Manchester United will spend Christmas 13 points behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race as Harry Maguire’s dramatic late equaliser earned Leicester City a 2-2 draw on Saturday.
Juan Mata looked set to inspire a United victory as Jose Mourinho’s side fought back from conceding Jamie Vardy’s 50th Premier League goal on 27 minutes.
Mata had scored a superb free-kick on the hour-mark to fire United ahead at the King Power Stadium after a clever finish on 40 minutes had levelled the scores.
But four minutes into stoppage-time Maguire headed home a Marc Albrighton cross to leave United stunned and push Pep Guardiola’s leaders another step towards the title. .
After a bright start from United, Leicester needed goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to come to its rescue after another clever United move.
It ended with Jesse Lingard’s effort from the area deflecting off Christian Fuchs, forcing Schmeichel into a fine, reaction save high to his left.
United was making all of the early running and Schmeichel had to make another save, albeit a routine one, to stop a 20-yard effort from Paul Pogba.
In the 19th minute, Anthony Martial chased a ball into the left-hand corner for United and kept it in before crossing to the far post, where Romelu Lukaku tried an overhead kick that flew wide.
Leicester threatened briefly on 26 minutes but Riyad Mahrez fired straight at United goalkeeper David de Gea after neat work by Albrighton and Gray. And a minute later the Foxes went ahead courtesy of a deadly counter-attack and some ragged United defending.
It was started by a superb, first-time pass by Wilfred Ndidi to put Mahrez one-on-one with Smalling and the Algerian kept his composure, waited for Vardy to arrive and rolled the ball into the striker, whose low finish gave de Gea no chance.
Mourinho’s mood was not improved moments later when Pogba drilled a woeful effort from long range over the crossbar or when the same player sent an ambitious lob from the halfway line wide of goal.
But United was level five minutes before half-time in scruffy fashion when Leicester failed to clear a left-wing cross and Mata seized on the loose ball to squeeze a shot into the bottom corner.
Leicester should have taken the lead early in the second half after Mahrez found space to advance down the right.
He crossed towards the far post, where Fuchs had arrived, but the Austrian’s powerful low drive was blocked by Victor Lindelof.
But moments later it was United’s turn to go close as referee Jonathan Moss played a good advantage to allow Jesse Lingard to make a counter-attacking run.
He squared for Martial, who blazed over the crossbar when he should have tested Schmeichel.
It took just three minutes more for United finally moved ahead as Mata capped a fine game with his second goal.
Leicester fouled Martial a couple of yards outside the penalty area and Mata curled a left-footed free-kick over the wall and under the crossbar with Schmeichel flailing. With 19 minutes remaining, United should have put the game to bed when Romelu Lukaku used his power to hold the ball up before producing a smart through-ball for Lingard. But the youngster stroked his left-footed effort against the base of Schmeichel’s left-hand post.Leicester’s task was made even harder, however, when Amartey was dismissed after just 17 minutes on the field.
He was booked twice in five minutes for fouls on Ashley Young and Marcus Rashford and duly received a red card.
Rashford should then have scored after more good work from Lukaku, but the striker delayed his shot and allowed Schmeichel to turn the ball away. But United paid for wasting a few chances when Albrighton crossed and Maguire headed home in the final seconds.
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick that equalled a Premier League record as Tottenham Hotspur won 3-0 at Burnley on Saturday to end a three-month wait for an away win.
Kane added two calm second-half finishes to an early penalty to take his goal total in the Premier League to 36 for the calendar year, equalling the record set by Alan Shearer with Blackburn Rovers in 1995.
But an emphatic win was set up in controversial fashion, with Burnley convinced Dele Alli had dived to win the spot-kick from which Kane converted.
Alli, whose inconsistency has been a source of huge frustration for Tottenham this season, was involved in two key incidents in the first seven minutes.
He was booked for a dangerous challenge on Burnley left-back Charlie Taylor, which was not as bad as the dreadful tackle on Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne seven days earlier, but nonetheless merited a yellow card.
Shortly afterwards, he was involved in the award of a contentious penalty that left Burnley manager Sean Dyche furious.
Alli went to ground after being tackled by Kevin Long. Referee Michael Oliver saw contact where Long was convinced there was none and awarded a penalty that Kane converted.
Burnley, one place above Tottenham going into the game, looked shaken by the loss of an early goal in such circumstances and struggled to regain its composure as the visitors pushed for a second.
Son Heung-Min cut in from the left and struck a low shot that Nick Pope gathered and Kane then almost nipped in for a second, reaching Alli’s deflected shot and sidestepping the goalkeeper before shooting wide.
The match threatened to boil over as Burnley took out their frustrations, with captain Ben Mee escaping a yellow card for a challenge that left Kane in pain on the ground.
Steven Defour then went in hard on Alli after taking issue with the Tottenham man’s challenge on Jack Cork.
Son fluffs chance
As Burnley fought to regain their composure, Moussa Sissoko passed up a clear chance to double their lead on the counter-attack as they broke from a corner.
Christian Eriksen played a pass out of defence for Alli, who then fed Sissoko to run clear, only for Pope to save twice with his legs.
Dyche’s team threatened sporadically, but were limited to half-chances.
Leading scorer Chris Wood injured himself after failing to connect with Defour’s low cross and had to be substituted shortly afterwards.
Tottenham continued to threaten after half-time, with Kane somehow diverting Eriksen’s cross wide at the near post after it had rebounded back to him off Pope.
Then Son found Eriksen clear in the penalty area, but his shot was weak and rolled straight through to the Burnley goalkeeper.
The South Korea forward gave Burnley an almighty reprieve moments later, lifting over the bar from 12 yards with only Pope to beat after Kane’s wonderful pass on the turn had sent Serge Aurier clear down the right.
Tottenham continued to create chances, with Kane cutting in from the left and seeing his angled shot deflect just wide off Mee.
But a second goal eventually came with 20 minutes to go. Mee’s poor ball out of defence was pounced upon by Sissoko, who sent Kane through to slot beyond Pope.
The hat-trick was completed with 12 minutes left as Johann Berg Gudmundsson lost the ball before Alli’s first-time pass allowed Kane to drive across Pope and into the far corner with his left foot.
The results: Burnley 0 lost to Tottenham 3 (Kane 7-pen, 69, 79); Leicester 2 (Vardy 27, Maguire 90+4) drew with Manchester United 2 (Mata 40, 60).