Mata: Man Utd need to avoid relying on De Gea

Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata wants his side to have to rely less on David de Gea's heroics by producing better performances, despite feeling "strong" after a sixth straight win.

The Red Devils ran out 3-0 winners against Liverpool on Sunday but benefited from a man-of-the-match performance from their goalkeeper, while Mata accepts that his goal should have been disallowed for offside.

"This 3-0 strengthens our position at the top side of the table; it makes us feel strong," he wrote on the club's official website.

"Since the moment I stepped onto the pitch from the tunnel to the very last minute of the match, the atmosphere was incredible. I feel very lucky to be able to participate in this kind of games, which is what every footballer wants.

"Personally, I was fortunate to score again. To be honest, I watched the footage and it's true that I'm offside after Robin [van Persie]'s header. That is something you don't realise when you are on the pitch. Anyway, we scored two more goals and that reinforces our victory.

"And we won, among other things, thanks to the man-of-the-match David de Gea, who has had yet another great performance. He is in top form. Everybody's praising him and now we have to keep working so we don't need so many saves from him in the next few games; we have to get better in that regard.

"David gives us complete confidence. Liverpool created chances and they didn't score because of him but I don't want to focus only on the praise; the team has to keep working as we did in the last few weeks. That's why we are improving.

"In just a few days we play against Aston Villa in a stadium with a very good atmosphere, where winning is always tough, and right after that we will be in Christmas. We have to maintain this positive streak and try to get as many points as possible this month."