Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to give up on Manchester United challenging Manchester City for the Premier League title.
City have soared 10 points clear of their local rivals thanks to an 18-game winning streak in all competitions.
United’s own inconsistent form has helped open up the gap, but the Red Devils beat Newcastle 3-1 on Sunday to win for just the second time in six league games.
And the Norwegian says: “We’ve got to be there just in case.
“Every time we get three points, we’ve done our job. And that’s what we’ve got to do and see what other teams do.”
In an unconvincing performance, Marcus Rashford benefitted from poor goalkeeping for the opener, before Allan Saint-Maximin punished a Harry Maguire mistake.
Dan James restored United’s lead from close range on the hour mark before Bruno Fernandes sealed the win with a 75th-minute penalty.
Solskjaer had made five changes to the side that impressively thrashed Real Sociedad 4-0 in the Europa League on Thursday and was lucky not to be punished for a disjointed start from the hosts.And the boss adds: “We had to find a way to win it in the second half.
“The first half wasn’t up to the standard that we wanted.
“Maybe because of Newcastle, maybe because of what we did in the week.
“We asked them to go again after a high-intensity game and it took us to half time to get our legs and energy.”