HUDDERSFIELD captain Tommy Smith remains upbeat as his side look to arrest a worrying drop down the Premier League table.

The Terriers' latest loss came at Old Trafford as Manchester United won 2-0.

Jose Mourinho's men had to dig deep, stay patient and keep at a high tempo to eventually break down stubborn Huddersfield resistance.

Juan Mata's fine cross was met by an equally impressive Romelu Lukaku finish as the Reds broke the deadlock in the 55th minute.

Alexis Sanchez then slotted home his first goal for the club after his initial spot-kick had been saved by Jonas Lossl.

Huddersfield now have a key run of fixtures coming up after David Wagner's side first visit Birmingham in their FA Cup fourth round replay on Tuesday.

Smith said: "I felt we proved we have character (at Old Trafford). Results have not been great lately, there is no hiding from that, but we have character in this group.

"We will keep fighting until the very end of the season and get as many points as we can. Results bring confidence and we haven't been getting those results.

"But remaining confident has been a key message that we have been trying to get across – myself, the manager and the staff.

"This is a tough league with no easy games. This is the club's first season at this level for a long time and we are discovering how tough it can be.

"But we will keep fighting, keep showing character and keep putting in as much effort as possible."

The result saw Huddersfield, who had shocked United 2-1 in the reverse fixture, drop into the relegation zone for the first time this season.

Wagner said: "I don't like that we are now in the bottom three – but to be totally honest, I think it makes it easier because now we are the team who can chase the other ones.

"We don't have to look behind the shoulders, we can look forward. We have known these are difficult fixtures – Liverpool at home (a 3-0 loss on Tuesday) and today in four days.

"Now we have very important fixtures against teams which are around us."