund recover.

Will Orban scored in the 98th minute to add to Timo Werner's 22nd-minute opener in a deserved victory for Leipzig, who had 11 shots on target to BVB's one.

Dortmund have exited the DFB-Pokal and Champions League over the past month, while Saturday's 4-2 loss to Bayern saw them replaced at the top of the Bundesliga.

Terzic had no complaints over the loss to Leipzig and accepts his side's campaign is as good as over if they do not learn from their back-to-back defeats.

"It was a catastrophic game in the first half," he said. "It was basically a s*** evening because we did not advance to the next round of a cup we had a good chance of winning.

"It's now a matter of looking ahead. There's still an important competition in which we want to play a big role.

"But if you look at the performance against Leipzig and the performance in Munich, it will be difficult for us if we continue to play like this."

Frank Lampard is back at Chelsea after being confirmed as caretaker manager until the end of the season.

Lampard returns to Stamford Bridge to take the reins after the sacking of Graham Potter on Sunday, with the club reportedly meeting several other candidates in recent days as they look to their long-term appointment.

Just over two years after being sacked by previous owner Roman Abramovich as permanent Chelsea boss, and just over two months on from his dismissal by Everton, the 44-year-old is back in charge of a Premier League club.

Chelsea confirmed the news on their official website on Thursday, with Lampard's first game back being Saturday's trip to Wolves, followed by a Champions League quarter-final fuirst leg against Real Madrid.

Co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali said: "We are delighted to welcome Frank back to Stamford Bridge. Frank is a Premier League Hall of Famer and a legend at this club.

"As we continue our thorough and exhaustive process for a permanent head coach, we want to provide the club and our fans with a clear and stable plan for the remainder of the season.

"We want to give ourselves every chance of success and Frank has all of the characteristics and qualities we need to drive us to the finish line.

"We have an important game against Wolves on Saturday and then we will turn our attention to our Champions League quarter-final in Madrid next week. We are all going to give Frank our full backing as we aim to get the best possible outcome from all our remaining games."

The former Chelsea and Manchester City midfielder finished fourth in his one full season in charge of the Blues, and also reached the FA Cup final where they were beaten by Arsenal.

After replacing Rafael Benitez at Everton in January 2022, he just about managed to keep the Merseyside club in the Premier League, but their struggles carried over into the 2022-23 campaign.

Having played 20 games by the time Lampard was sacked just under a year later, they sat 19th on 15 points following a 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers West Ham, and had lost eight of their previous nine matches in all competitions.

Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti is hopeful Victor Osimhen will be fit to face Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals, but the striker has "no chance" of playing at Lecce on Friday.

Osimhen sustained a thigh injury while representing Nigeria during last month's international break, causing him to miss last Sunday's Serie A meeting with Milan.

His absence was felt as Milan thrashed the champions-elect 4-0, but Napoli are positive regarding his prospects of featuring in the first leg of their European tie against the Rossoneri.

Before Wednesday's trip to San Siro, Napoli will look to get their title charge back on track at Lecce, where Spalletti will not have Osimhen available.

Asked about Osimhen's chances of facing Lecce, Spalletti said: "Tomorrow there is no chance. With the schedule, we said we must get to the following week. 

"There are many possibilities to see him against Milan, but we have to wait for the practical development of next week's work."

Osimhen's tally of 21 goals in Serie A this campaign is at least seven more than that of any other player, with Inter's Lautaro Martinez second in the scoring charts with 14.

The 24-year-old has hit 15 goals across all competitions since the turn of the year – a tally only bettered by Karim Benzema and Marcus Rashford (17 each) among players from the top five European leagues.

Despite Osimhen's absence, Spalletti expects Napoli to respond to last week's disappointment as they look to close in on a first Scudetto since the 1989-90 season.

"The week developed in the best possible way, I saw some great training sessions," Spalletti said. "It always amazes me, I've only had this a few times in my career.

"It's a very important match, we know how to face it. A performance is needed in these cases, after a defeat. 

