Rashford and Wood grab two goals apiece
Marcus Rashford scored twice as Manchester United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford to cement second place in the Premier League.
Rashford, starting in the league for the first time since Boxing Day, opened the scoring on 14 minutes after latching on to Romelu Lukaku’s knockdown from a long clearance by goalkeeper David De Gea.
The Belgium forward again had a hand in the second on 24 minutes, playing in Juan Mata before the ball broke to Rashford, whose shot took a slight deflection.
Liverpool fought back in the second half, reducing the deficit when defender Eric Bailly sliced Sadio Mane’s cross into his own net at the near post. United, though, held off their rivals to move five clear of the Reds and 13 behind leaders Manchester City, who play relegationbattlers Stoke tomorrow morning.
Chelsea prepared for their midweek Champions League trip to Barcelona by clinging on to a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace as they closed the gap on the top four.
At the other end of the table, there were disturbances among the home fans at London Stadium where West Ham lost 3-0 to Burnley, with All Whites striker Chris Wood in strong form.
Ashley Barnes fired the visitors ahead on 66 minutes, prompting a couple of supporters to run on to the pitch, with West Ham captain Mark Noble involved in a confrontation before stewards intervened.
Burnley doubled their lead on 70 minutes through Wood’s close-range finish, which again sparked an angry reaction as chants of “sack the board” rang out before another fan got on to the pitch and took out a corner flag.
Substitute Wood added a third on 81 minutes following a fumble by keeper Joe Hart to complete another forgettable afternoon for West Ham, who slip closer to the bottom three.
Bottom club West Bromwich Albion took an early lead against Leicester before eventually losing 4-1 at the Hawthorns. The Baggies, on the back of six straight defeats, went ahead early through Salomon Rondon but Leicester equalised on 21 minutes after a breakaway goal from Jamie Vardy. Riyad Mahrez put Leicester in front on 62 minutes, with further goals from substitute Kelechi Iheanacho and Vicente Iborra.
Newcastle beat Southampton 3-0 to move away from the drop zone. Everton ended Brighton’s recent good run with a 2-0 win at Goodison Park during which former England star Wayne Rooney had a penalty saved.
Swansea had Jordan Ayew sent off as they battled to a goalless draw at Huddersfield.