Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur experienced contrasting fortunes in their respective away games in the Premier League in their attempt to close the gap on league leaders Manchester City.

United defeated stubborn Watford 4-2 to move within five points of City (they play Southampton on Wednesday) while Tottenham suffered a third consecutive away loss for the first time under manager Mauricio Pochettino with a 2-1 loss at former champions Leicester City to lose further grounds in the title race.

José Mourinho’s men raced into a 3-0 lead in the first half courtesy goals from the impressive Ashley Young (2) and Anthony Martial but their hosts bounced back to 3-2 in the second half through Troy Deeney (penalty) and Abdoulaye Doucoure before Jesse Lingard’s solo goal wrapped up the victory for United.

The Leicester City duo of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez scored two good goals in the first half to put the home side 2-0 up against Tottenham before Harry Kane pulled one back for the North London side in the last 15 minutes of the game.

The immediate past Premier League champions thereafter held on for a big scalp in what was new manager Claude Puel’s first win at the King Power Stadium.

Week 14 Results (Tuesday):

Leicester City 2-1 Tottenham

Watford 2-4 Manchester United

West Brom 2-2 Newcastle United

Brighton 0-0 Crystal Palace

Standings (Top 6):

1. Manchester City 37 points

2. Manchester United 32 points

3. Chelsea 26 points

4. Arsenal 25 points

5. Tottenham Hotspur 24 points

6. Liverpool 23 points