"We still need five victories, 15 points, then everyone can say what they want."

Carlo Ancelotti believes Karim Benzema is capable of winning another Ballon d'Or after netting back-to-back hat-tricks for Real Madrid.

Benzema followed up his treble in last week's 6-0 LaLiga win over Real Valladolid with three more goals in Wednesday's 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final second leg at Barcelona.

It marks the first time the former France international has scored successive hat-tricks in a Madrid career spanning 14 trophy-laden seasons.

Having won the Ballon d'Or for the first time in 2022 on the back of a superb year for Los Blancos, Ancelotti has backed Benzema to challenge for the individual accolade again.

"Why not?" Ancelotti said following his side's 4-1 aggregate victory against Barcelona. "He remains one of the best players in the world – and not just attacking players."

Benzema now has 25 goals in 31 appearances this season – a tally bettered by Robert Lewandowski (27), Marcus Rashford (28), Kylian Mbappe (31) and Erling Haaland (42).

That includes 19 goals in 19 games since the World Cup, while the 35-year-old's back-to-back hat-tricks have come straight on the back of the international break.

"The work he did during the international break helped him a lot," Ancelotti said of Benzema, who announced his latest retirement from France duty in December.

"He is in prime physical condition. With the qualities he has, he inevitably makes a difference for us."

Real Madrid will face Osasuna, who beat Athletic Bilbao, in the Copa del Rey final on May 6.

World Cup winners Argentina have returned to the top of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in six years.

Lionel Scaloni's side – who captured their third world title with a thrilling final win against France in Qatar last year – won friendlies against Panama and Curacao in the March international break.

Captain Lionel Messi brought up two milestones in those fixtures, netting his 800th career goal in a 2-0 victory over Panama before reaching 100 international goals as he scored a hat-trick in a 7-0 rout of Curacao.

Argentina last topped the rankings in 2017, but the Albiceleste dropped as low as 12th the following year after an underwhelming campaign at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Argentina replace rivals Brazil at the summit after the Selecao suffered a surprise friendly loss to World Cup semi-finalists Morocco in March, a result which sees them drop to third.

France are second in the rankings after their Euro 2024 qualification wins over the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, while the rest of the top 10 remains unchanged.

Erik ten Hag acknowledged Manchester United are too reliant on Marcus Rashford after the forward's latest goal guided the Red Devils to a 1-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday.

United ended a three-game run without a win – or a goal – in the Premier League as Rashford's close-range finish was enough to down the resolute Bees.

Rashford has scored 15 of United's 42 Premier League goals this season, while his total of 11 strikes since the World Cup is more than any other player in the competition.

Asked whether United have been over-reliant on Rashford this season, Ten Hag told BBC Sport: "Yes, it's the truth.

"But we know other players can score as well. Bruno [Fernandes] can score as well. We have many more players across the squad who can score."

Speaking to United's media channels, Ten Hag said of Rashford: "He played a very good game. I think he was very versatile. He came out of the frontline and we used him as the target, but he also went out wide. 

"You can talk almost every game about [him] and when he's not in the game like Sunday [against Newcastle United], it's not good for us. 

"We have to bring him into the game but also he has to take responsibility, and [so do] other players. 

"He has to be ready to get into those positions and therefore he needs energy, he needs focus, and he has to bring it every game. Today, a great finish again gives us the three points."

Rashford has now scored 10 winning goals in the Premier League this season, the most recorded by a United player in a single campaign since Wayne Rooney in 2009-10 (also 10).

The England forward has 28 goals across all competitions this term, a tally only bettered by Erling Haaland (42) and Kylian Mbappe (31) among players from Europe's top five leagues.

Chelsea's dismissal of Graham Potter and decision not to rush into an appointment has generated speculation about their next permanent manager.

The Blues are destined to miss out on the Premier League's top four this season, thus will not qualify for the Champions League via the league.

As a result, there appears a lack of urgency as they look to get back on the right direction after sacking both Potter and Thomas Tuchel this term under new owner Todd Boehly.

