Dec 20 (Reuters) - Manager Ruben Amorim took heart from Manchester United's fightback in Thursday's 4-3 loss at Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup quarter-finals, but said his side was undone by a more clinical performance from the hosts.

United went 3-0 down shortly after the break, but scored twice within seven minutes to bring the game back to life and kept up the pressure even after Son Heung-min scored a fourth for the hosts.

"We (disconnected) in the beginning of the second half, it was a tough moment for us, like 10 minutes. And then we (returned), I think we did a great job," Amorim told Sky Sports.

"I think if you look at all the game, I think we were the best team but they were more clinical. We (lost) the game but the fight from the lads was really important for me.

"Overall, it was a good match but there's no taste in that. We didn’t win, we need to focus on the next game."

Amorim, who took over from Erik ten Hag in November, said that 13th-placed United still had a long way to go before they could challenge for the Premier League title.

"We're improving as a team... our goal is to win the Premier League. How long it's going to take? I don’t know but that is our goal," he added.

United host sixth-placed Bournemouth on Sunday.

(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Nicholas Yong)

((chiranjit.ojha@thomsonreuters.com;))