Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag singled Victor Lindelof out for praise after another impressive display in Sunday's 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
United have been without Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez over the past few weeks, with the latter set to miss the rest of the season.
Losing both in quick succession seemed a huge blow, but Lindelof and Luke Shaw – who has been moved centrally – have generally done well in their stead.
Lindelof enjoyed arguably one of his best games in a United shirt last weekend against Brighton and Hove Albion as they secured passage to the FA Cup final, and although the Red Devils threw away a lead against Tottenham in midweek, the Sweden international was hardly culpable.
Against in-form Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday, Lindelof routinely seemed to be in the right place at the right time, making a team-high four clearances, including a vital one off the goal-line to deny the visitors a late equaliser.
Clearly, Ten Hag has been impressed, with Lindelof earning chances ahead of maligned club captain Harry Maguire.
"He's playing fantastic," Ten Hag said of Lindelof to BBC Match of the Day.
"Really good games in and out of possession. Today, totally defending in control, but then building up as well, good positioning, good decisions, so we are happy with that.
"The games and life are much easier if you get the second goal earlier or get the second goal. We already have seen we have many players, including Lindelof, who are determined to win the game in attack and defence and that is what you need if you want to be successful."
Victory for United ensured that, even if Liverpool beat Tottenham, Ten Hag's men will end the weekend seven points clear of fifth.
United will also have at least one game in hand on each of the three teams directly below them, meaning a top-four spot is all but theirs with six matches left.
Ten Hag is not taking anything for granted but recognises they are in a good position.
"I'm really happy with the points but also with the performance," Ten Hag continued.
"Really good performance against a Villa side who did not lose in 10 games and scored in every game.
"We were in complete control. It could have been 3-1 or 4-1 [to United], so a really good and impressive performance.
"We have seen character today, we were determined, passionate and we had to win, and we played good football.
"We look from game to game and next we have Brighton, so we need to work hard again. We need to show passion again and not worry about the table.
"We are totally in control [in the race for top four], it's all about us and it's in our hands."
Under-fire Stefano Pioli respects Milan fan protests
Stefano Pioli said he respects the opinions of Milan's supporters after thousands of fans carried out a silent protest during Sunday's 3-3 Serie A draw against Genoa at San Siro.
With Milan enduring a second straight trophyless season, trailing champions Inter by 18 points, Pioli has come under pressure amid suggestions the Rossoneri have held talks with former Spain and Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui.
Irritated fans unfurled banners demanding improvements to the team during Sunday's match, while the club's ultras stayed silent in protest throughout the game.
Fans then left behind a banner which read "the sound of silence" as they filed out en masse from the Curva Sud shortly after Olivier Giroud had put Milan 3-2 ahead in the 75th minute.
By the time Genoa pulled level late in the match, thanks to an own goal by Malick Thiaw, the stand was completely empty.
"The fans have chosen this type of protest and we just need to respect them," Pioli, whose side have already secured their spot in next season's Champions League, said.
"Our fans have been an added value in recent years. They will have their reasons if they chose this protest."
Sunday's draw also means Milan are winless in their last four league matches.
"The start was poor. We didn't have the proper concentration and unity in the opening 20 minutes and conceded an early opener," Pioli said.
"Then, we created many opportunities but also made many errors. It's a shame we didn't win because it would have been important for the table."
Alonso says Leverkusen can still improve as unbeaten run reaches 48 games
Xabi Alonso believes his Bayer Leverkusen side can still improve after they extended their unbeaten run to 48 matches across all competitions on Sunday, equalling Benfica's European record.
Champions Leverkusen thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in the Bundesliga to match Benfica's 48-game unbeaten run between 1963 and 1965 – a record across all competitions in Europe.
Alonso, however, still feels there is more to come.
"Our level, our consistency throughout the season is great. But we are always moving forward. We are always concentrating on the work and improving," he said.
Leverkusen, who are edging closer to an unbeaten season across all competitions, have two league matches remaining and are also set to face Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal final on May 25.
They also hold a 2-0 lead over Roma at the halfway stage of their Europa League semi-final tie, with Thursday's second leg offering them the chance to surpass Benfica's record on home soil.
"It's a big challenge, we have two [Bundesliga] games left, it will be the perfect run. We will certainly try," Alonso said.
"We still have games to play to achieve our big goals in all competitions. The next game is important for us, the second leg of the Europa League semi-final: a chance to reach the final.
"In football it's sometimes difficult to stop. You have to prepare for the next game. The next game is a big game for us. Hopefully we have the chance to be in a European final again."
Leverkusen will play Bochum and Augsburg in their final two Bundesliga games.
Should they progress to the Europa League final, they will then face either Atalanta or Marseille in Dublin on May 22, three days before the DFB-Pokal showpiece game.
Postecoglou: Spurs have a confidence problem to overcome
Ange Postecoglou says that Tottenham need to "overcome" their low confidence after suffering a 4-2 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
Spurs slipped to their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, being left to bemoan their slow start as they found themselves 4-0 down by the hour mark thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott.
Richarlison came off the bench to salvage some pride for Spurs, scoring one before setting up Son Heung-min for a goal on his 300th Premier League appearance.
Spurs had the opportunity to cut the gap to the top four after Aston Villa’s defeat to Brighton, but they remain seven points off a Champions League spot.
Postecoglou’s side still have a game in hand over the Villans, though he was sure that Spurs would be able to put their recent poor run behind them.
Asked if Spurs had a confidence problem, Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "Maybe in the front third there is.
"It probably is a bit of a lack of confidence, but again, that's something the guys have to work through.
"You have to find a way to overcome that because, ultimately, if you don't put pressure on the opposition in the front third after you've worked your way up there, they're going to get comfortable with their position."
Spurs have won just one of their last nine Premier League away games, failing to win any of the last five.
Despite that run extending at Anfield, Postecoglou highlighted what he thought was an improvement on their recent performances.
He continued: "Obviously a hugely disappointing outcome for us but at least we were more like ourselves today in terms of our football.
"Our last two away games at Newcastle and Chelsea, apart from the results which weren't great either, we just didn't try and play our football.
"I thought today, even in the first half, some of our football, our pressing was back to where it should be."
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