Chris Smalling says Manchester United have got Liverpool and Sevilla in their sights after beating Chelsea, and added that a second-place finish in the Premier League would be the "bare minimum" for the club.

United leapfrogged Liverpool to move back into second in the Premier League table with a 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp's side are the next visitors to Old Trafford, followed by Sevilla with a place in the Champions League quarterfinals up for grabs.

And Smalling is confident United can win both after proving against Chelsea they can perform when it matters.

He said: "I think if we play how we did in that second half, with that aggression and that dominance and our fans being like they were in that second half because we lifted them, I think obviously Liverpool, Sevilla are exciting games to be part of.

"Liverpool is going to be another big game and an atmosphere where we need to make sure we play like we did like in the second half.

With our home form and our home fans, I think we will be confident.

"The confidence just breeds confidence and we're ready for the next one."

Jose Mourinho has all but conceded the title to Manchester City this season. United still have hopes of winning the FA Cup and the Champions League. But Smalling insists they will not ease off in the league.

He added: "I think we've been second for near enough the whole season, so I think we're within our rights to make sure we do finish in that position.

"I think obviously we've been second for quite a while and that needs to be our bare minimum.

"The fact we get to play Liverpool at home as well I think is a big advantage. If we can separate ourselves from Chelsea and Liverpool and work our way up then we can do that."

United were inspired to victory over Chelsea by Romelu Lukaku, who scored the first and set up the second for Jesse Lingard.

Had things been different in the summer, Smalling might have been marking the Belgian, and the England defender admits he is thankful the striker picked Old Trafford over Stamford Bridge.

He said: "I think he had that bit in his teeth. He wanted to get after them. And I think that's just going to breed more of his confidence because he's on a run of goals at the minute -- so long may that continue -- because we've got some big games.

"I think we're looking at the clock and when you've got Rom charging through and knocking balls past players and winning things, it's great that he is doing it from the first minute right up to that last minute when we really needed him."

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Rob Dawson

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