Manchester United on Tuesday cut Manchester City’s lead at the top of the Premier League to five points as Ashley Young inspired a 4-2 win against Watford, while Tottenham Hotspur’s fading title hopes were extinguished by a 2-1 defeat at Leicester City.
Young’s first United goals since May last year were followed by an Anthony Martial strike as United produced a scintillating first half at Vicarage Road.
United’s third consecutive league win was only secured after a late wobble as Troy Deeney and Abdoulaye Doucoure struck for Watford before Jesse Lingard settled the visitors’ nerves with a fine solo effort.
Photo: AP
Although United have closed the gap on City, Pep Guardiola’s side, looking to make it 12 successive league victories, were yesterday to have a chance to re-establish their eight-point lead hosting Southampton.
Having provoked the Lewis Dunk own-goal that clinched United’s win over Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, Young opened the scoring against his old club in the 19th minute.
Picked out on the edge of the Watford penalty area by Lingard’s pass, Young smashed his shot into the bottom corner.
Young was not finished, the wingback doubling United’s lead with another sumptuous strike six minutes later as his long-range free-kick flashed past Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
Martial netted United’s third in the 32nd minute with a cool finish from Romelu Lukaku’s pass for his eighth goal of the season.
Deeney’s 77th-minute penalty, awarded for Marcos Rojo’s foul on Roberto Pereyra, was followed by Doucoure’s strike in the 84th minute, but Lingard notched United’s fourth two minutes later.
At the King Power Stadium, Tottenham succumbed to a damaging defeat that leaves them with just one win in their past five league games.
England leftback Danny Rose was back in the Tottenham team after being dropped for their two previous league games.
However, Rose’s presence did little for Tottenham, who fell behind in the 13th minute when Jamie Vardy bagged his 100th career league goal.
The Leicester striker’s milestone arrived with a superb volleyed finish from Marc Albrighton’s pass.
Riyad Mahrez made it two majestic strikes for Leicester in first-half stoppage time, when the Algeria winger drilled an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Tottenham winger Erik Lamela entered for his first appearance in 13 months and made an immediate impact as his pass teed up Harry Kane to blast in his 16th club goal of the season in the 79th minute.
However, Mauricio Pochettino’s fifth-placed team could not muster an equalizer and last season’s runners-up remain 13 points behind City.
Crystal Palace missed a chance to move off the bottom of the table as Roy Hodgson’s side settled for a 0-0 draw at archrivals Brighton.
Palace would have climbed to 18th place with a win, but they were unable to break down Brighton in the first Premier League meeting between clubs, who have a fierce rivalry, despite being separated by more than 70km.
In their first meeting in more than four years, south Londoners Palace picked up their first away league point this season, while south coast-based Brighton are now without a win in their past three league games.
Elsewhwere, West Bromwich Albion blew a two-goal lead as Newcastle United rescued a 2-2 draw at the Hawthorns.
Former Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew has held talks with Albion following Tony Pulis’ recent dismissal, but it was caretaker boss Gary Megson who remained in charge.
Megson was unable to secure Albion’s first win in 12 league games and his side are only two points above the relegation zone.
West Brom forward Hal Robson-Kanu broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage-time when he nodded home from Kieran Gibbs’ cross for his first goal since August.
Sam Field, a teenage English midfielder, got the second in the 56th minute, finishing off Matt Phillips’ cross for his first Albion goal.
However, Ciaran Clark’s header reduced the deficit three minutes later and Newcastle avoided a fifth consecutive defeat thanks to a Jonny Evans own-goal from Matt Ritchie’s 83rd-minute free-kick.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS