United slip, title race thrown wide open

The English Premier League title race was thrown wide open with leaders Manchester United losing a second successive match and Liverpool thumping Aston Villa 5-0 to close the gap at the top to one point.

The English Premier League title race was thrown wide open with leaders Manchester United losing a second successive match and Liverpool thumping Aston Villa 5-0 to close the gap at the top to one point.

A penalty from Danny Murphy and a late goal from Zoltan Gera gave Fulham their first home win over United for 45 years and a miserable day for United was completed with Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney both sent off.

Steven Gerrard scoring a hat-trick in Liverpool’s win, with the other goals coming from Dirk Kuyt and Albert Riera. United lead the table with 65 points from 29 games, one point more than Liverpool who moved on to 64 points having played 30 matches. Chelsea, who lost 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur, are third on 61.