15 January 2023 , 22:30
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Raphael Varane said "everything is possible" for Manchester United after their dramatic derby win put them firmly in the title race.
Erik ten Hag's side closed to within a point of local rivals Manchester City after Saturday's 2-1 comeback win over Pep Guardiola's champions. Varane, who won five Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles at Real Madrid, said United are in the race for the Premier League title after their statement win.
"Everything is possible," said Varane. "We’ll just take it game by game. It’s a long way to go and it’s very difficult. The intensity of every game is incredible, the physical effort. It’s like the same intensity of a big Champions League game, every game.
"The rhythm is very high. The players are very well prepared, physically. We know how difficult it is. But we’re solid, we’re strong. We just need to use the quality players with the ball."
Varane, a World Cup winner with France, praised the strength of character United showed after coming from behind to win with goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
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"After the first goal, we didn’t let our heads drop, even though we conceded a goal at home," said Varane. But we also knew that we had the energy of the fans. We continued to follow our plan. Then we scored and that changed the whole game.
Raphael Varane praised the way Manchester United fought back to beat Manchester City (Manchester United via Getty Images)Who will win the Premier League this season? Have your say in the comments!
"Old Trafford is a stadium with a magnificent atmosphere. It’s amazing. At the end I felt a connection with the fans. We really want to win and to do that against a big rival, in our home. We live stronger with this. It was beautiful."
Although United can begin to harbour growing ambitions of winning their first title since 2013, rivals Arsenal are setting the pace in the Premier League. The Gunners went into Sunday evening's North London Derby against Tottenham five points clear at the top of the table.