Manchester United winger Daniel James insists the top four is still 'up for grabs' despite defeat to Burnley in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side knew victory in midweek would cut the gap on fourth-place Chelsea to just three points after they had drawn with Arsenal on Tuesday night.
However, United failed to capitalise on the dropped points as goals from Chris Wood and Jay Rodriguez gave Burnley their first win at Old Trafford since 1962.
Defeat leaves United fifth in the Premier League, still only six points behind Chelsea but just one point ahead of Sheffield United in eighth.
United face Wolves and Chelsea in their next two league encounters and Wales international James knows the next few weeks could be pivotal in the race for Champions League qualification.
Frank Lampard's side have struggled for consistency themselves this season and James believes the battle for a top four finish still has a long way to go.
"I think that is still obviously up for grabs," James told MUTV.
"We have got to keep fighting, and I think tomorrow obviously reflect on this game. We need to see what went wrong today, then we’ve got two big two cup games coming up, and we’ve got to go into that with our heads held high.
"I think the league game (against Chelsea) isn’t for another couple of weeks. So that is in our minds, but it is all about concentrating on the next game."
