Manchester United defender Chris Smalling admitted to MUTV that the Reds must respond at Watford on Sunday after a disappointing 1-0 Europa League defeat away to Feyenoord.
Smalling made his first start of the season, replacing Daley Blind at centre-back in one of eight changes to Jose Mourinho's line-up following the derby defeat against Manchester City.
“I think we came into this game very confident and we thought we’d get a good result," said Smalling, who captained the team in the absence of the rested Wayne Rooney.
"We wanted to give ourselves a good start to the group but unfortunately we didn’t play up to our usual standards.
“They didn’t create too many chances but we didn’t do enough either to win the game. I think our urgency was there in the second half but we needed to have that in the first half as well.”
Next in the Europa League, United will have back-to-back home games against Zorya Luhansk and Fenerbahce - who drew 1-1 in Ukraine on Thursday night - and Smalling believes the Reds can still top Group A.
“I think the defeat puts pressure on the second game,” he said. “But we do have five games to make sure we finish top of the group.
“I felt in the second half we matched Feyenoord's intensity but we need to do that earlier to give ourselves a platform to win the game.”
United now face a trip to Vicarage Road for a Sunday lunch-time meeting with Walter Mazzarri’s Watford and Smalling recognises this swift return to action provides a chance for the Reds to bounce back.
He said: “We don’t have time to dwell on the defeat and we have a few days to recover now. We need to stand up and be counted on Sunday.
“We’ve got to show a lot of character because it’s unacceptable to go and lose three games in a row.”
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