Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes scored two each as Manchester United turned on the style, thumping Leeds United 6-2 at Old Trafford on Sunday to move up to third in the Premier League.
United are now on 26 points, above Everton on goal difference and trail from leaders Liverpool by five points, having played a game less.
It was the best display this season from United who responded to Leeds’ well known pressing game and relentless running by playing through the press with crisp, swift passing and matching Marcelo Bielsa’s side for work-rate.
McTominay fired United ahead after 67 seconds in emphatic fashion with a thundering low drive from outside the box after he had set up by Bruno Fernandes.
The midfielder then became the first player to score twice in the opening three minutes of a Premier League match when he collected a clever pass from Anthony Martial and beat Illan Meslier with a left-foot finish.
Fernandes made it 3-0 in the 20th minute, drilling home after the ball fell to him at the back post, after a swift United counter-attack.
Victor Lindelof added the fourth in the 37th minute, converting at the back post after Martial had flicked on a Luke Shaw corner.
But Leeds gave themselves a small foothold in the game when defender Liam Cooper headed in a Raphinha corner, four minutes before the break.
That goal gave Marcelo Bielsa’s team some encouragement for the second half and United keeper David De Gea had to be at his sharpest to keep out a Raphina header.
But United put the game beyond Bielsa’s side when the impressive McTominay found Dan James with crisp pass and the Welsh forward beat Meslier at his near post.
Fernandes added United’s sixth – and his second – from the penalty spot in the 70th minute after Martial had been brought down in the box by Pascal Struijk.
Still Leeds continued to push forward in numbers and they were rewarded when Stuart Dallas beat De Gea with a wonderful curling shot from over 20 metres out.
With an animated Bielsa still urging his team forward despite being 6-2 down, Leeds left space for United to exploit and it was only a series of fine saves from Meslier that stopped an even heavier loss.
United had not scored more than five goals in a Premier League game since their 8-2 win over Arsenal in August 2011.
TOTTENHAM 0-2 LEICESTER
Leicester City produced an impressive performance to secure a 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday after striker Jamie Vardy scored the opening goal and had a hand in the other against a toothless home side.
Vardy netted a penalty on the stroke of halftime and his 59th-minute header led to Toby Alderweireld’s own goal, lifting Leicester two places up to second on 27 points from 14 games, four behind champions Liverpool.
Tottenham dropped two places to fourth after a second successive defeat, having suffered a 2-1 loss at Liverpool on Wednesday.
The opening half produced few fireworks before it came to life in stoppage time as Leicester were awarded a penalty following a VAR check with Spurs manager Jose Mourinho already on his way to the tunnel.
The Portuguese turned around and watched in dismay as the replay showed Serge Aurier clattered into Wesley Fofana on the edge of the area before Vardy blasted the spot-kick down the middle past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Tottenham were let off the hook by VAR shortly after the break as James Maddison had a superb finish ruled out for marginal offside, as he took James Justin’s long ball in his stride before burying a shot past Lloris.
Vardy got on the end of Marc Albrighton’s cross from the right and his header at the far post cannoned off Alderweireld into the back of the net.
Spurs pressed in the closing stages as Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel kept out Son Heung-min’s close-range effort with a brilliant save before the visitors twice came close to adding a third goal.
Vardy said Leicester executed their game plan to perfection, adding that the Foxes needed to improve their home form after clinching a sixth away win in seven games.
“We’ve come here with a gameplan and we’ve absolutely nailed what we wanted to do,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s set us on the way to get the three points that we think we deserved.
“It obviously shows we’re doing something wrong in our home games. We need to get these performances going in week, week out and hopefully pick up some more wins.”
REUTERS