TOP STORY – BLUES MULL OVER ENRIQUE, NAGELSMANN AND CONTE

Fabrizio Romano reports Frank Lampard will take over as Chelsea's interim manager, but that ex-Spain boss Luis Enrique is 100 per cent interested in the permanent position.

Enrique has flown into London for talks on the role, while the Blues will also continue talks with ex-Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann who is the leading candidate.

The Independent claims the Blues are also considering a shock return for Antonio Conte after initial contact between intermediaries.

ROUND-UP

– Football Insider reports Manchester United are keen on Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse. United may take advantage of the Saints' possible relegation to bolster their midfield with the 28-year-old free-kick specialist. Aston Villa and Newcastle United are also interested in him.

– Liverpool are willing to cough up €40 million (£35m) for Atletico Madrid's Argentinian World Cup winner Rodrigo De Paul to bolster their midfield next term, reports Fichajes. Inter Live claims Tottenham are also interested in De Paul.

– Arsenal are pondering an off-season move for Lazio midfielder Sergei Milinkovic-Savic who will be a free agent in 2024, claims Gazzetta dello Sport. The reported fee would be around €40m.

– Luka Modric is disgruntled with his contract situation at Real Madrid, with his future not yet resolved with only a few months left on his deal, claims Goal.

– Fichajes claims West Ham, Leeds United and Nice are all circling for Real Madrid's Mariano who will be available on a free transfer at the end of this season.

– Leicester City have shortlisted Ralph Hasenhuttl, Jesse Marsch and Oscar Garcia for their vacant managerial role according to Fabrizio Romano. The Independent's Miguel Delaney claims the Foxes are also interested in experienced pair Martin O'Neill and Rafa Benitez.

Carlo Ancelotti felt Real Madrid played the "perfect match" after a 4-0 thumping of Barcelona at Camp Nou secured their place in the Copa del Rey final with a 4-1 aggregate win.

Madrid faced a daunting task heading to the home of their Clasico rivals, who hold a 12-point lead over Ancelotti's men at LaLiga's summit, facing a one-goal deficit after Eder Militao's own goal gave Barca a 1-0 first-leg victory at the Bernabeu.

But Vinicius Junior levelled the tie just before the break, before Karim Benzema fired in a second-half hat-trick to lead Madrid to a superb triumph and clinch their place in the final against Osasuna on May 6.

Ancelotti was delighted with his side's second-leg heroics, telling reporters at his post-match news conference: "It was a complete game. When you win 4-0 here, it is in every way.

"We played a great game. The first goal changed the dynamics, we found more space in the transitions.

"[It was] a bit hard at first, but in the second half we did very well. We did not panic when they pressed and we knew how to take advantage of the spaces in transitions.

"We played the perfect match."

This season, Benzema has failed to match the same vein of form that saw him win the Ballon d'Or in October, struggling with injuries and not enjoying the same scoring output.

But the striker has netted hat-tricks in back-to-back games since the international break, taking his goals tally for the season to 25 from 31 matches in all competitions.

Ancelotti believes the striker is somewhat back to his brilliant best, saying: "He has done a very good job in the [international] break, he has found optimum condition and his quality makes the difference, without a doubt.

"He has flicked the switch. He is still one of the best players in the world, without a doubt. If he's fit, he's one of the best.

"He can win another Ballon d'Or because he is one of the best forwards in the world."

Wednesday's Dutch Cup semi-final between Feyenoord and Ajax was halted for 30 minutes after Davy Klaassen was struck on the head by an object thrown from the stands.

Ajax midfielder Klaassen was celebrating near the corner flag at De Kuip early in the second half when what appeared to be a lighter caught him on the back of the head.

The Netherlands international was left bleeding and referee Allard Lindhout took the decision to take both sets of players off the field.

After a stoppage of half an hour, during which time Feyenoord assistant John de Wolf urged home fans to "use their common sense", play eventually resumed.

Klaassen attempted to continue but he went down holding his head soon after and was replaced by Brian Brobbey.

