van Gaal urges his red-hot side to turn it on for full 90 minutes

Louis van Gaal has demanded a complete 90-minute display from his Manchester United side to pile the pressure on league-leading hosts Chelsea.

Van Gaal takes his side to Stamford Bridge for the Saturday tea-time clash on the back of six straight wins in the Premier League - a run which has seen United consolidate third spot in the table.

Despite that impressive run, Van Gaal does not feel United have dominated a game for 90 minutes under him and is looking for his players to remedy that in their biggest game of the season.

“We’re progressing and playing more like a team, which is what I want,” said Van Gaal. “There’s more balance in the team now.

“I do believe we can play very well, but we haven’t played 90 minutes very well. First we have to play 90 minutes very well.”

Van Gaal was not even satisfied with United’s 4-2 derby win over local rivals Manchester City last weekend, because they made a poor start before coming from behind to win.

“The first 15 minutes against City was not good,” said Van Gaal. “But the players know why they have to play in a certain way, and that is the process, what I’ve already said.

“Now we’ve reached the point where they’re doing it as a team, not as an individual, because football is a team sport, so that’s the difference.”

A win for United would cut the gap on Chelsea to five points, with five to play - although Jose Mourinho’s side have a game in hand.

Against that backdrop, Van Gaal said a tilt at the title was unlikely: “It’s still possible, I’ve said that before. It’s not logical, but it’s possible.

“It’s more ‘when’ and ‘if’, and I don’t believe in ‘when’ and ‘if’, I believe in facts.