Juan Mata has described Manchester United's 1-0 victory over Watford as the "perfect day" for him.

Captaining the side for the first time in the absence of Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling and Michael Carrick, the Spaniard scored the only goal of the game as United closed the gap on the top four.

"I'm very proud and very honoured to wear [the captain's armband]. It was the perfect day for me - winning, scoring and three massive points," he told MUTV.

"It was very, very important to win today. It was not the prettiest performance we have made this season, but we needed the points especially because our rivals dropped points."

Mata has scored eight goals for United in all competitions this season.