Moyes remains defiant as United fight back

Embattled Manchester United manager David Moyes insisted that he was not under pressure after his side’s stirring comeback against Greek champions Olympiakos took them into the Champions League quarter-finals.

Moyes enjoyed a rare night of success at Old Trafford on Wednesday as United overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first leg of their last 16 tie with a 3-0 victory built around a Robin van Persie hat trick.

With United 18 points off the lead and 12 points shy of the top four in the Premier League after a chastening 3-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday, the former Everton manager’s position has come under scrutiny. Some British media reports suggested that his job would remain at risk regardless of the outcome of the Olympiakos tie, but he said he was confident that he retained the full support of his employers.

“I’m not feeling any pressure from inside the club,” he told reporters. United had never previously overturned a two-goal deficit in the Champions League knockout phase, but Moyes was unwilling to describe their success as a potential watershed moment.

United will learn the identity of their quarter-final opponents on Friday and while their domestic travails make them unlikely candidates to win the tournament, Moyes believes that they could go all the way. “We probably now will go into it as underdogs in a lot of the games,” he said. ““I think this club is capable of it. If we play to our capabilities then we will be a match for any team.”