Ryan Giggs believes Manchester United's ability to "win ugly" will aid them in their bid to retain the Premier League title.

Last Sunday's shock defeat to arch rivals Manchester City, combined with Arsenal's success over Blackburn, saw the Gunners move two points clear of United the top of the table.

But with 12 league fixtures still remaining, Giggs has no qualms about Arsenal being the bookmakers' favourites for the title, and is sure the Red Devils' "steel" will play a pivotal role in the race for glory.

"I did notice the praise Arsenal were getting earlier in the season but it didn't really bother me," he said in The Sun.

"Arsenal were playing good football, but we felt we were as well.

"I just thought, 'Right, you keep talking about Arsenal, put the pressure on them and keep saying that Arsenal have won the league already and that they're going to walk it'.

"It's always been the United way to try to win with good football but our ability to win ugly as well has been a trademark of the last 15 years or so.

"In the majority of games, we're going to try to play attractive football and score lots of goals but we also need the added steel for games like the ones at Liverpool this season and last.

"We did not play particularly well in the last two games at Anfield but still managed to sneak a win. They are the kind of results that really do win leagues, not the big wins like 6-0 against Newcastle.

"You find that every team you come up against in the Premier League is playing for something, whether it's battling to stay up, going for a place in Europe or trying to win a title.

"Many of those clubs would consider a point against United to be a good result, so you're coming up against sides that maybe don't intend to win.

"They just want to defend and get men behind the ball and that's what we'll have to try to overcome - teams that are trying to stifle our play."

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