Manchester United blitzed Leeds 6-2 to climb to third in the Premier League yesterday as Leicester put a major dent in Tottenham’s title challenge. The first top-flight battle in 16 years between bitter rivals United and Leeds was keenly anticipated but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men proved far too strong at an empty Old Trafford.
United, who made a stuttering start to the season, now have 26 points — five behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand. They are a point adrift of second-placed Leicester, who beat Spurs 2-0 in the earlier kick-off to complete a miserable few days for Jose Mourinho.
United have won all six of their away games in the Premier League this season but had won just one match at home before yesterday. Leeds were expected to provide a stern examination of United’s rickety defence but the visitors were 2-0 down as early as the third minute — with both goals scored by midfielder Scott McTominay.
Bruno Fernandes and Victor Lindelof made it 4-0 before Liam Cooper pulled one back for Marcelo Bielsa’s team. United were back on the rampage in the second half. Daniel James made it 5-1 and Fernandes scored a penalty before Stuart Dallas scored again for Leeds.
A buzzing Solskjaer said the performance was “fantastic” from the first minute. “Just imagine if there were 75,000 people in, it would have gone down in history as one of the great performances against Leeds,” he said. “We had to earn the right by running as much as them, that’s a challenge. It could have been 12-4 – It’s that kind of game.”
But the Norwegian refused to get carried away with talk about United’s league position after their sixth win in seven league games. “We are not even at the halfway point,” he added. “The league position is not something we look at. We look at the improvement of the team. Now we are getting fitter and stronger. Our fans needed that one.”
Spurs were top of the table until a last-minute winner for Liverpool gave the champions a 2-1 victory on Wednesday. They now find themselves back in fifth spot – six points adrift of the champions after a damaging defeat.
Jamie Vardy put away-day specialists Leicester ahead from the penalty spot deep into first-half stoppage time after Serge Aurier barged Wesley Fofana over. Spurs had a huge escape early in the second half as James Maddison had a goal ruled out for the most marginal of offsides.
But Leicester doubled their lead just before the hour mark via an own goal. Vardy capitalised on some bad defending by Moussa Sissoko and his header across goal deflected off Toby Alderweireld and into the net.
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers described his team, who have won six of their seven away games this season, as “outstanding”. But said: “We have to start winning at home. The group is learning all the time and that’s why we’re nowhere near the finished product.”
Mourinho must now lift his team after a miserable few days. “It is not a good week in terms of results,” said the Spurs boss. 
“We could be here as the ones that broke Liverpool’s record at Anfield and going into this game on a high. We started this game from the low of that disappointment and not getting what we deserved from that match, but Leicester also lost in their last match but came with a positive attitude.
It’s a game that we’ve lost with the penalty and the own goal.”
In the early kick-off, 10-man Sheffield United were cruelly denied a first Premier League win of the season as Brighton’s Danny Welbeck cancelled out Jayden Bogle’s opener in a 1-1 draw. Struggling West Brom, with new manager Sam Allardyce at the helm, were hosting local rivals Aston Villa in the late night kick-off.
On Saturday in a late match, Newcastle United had to settle for a 1-1 home draw with 10-man Fulham after a Callum Wilson penalty cancelled out Matt Ritchie’s own goal which fired the visitors ahead in a scrappy encounter.
The result provisionally lifted Fulham out of the relegation zone as they moved one place up to 17th on 10 points from 14 games with a superior goal difference to 18th-placed Burnley who have two games in hand.
Newcastle moved two places up to 12th on 18 points from 13 games but they will take few positives from a turgid performance as the Magpies were fortunate to scrape a share of the spoils.
Fulham manager Scott Parker complained about the penalty decision arguing that Wilson was fouled outside the area and praised his team for a valiant effort.

Premier League results

 Brighton 1 (Welbeck 87) Sheffield United 1 (Bogle 63); Tottenham 0 Leicester 2 (Vardy 45+4, Alderweireld 59-og); Manchester United 6 
(McTominay 2, 3, Fernandes 20, 70-pen, Lindelof 37, James 66) Leeds 2 (Cooper 41, Dallas 73)
Played Saturday: Crystal Palace 0 Liverpool 7 (Minamino 3, Mane 35, Firmino 44, 68, Henderson 52, Salah 81, 84); Southampton 0 Manchester City 1 (Sterling 16); Everton 2 (Holding 22-og, Mina 45) Arsenal 1 (Pepe 35-pen); Newcastle 1 (Wilson 64-pen) Fulham 1 (Ritchie 42-og)
Playing today: Burnley v Wolves (1730), Chelsea v West Ham (2000)