Diogo Dalot hailed the "personality and character" in the Manchester United squad after Erik ten Hag's side overcame an injury crisis to beat Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
United have been hit by a spate of injuries recently, losing Marcus Rashford last weekend and Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in the draw with Sevilla on Thursday night. Tyrell Malacia then complained of a sore knee before the trip to Forest and when Marcel Sabitzer pulled out of the team in the warm-up, it made it 10 first-team players unavailable.
But with resources stretched United still managed to capitalise on Newcastle and Tottenham losing on Saturday, with goals from Antony and Dalot securing a 2-0 win that moved them back into third and started a season-defining week in the right fashion.
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United now head to Seville for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final, for which Bruno Fernandes is suspended, before facing Brighton at Wembley on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-final, with Harry Maguire banned for that contest.
After United proved the quality in their squad against Forest, Dalot wants that mentality to remain for those cup fixtures over the next seven days.
"We showed character, we showed personality," he said. “I mean, a lot of noise outside the dressing room but we kept calm, we knew that we're not just 11 players in this squad and we showed once again.
“I think we have shown this season that we are getting towards what we want, we are going in the right direction and today we showed character, we showed personality.
“But I think this has to be a little bit more consistent and we want to keep that mentality and especially that personality for the upcoming games.”
The fixture against a Forest side battling against relegation had looked like a banana skin for United as the queue for the treatment table began to increase, but instead it turned into a stroll on the banks of the River Trent.
The build-up to the game had been dominated by discussion about the injury crisis, which inspired those coming into the side to prove the doubters wrong and show they had what it takes to play for United.
“When you play for Man United, you're going to be in the spotlight every time," Dalot told reporters after the game.
“We knew that with the injuries that we had - important players that got injured - there could be some doubt about today.
“But, like I said, it was a big challenge for us to show that we have more than just 11 players in this team.
“We have a proper squad and I think we showed (that). We showed personality, we showed composure on the ball, character and we did a very good game.”
The win could turn out to be the decisive moment in the Premier League run-in, with United easing any doubts about their own status in the top four, while their challengers stumbled on Saturday. While United contest the FA Cup semi-final next weekend, Newcastle and Tottenham will play each other and it's beginning to look like they're competing for fourth place.
Dalot believes the unity within the squad helped them overcome Forest and land just a third domestic away win of the season by more than one goal, with two of them now coming at the City Ground.
“I think [the spirit and unity] is massive and every time we have the opportunity to play for a club like this you have show it. You have an opportunity that I'm sure that a lot of players would like to have," he said.
“Every time you wear this shirt and you go onto the pitch, you have to show personality, you have to show that you deserve to play for this club. When you have that, you have to take it.
“We want to have that responsibility and I think once again we show today that on a difficult pitch against a different opponent we showed character and personality.”
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