Manchester United’s defeat to Newcastle at the weekend came as a shock to many, but perhaps none more so than midfielder Juan Mata – who admitted the loss at St James Park was difficult to accept.

Jose Mourinho’s side left Tyneside pointless after a 1-0 defeat at the weekend – a solitary Matt Ritchie strike proving to be the difference between the two sides.

The defeat leaves United 16 points behind league leaders and rivals Manchester City, and Mata admits the defeat has been a hard pill to swallow.

“The truth is, after losing an away game, you think a lot about it on your way back home.” began the Spaniard on his weekly blog on the club’s website, “You remember every play, every moment, and you try to change the outcome but obviously that’s impossible.

“You can’t turn back time, so the only way to carry on is to turn all this rage into a desire to win and work for the next game.

“The 1-0 defeat in Newcastle hurts because we had chances to score both in the first and in the second half, but they took better advantage of their weapons.”

Despite his disappointment however, the former Chelsea star also went on to insist the importance of turning the negatives in positives, and says his side must use their frustration to their advantage this weekend against Huddersfield Town.

“We already have to focus on the FA Cup and Huddersfield. It will be a great opportunity to prove that a new win can help to forget yesterday’s game.”