Chelsea v Southampton
Chelsea missed the opportunity to go eight points clear at the top of the Premier League by drawing 1-1 against Southampton in an entertaining game at Stamford Bridge where the officials' decisions will once again be scrutinised.
Jose Mourinho's men were looking to respond from their European exit by tightening their grip on the title after Manchester City's loss at Burnley and went in front through Diego Costa's first Premier League goal in almost two months.
Dusan Tadic equalised after a contentious penalty, awarded for a foul by Nemanja Matic on the impressive Sadio Mane.
Replays showed Matic slid in from behind and made contact with the ball, but referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot and booked the Chelsea midfielder.
Chelsea might have had a spot kick of their own for a Tadic foul on Branislav Ivanovic, but then Dean gave the Blues the benefit of the doubt rather than reduce them to 10 men for all but the opening minute of the second half.
Matic could have marked his domestic return following a two-match ban for his dismissal against Burnley with another sending off, but he avoided a second booking for a foul on Mane within seconds of the restart.
Chelsea, under pressure for much of the contest, finished on the attack, but Fraser Forster made fine saves from Oscar, Eden Hazard and Juan Cuadrado to earn Saints a point.
The Blues, who are six points clear at the top, still have a game in hand on City and remain firmly in control of their bid for a first Premier League title in five years.
Wednesday's away goals loss to Paris Saint-Germain, which saw Chelsea tumble out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage, saw the Blues subjected to plenty of scrutiny and Mourinho launch a robust defence.
With the Capital One Cup already secured, Mourinho vowed the Blues would add the Premier League to complete a "fantastic season."
Nine wins in the remaining 11 games was Mourinho's target, prior to City's defeat at Turf Moor, and Chelsea began well against a Saints side with two wins in their previous seven.
The hosts went in front as Costa netted his 18th Premier League strike of the season and first since the January 17 win at Swansea after 11 minutes.
Hazard played the ball wide for Ivanovic to cross and an unmarked Costa headed in from six yards.
Thibaut Courtois had to save from Mane after a move involving former Chelsea ma Ryan Bertrand and Tadic before Saints equalised from the spot when Matic was adjudged to have fouled Mane after his one-two with Victor Wanyama.
Matic was booked and there were few complaints from Chelsea's players before Tadic's penalty went in and Chelsea assistant boss Rui Faria was sent down the tunnel to watch the replay.
Ivanovic was then tripped by Tadic in the right side of the area, but the right-back's theatrical fall dissuaded Dean from awarding what would have been a just penalty.
It evoked memories of the December 28 draw at St Mary's when Cesc Fabregas was booked for diving and Mourinho afterwards spoke of a "clear campaign" against Chelsea.
Mourinho was fined £25,000 for those comments and would have been relieved Chelsea got the benefit of the doubt early in the second period when Mane wrong-footed Matic and was tripped.
The Serbia midfielder was fortunate not to receive a second Premier League red card in successive appearances and soon he was replaced by Ramires.
It was a sign of the pressure Southampton exerted on Chelsea, whose often commanding centre-backs John Terry and Gary Cahill were troubled by the pace of Mane and Shane Long.
Courtois saved from Tadic and Mane late in the first half, but Chelsea struggled to create similar chances to test Forster.
Morgan Schneiderlin barged Fabregas over before Costa flicked Willian's volley on to a post and then acrobatically hit Hazard's cross back to the Belgian, who headed in from an offside position.
Jose Fonte, who was pushed by Costa after an earlier exchange, made a well-timed tackle to deny the striker.
Cahill blocked a Long effort before Ivanovic was booked for bringing down Mane and Wanyama was also cautioned for a foul on Hazard.
Mane then bamboozled Cahill, who was booked, as his searing pace continued to trouble Chelsea, who then hemmed Saints deep in their own half.
Forster made a double save to keep out Oscar's header and Hazard's follow-up and then saved from Oscar again.
