Jones: No Need To Panic

Phil Jones agrees with Jose Mourinho’s assessment that Manchester United are the unluckiest team in the Premier League, yet the fit-again defender feels "there is no need to panic".

The Reds produced a dominant performance against Arsenal on Saturday but were frustratingly held to a 1-1 draw following Olivier Giroud’s 89th-minute equaliser from the Gunners’ only shot on target.

That result means United are now without a victory from the last three Premier League matches at Old Trafford after the similarly frustrating draws against Stoke City and Burnley, which prompted Mourinho to rue his team’s bad luck when talking to the media on Saturday night.

Jones sympathises with his manager's claim and believes a consistent run of positive results is on the horizon for United. “He is right,” said Jones to ManUtd.com and other reporters. “Sometimes the luck is not on your side but it will change. We just have to keep plugging away, keep training well, keep playing and keep putting performances in like that and hopefully it will then change."

On the number of chances created at the weekend, Jones continued: “It is crazy. If we had won then we would have been three points behind Arsenal. Arsenal have had a ‘world class’ season and we are supposed to have had an average season. That is just the way the Premier League works. But we are pleased with the performance. We created chances and probably should have scored more.

“There is no need to panic yet. We have been playing well and creating chances, it is just that bit of luck that we need and hopefully it will come soon.”

When quizzed on the impact of conceding a late equaliser when a 1-0 win was likely, Jones admitted: “It feels like we have been slapped 6-0! We completely dominated the game from start to finish, and even when they had a spell of possession they never really created anything to test us.

"I thought we defended well, created chances and it was just one of those things. They got one chance and scored. We have to pick ourselves up, we are pleased with the performance but not with the result.”