MANCHESTER, Dec 21: Manchester United waited 16 years to play old rival Leeds in the English Premier League, and then made it look distinctly second-class.
United charged to a 6-2 victory on Sunday, though both teams could easily have scored more, as it roared back into the EPL title race in third.
The easy win put United ahead of Tottenham, which swept United aside 6-1 in October but is now mired in problems of its own. A 2-0 loss to Leicester dropped Tottenham out of the Champions League spots and left Jose Mourinho�s team with one draw and two defeats in an eight-day spell.
Scott McTominay looked like one of the Premier League�s top scorers as Man United swept into an early lead over Leeds.
Defensive midfielder McTominay � who hadn�t scored in the EPL since March � netted in the second and third minutes after he was left with plenty of space to run through the Leeds defence.
Bruno Fernandes and Victor Lindelof extended United�s lead amid more static defending from Leeds, with more goals from Daniel James and Fernandes in the second half.
Up against the all-action style of Leeds coach Marcelo Bielsa, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer credited his team for beating Leeds at its own game.
�We had a plan to get after them and go forward when we got the ball, and Scott gets two goals in the first three minutes which is a great start,� Solskjaer said.
�We had to earn the right to win it by running just as much or more than them, so that was a challenge against one of the fittest teams in the league.�
Jamie Vardy�s hot form in away games in 2020 continued as he scored one goal and forced an own-goal in Leicester�s win over Tottenham. That took Vardy to 19 goals in his last 19 away games in the league. � AP