Costa blasted over under pressure before Forster saved from Cesar Azpilicueta.
From the resulting corner he denied substitute Juan Cuadrado, while Terry had a follow-up effort blocked on the line and then lashed wide as Saints held on.
Manchester United v Tottenham
Wayne Rooney and Manchester United delivered a knockout performance as Tottenham were blown away at Old Trafford.
Rooney put aside the controversy created by his kitchen sparring session with Phil Bardsley to put in a superb performance in United's 3-0 victory.
The England captain, a nuisance to Spurs all afternoon, scored the third goal after Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick had done the early damage for Louis van Gaal's men, who moved within one point of third-placed Arsenal after this victory.
This was by far the best performance of Van Gaal's reign. Finally, eight months after taking the helm, the Dutchman was able to deliver the kind of performance United's supporters craved -- one of pace, flair, width and destruction.
It was like old times at Old Trafford as Juan Mata, starting his first league game since January 17, carved open a poorly organised Spurs defence and Ashley Young gave watching England manager Roy Hodgson food for thought with an impressive display on the left wing.
But Hodgson will be most pleased with Rooney. The emergence, on Sunday, of a video appearing to show the striker appearing to be knocked unconscious by Stoke City full-back Phil Bardsley in a February sparring session may have caused consternation in some quarters.
But the 29-year-old put the incident behind him, scoring his 14th goal of the season before celebrating with a cheeky flurry of punches in the corner.
United look every inch up for the scrap for Champions League qualification but at the start there was no sign of the fine performance that was to come.
With so much riding on the match, United were nervous and Phil Jones did not help matters when he overhit a back-pass that David de Gea only just managed to knock around the post.
For the rest of the half, the United goalkeeper had nothing to do as his team pummelled their opponents into submission with wave after wave of attacking football.
Kyle Walker was turned inside out for the first of many times by Young as he burst down the left. The winger played Rooney in, but his pull-back was cleared.
After nine minutes, United had the lead. Daley Blind, playing at left-back, knocked the ball forward to Carrick, who put a cutting ball through to the sprinting Fellaini. The Belgian picked out the far corner with a left-footed drive.
After another 10 minutes of pressure, the hosts doubled their lead and once again Fellaini was instrumental. The midfielder's header from a corner was cleared by Nacer Chadli but only as far as Carrick, who nodded into the far corner.
The home crowd roared with glee and demanded more. "Attack, attack, attack," they chanted -- and Van Gaal's team did not disappoint.
Walker was drawn out of position again, allowing Fellaini to pull the ball back to the far post, but Danny Rose dived in just as Mata was about to pull the trigger.
Mata was having a superb game. His touch was exemplary, his vision exceptional and he was also relishing the battle with Spurs' combative left-back.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino tried to shore up his midfield by replacing Andros Townsend with Mousa Dembele on the half hour.
But the move had little effect. United were in the mood to give Spurs a pasting, and the third came courtesy of a horror pass from Nabil Bentaleb.
The midfielder squared to Rooney, and he would not be stopped, bursting past Bentaleb and bundling his way past Eric Dier before slotting the ball into the far corner.
Rooney threw two left-right combinations in his celebration and dropped to the turf in a pose suggesting he had been hit by a prize heavyweight before being mobbed by his team-mates.
Bentaleb went some way towards atoning for his error when he blocked Blind's goalbound shot after the break.
Spurs, to their credit, did not crumble after the restart but offered little up front. Ryan Mason cut inside and dragged a shot wide of the post, but otherwise United's defence had little to do.
Rooney, full of confidence, pinged an audacious 40-yard pass to Fellaini with the outside of his boot, but the midfielder could not finish.
Fellaini came off to a standing ovation towards the end, and Radamel Falcao was given a chance to impress. Andreas Pereira also came on for his Premier League debut.
Harry Kane registered Tottenham's only shot on target in the final minute, but De Gea saved. Nothing would spoil United's party, which was followed by a standing ovation from the home fans at the final whistle.
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