But the 30-year-old ultimately had the last laugh as his goal proved to be the winner as Ajax held on to win 2-1 and advance to the final, where PSV await on April 30.

"These are always crazy matches when you play here," Klaassen later told ESPN. "But we didn't expect this. It goes beyond all limits.

"I felt something pretty hard. At first I felt anger inside, and I got even angrier when their goalkeeper [Timon Wellenreuther] ran over and shouted that I had to get up.

"Then another player looked at my head and it turned out I was covered in blood. I wanted to get away from the sidelines.

"I then had a throbbing feeling in my head and had trouble focusing so had to come off."

Klaassen added that he is not sure yet whether he intends to press charges, with local police reporting that a 32-year-man had been arrested in connection with the incident.

Away fans have not attended 'De Klassieker' games since 2009 in an attempt to quell violence in the stands.

Xavi was disappointed by Barcelona's failure to win "moments" after they were romped by Clasico rivals Real Madrid 4-0 at the Camp Nou to fall to a 4-1 Copa del Rey semi-final aggregate defeat.

An Eder Militao own goal in the first leg at the Bernabeu meant Barca headed into Wednesday's return match on home turf with a one-goal advantage.

But a strong first half by Barca ended with a short period of play that would prove crucial, as Thibaut Courtois made a brilliant save to deny Robert Lewandowski before a sweeping counter-attack ended with Vinicius Junior levelling the tie.

Madrid then sealed their progression with a brilliant second half, as Karim Benzema's hat-trick put the 31-time winners out and set Carlo Ancelotti's men up to meet Osasuna in the final on May 6.

Xavi was left frustrated by his team's failure to match their first-half display, telling Movistar+: "It is a difficult night to digest. This is football.

"You have to compete better. We have competed well until 1-0. They are moments that we have to stop. We could have also stopped the 2-0 moment. In short, they are details that we have to control.

"In the first half we were very good, but that's what I said: football is about moments and we didn't take advantage of them.

"When football is so even, you have to take advantage of the moments. We didn't do it in the first half and they did in the second. They have been superior, no excuses."

Xavi credited Madrid for their excellent second-leg display, saying: "I already said yesterday that Madrid were favourites.

"We cannot argue that they are a great team. They are the LaLiga and Champions League champions and they do not forgive. 

"When you don't kill Madrid, they kill you."

Despite the elimination, Xavi's men hold a 12-point lead over Madrid at the top of LaLiga, and he is hoping his team can put this setback behind them to kick on and claim the title.

"We had a very bad second half, but we have to get up," he said. "Tomorrow we will get up with all the hope to beat Girona.

"It is a tough result, but we have to focus on the league."

Marcus Rashford is keen to see Manchester United back on form after returning to winning ways against Brentford.

The England international struck the only goal of the game to seal victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday, ending a run of three games without a win in the Premier League.

United's struggles in the league began after winning the EFL Cup, suffering a humiliating 7-0 reverse to Liverpool and losing to Newcastle United either side of a goalless draw against Southampton.

Erik ten Hag's side had better results in the cup competitions, advancing in both the FA Cup and Europa League, but the drop of form in the Premier League led to worry in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Now that one hurdle has been overcome, Rashford is keen to build momentum and finish the season on a high.

"We are in that period of the season where every game is important and every game counts so we are pleased to win and hopefully we can get back to where we were a few weeks ago," he told BBC Sport.

"The important thing is always to win the next game. Everyone is clear that we are not going to play our best every week but there is never a time to drop our standards and we have to keep trying to push each other every week.

"We were a bit more patient out of possession; we waited for the right conditions to press rather than pressing every ball. We were calm and kept communicating to try and stop the supplies to their forward men."

United's victory propels them back above Tottenham and into fourth, holding a three-point lead and having a game in hand over the north London side, with Rashford focused on securing Champions League football next season.

"That's the aim – we want to get as many points as we possibly can and we will try and win every game," he added. "We just have to keep playing well and give our best, keep recovering well and move on to the next fixture."