Swansea City: Carvalhal 'optimistic' after Man Utd loss

Swansea City manager Carlos Carvalhal believes his side can ensure Premier League survival if they continue to play like they did in the second half against Manchester United.

Swansea went down 2-0 at Old Trafford with Romelu Lukaku and Alexi Sanchez scoring inside the first 20 minutes.

Ahead of the game Carvalhal said he had never lost a match to his compatriot and "good friend" Jose Mourinho.

But he said Manchester United were "strong and made things difficult".

• Jose Mourinho is the king but Carlos Carvalhal is the master

Swansea are 15th in the Premier League table and five points clear of the relegation zone, with six games remaining. Next up is an away trip to West Bromwich Albion, who prop up the table with just three wins all season.

Carvalhal said Manchester United deserved to win Saturday's game, and admitted they found it "difficult to control (Paul) Pogba and (Nemanja) Matic" in the first half.

Pogba caused Swansea City problems at Old Trafford

"We couldn't put pressure on them and we played too much in our area," said the Portuguese.

"When we went on the attack they react very fast and credit to Man Utd for the way they prepared for the game."

"We were not happy so we moved things at the break and corrected the tactical things... with this we controlled the game better and won more balls."

Carvalhal praised Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea for "two fantastic saves" which he said could have been the turning point.

"If we achieve a goal in that situation, I don't know if we draw or even win or not," he said.

He said he was "not happy with the score" but is optimistic after his side's second half display.

"I believe if we play like we play in the second half we will win points that we need to stay in the Premier League. We try to fight for the points all the time and let's see if we can achieve a kind of miracle."

"West Brom will be an important game now. We know there are no easy games in the Premier League."