Raheem Sterling struck a second-half hat-trick as champions Manchester City put pressure on title rivals Liverpool with a 3-1 win over Watford on Sunday (NZ time).
After a frustrating first half for the champions, Sterling netted within a minute of the restart, and although an offside flag was raised, referee Paul Tierney awarded the goal as defender Daryl Janmaat had struck the ball off the England forward before it ricocheted into the net.
Sterling tapped home a second moments later, and the visitors' collapse continued as Sterling completed his hat-trick in the 59th minute before Gerard Deulofeu pulled one back.
City moves four points clear of their title rivals Liverpool, who have a crunch home game against Chris Wood's Burnley
Meanwhile, Tottenham's hold on third place was loosened after Southampton fought back for a shock 2-1 win.
Goals five minutes apart late from Yan Valery and James Ward-Prowse handed Spurs their third loss in a four-game winless run, leaving them three points clear of Manchester United, who can pull level on points by beating Arsenal on Monday.
Tottenham twice hit the woodwork before Harry Kane fired home his 200th career goal in the first half.
Southampton equalised through Valery in the 76th minute and Ward-Prowse completed the comeback a short time later by curling a free-kick past Hugo Lloris into the top corner.
"We are fighting against big sides," manager Mauricio Pochettino, who was suspended for the match, told the BBC.
"We had a big gap, welcome to the reality, we are under pressure to win games. It is a massive challenge for us."
Newcastle is six points clear of Cardiff after a stunning come-from-behind 3-2 win at home to Everton.
The Magpies trailed 2-0 at the half before Solomon Rondon pulled one back and Ayoze Perez capped the fightback with a brace in the final nine minutes.
Huddersfield look set to be relegated after they lost 2-0 at home to Bournemouth, leaving them 16 points from safety with eight games left.
Fulham is 13 points adrift after falling 3-1 in the first home game for new Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers.
Cardiff remains in the drop zone despite their win over West Ham.
Earlier, a moment of brilliance from Anthony Knockaert saw Brighton beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to edge further clear from the relegation zone.
Frenchman Knockaert fired a spectacular 74th-minute winner from outside the area as Albion completed the league double over their great rivals for the first time since 1983-84.
Brighton opened the scoring on 19 minutes through 35-year-old Glenn Murray but then conceded from the spot after the break when Davy Propper fouled Andros
Townsend and Luka Milivojevic converted the penalty against Socceroos keeper Ryan.
But Knockaert had the final say as Brighton registered back-to-back league victories for the first time this year.
Reuters
