"Best possible opponent" - What Ralf Rangnick told Manchester United players ahead of crucial Tottenham victory 

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has revealed he motivated his players by telling them Tottenham Hotspur were the best possible opponent to beat after their derby defeat.

Tottenham are one of United’s competitors for a place in the top four, and they came back from behind twice to level the scores at 2-2 in the second half.

The Red Devils, however, were bailed out by Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a memorable hat-trick to help them win the game 3-2.

Rangnick's side created more clear-cut chances than Tottenham and managed more shots on target than the North London outfit on Saturday.

After the game, Rangnick explained that he needed a reaction from his players following their 4-1 defeat against Manchester City.

The German manager said:

"Before we left the locker room, before kick-off, I said to the team everybody was gutted, frustrated, disappointed in the locker room after the derby at the Etihad. Today was the best possible day, the best possible venue, the best possible opponent in front of 75,000 to show the reaction we needed to show.

"That was the only answer we could give after that game. You can lose against Manchester City, no doubt about that, after teams lose there, but the way we played there in the second-half was not Manchester United like and that was the kind of reaction we needed to show."

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Manchester United show character when they needed it

Manchester United were pegged back twice in the game, but showed enough quality on the pitch to beat Tottenham at Old Trafford.

The win should give them some much-needed confidence ahead of an important week where they will face Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford in the Champions League.

Rangnick's side were criticized after their defeat at the hands of Manchester City as they collapsed in the second half. However, the display against Tottenham silenced some of the detractors as they bounced back to winning ways.

The Red Devils will still need results to go their way to finish in the top four, but with the win, they have kept the pressure on Arsenal.