Dalot: Champions League exile 'difficult to accept'

Diogo Dalot admits it will be difficult to accept Manchester United missing out on a Champions League place but wants to finish the season strongly after defeat at Arsenal all-but extinguished their top-four hopes. With Erik Ten Hag's arrival in the summer announced earlier in the week, the Red Devils followed a sorry 4-0 loss at Anfield with a 3-1 reverse against a recently rejuvenated Gunners team.

An enthralling match saw both sides make plenty of mistakes at the back but a first Arsenal goal for Nuno Tavares, a Bukayo Saka penalty and Granit Xhaka's screamer proved more than enough for the hosts, who had looked shaky after Cristiano Ronaldo's 100th Premier League goal got the visitors back in the game. Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty, Dalot twice hit the woodwork and Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for offside as United failed to make their period of superiority pay on an afternoon where Ralf Rangnick dropped United captain Harry Maguire.

The defeat left United six points off the top four having played more games than any of their rivals for the final Champions League spot. "It is difficult for us to accept as this club belongs in the Champions League," Dalot told MUTV.

"All I want to say is that if it is still mathematically possible then I will believe to the end. Obviously it is going to be really difficult and we need to be realistic, everybody can see that in football things can happen until the end." While Dalot concedes qualifying for the Champions League is almost out of reach, the Portugal full-back is keen to focus on improving as a team.

"I don't think it has to be our biggest focus now," he added on the top-four hopes. "It has to be our habits that we do every single day, the habits to come to training at