Mata: Keep calm and carry on!

Juan Mata says Manchester United need to keep calm and kick on after another frustrating late slipup threatened to throw their festive schedule off kilter.

Burnley arrive at Old Trafford today with Jose Mourinho’s men reeling from back-to-back disappointments, kicked off by Bristol City knocking the holders out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

That stoppage-time winner was compounded by another late goal as Harry Maguire snatched Leicester a 2-2 draw at the death on Saturday to leave United 13 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City over Christmas.

There is no time to wallow in self-pity, though, as the games come thick and fast, with the Boxing Day visit of Burnley swiftly followed by another home match against Southampton and a trip to Everton on New Year’s Day.

“You have to keep going and especially in Christmas time,” Mata said.

“You play every two or three days and obviously now we feel frustrated and angry.

“But we need to keep going and, from (Christmas Eve), rest and think about the next game - obviously with the will of finishing the game with a much better feeling.”

United’s players looked ashen-faced as they traipsed onto the bus at Leicester, where they were on course for a comeback win after Mata’s first topflight brace since March 2015 cancelled out Jamie Vardy’s opener.

The visitors had a number of chances to put the game to bed, but a lack of killer instinct - an all common theme last season - cost them maximum points.

Mourinho criticised his side’s “childish” display after what felt like a pre-Christmas defeat for United.

“We didn’t kill it - and we should have killed it,” Mata. “It’s easy to say now. If we instead of drawing win at the end, we would have been saying that it was a fantastic game.”