Michael Carrick is confident Manchester United will bounce back from the disappointment of losing to Chelsea when they face Liverpool on Sunday.

The Red Devils' grip on top spot in the Premier League was loosened as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat to reigning champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

The result leaves them four points clear of nearest rivals Arsenal, having now played a game more, and with a series of tricky fixtures still to come.

A trip to Anfield to face fierce rivals Liverpool is next on the agenda and it will not be easy to return to winning ways against a side that has shown considerable improvement under Kenny Dalglish.

However, Carrick fully expects United to respond in the right manner and is relishing the opportunity to play another big game so quickly.

"At the moment we feel pretty down, but we can move on quickly. We have to," the midfielder told MUTV.

"We're used to doing that and we're normally good at that, so hopefully we can bounce back again.

"We have to get rid of this game, forget about it and move on. It's obviously a huge game on Sunday and we'll be ready for that. We have to be.

"That's the nature of the beast. We move on and we take a lot of positives from tonight and look to put things right that didn't go well. We'll be ready."

Big decisions

Sir Alex Ferguson criticised referee Martin Atkinson after the final whistle at Chelsea and Carrick agrees that the key decisions went against United.

The 29-year-old was also frustrated by the way his side lost their way somewhat in the second half after taking the lead through Wayne Rooney's fine strike in the opening period.

David Luiz equalised for the Blues in the 54th minute before Frank Lampard blasted home a late penalty to seal United's demise.

"It is disappointing, especially after the first half and the way we played," Carrick reflected on the result.

"We were in control. Second half we weren't as quick and decisive in our passing as we were in the first half, but we still felt quite comfortable and I still thought we might score again.

"Some decisions didn't go our way and we're on the end of a defeat, which is very hard to take.

"That type of decision plays a huge part in the game. Big decisions you've got to get right, especially in a game of this importance, so we're disappointed.

"What can I say apart from that? It's hard to take."