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Rashford slams brace as United beat Liverpool

West Ham fans invade pitch
Last Updated 10 March 2018, 18:37 IST

Jose Mourinho slammed criticism of Manchester United's cautious approach in their 2-1 win over bitter rivals Liverpool on Saturday, while West Ham fans rebelled in ugly scenes during their 3-0 defeat against Burnley on Saturday.

Marcus Rashford scored twice in the first 25 minutes at Old Trafford as United held off a Liverpool fightback to move five points clear of their visitors in second place in the Premier League.

United also closed to within 13 points of Manchester City, but barring a late-season collapse by the runaway league leaders, that gap looks unbridgeable.

More significantly, Mourinho's men moved another huge step closer to guaranteeing a top-four finish by opening up a 12-point lead on fifth-placed Chelsea.

Liverpool were left to rue a slow start as Rashford twice finished impressively after Romelu Lukaku had outmuscled Dejan Lovren.

Jurgen Klopp's side dominated possession as United sat back for long periods and Eric Bailly's 66th-minute own goal set up a tense finish.

But United stuck to Mourinho's conservative game-plan to clinch the points and the Portuguese coach was in typically defiant mood when asked about the defensive tactics.

"If people don't think we deserved it, I don't care," Mourinho said. "I am a bit tired, we have a match on Tuesday. I don't care what people say. The boys are happy, I'm happy."

Just a second defeat in 21 Premier League games leaves Liverpool still in third, but they could drop to fourth if Tottenham win at Bournemouth on Sunday.

"Second half we had to continue chasing the game, then we scored the goal and should have been a penalty around Fellaini situation on Sadio," Klopp lamented.

At the London Stadium, West Ham could face a heavy fine or possibly even a temporary ground closure as a result of their fans' shameful behaviour.

Ashley Barnes blasted Burnley in front from 18 yards out in the 66th minute, prompting an angry West Ham supporter to run onto the pitch, where he was tackled to the ground by Hammers star Mark Noble.

The mood among the home fans turned even more toxic when Burnley's Chris Wood doubled the visitors' lead in the 70th minute.

Supporters flocked towards the directors box chanting "sack the board" at co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold, while another ran onto the field to grab the corner flag.

Wood added insult to injury in the 81st minute when he tapped in after a mistake by Hammers goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Gold and Sullivan were asked to leave the stadium for their own safety before the final whistle as the West Ham fans continued to turn their anger on the directors.

Burnley's coaching staff allowed children caught up in the chaos to shelter in their dug-out and Hammers boss David Moyes, whose side are only three points clear of the relegation zone, admitted he could understand why tensions boiled over.

"The players understand. We want to do well, just like the fans do," Moyes said.

"We want the supporters behind us, since I've been here they've been really good. But they can't cross the line and come onto the pitch.

"What I'd say to them is we are fighting for the points. I'd ask that everybody sticks together."

Newcastle boosted their survival bid and kept Southampton in trouble with a 3-0 win at St James' Park, the goals coming from Kenedy's brace and a Matt Ritchie strike.

West Brom remain rooted to the bottom of the table as Leicester's 4-1 win at the Hawthorns increased the pressure on boss Alan Pardew.

Pardew's side, currently eight points from safety after a sixth successive league defeat, struck first when Salomon Rondon converted Oliver Burke's eighth-minute cross.

Jamie Vardy equalised with a stunning strike in the 21st minute and Riyad Mahrez put Leicester in front in the 62nd minute.

Kelechi Iheanacho made it three in the 76th minute and Vicente Iborra capped the rout in stoppage-time.

Everton eased the pressure on boss Sam Allardyce with a 2-0 win over Brighton at Goodison Park, while Swansea drew 0-0 at Huddersfield despite having Ghana striker Jordan Ayew sent off in the 11th minute.

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(Published 10 March 2018, 18:30 IST)

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