Manchester United defender Luke Shaw admits his side's wins against Manchester City and Tottenham appear 'pointless' after their weekend loss against Watford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side had started December in blistering fashion as they defeated Jose Mourinho's Spurs at home just days before blitzing rivals City at the Etihad.
United's rejuvenated form had reignited their dreams of a top-four finish in the Premier League this season, however they failed to build upon their positive foundations in subsequent matches.
United struggled as they were held to a draw by Everton a week after their derby triumph before falling to a shock 2-0 defeat against Watford on Sunday afternoon.
The latest defeat means United have taken just 12 points in 13 matches against sides below them in the division and face two more tricky tests this week when they face both Newcastle and Burnley.
Shaw is hoping for an improvement when they return to action on Boxing Day but admits their hard work has been undone by their poor recent run of form.
"We will prepare now for that game because we need to win that game," Shaw told MUTV.
"The wins against City and Spurs now seem, they were great wins, but they seem pointless with the last two games.
"We need to be beating the teams below us, and we haven't done that. We need to be better, and we know we need to better. Hopefully we can have a good Boxing Day."
