March 15 (Reuters) - Manchester United tightened their grip on a top-four place in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over rivals Aston Villa but Liverpool dropped points in a disappointing home draw with struggling Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Goals by Casemiro, Matheus Cunha and substitute Benjamin Sesko took third-placed United to 54 points after 30 games, three more than fourth-placed Villa who suffered a third successive league defeat.
Liverpool looked like they would move above Villa into fourth place as they led with a superb Dominik Szoboszlai free kick but Richarlison's last-minute equaliser gave 16th-placed Tottenham a deserved share of the spoils.
The point lifted Liverpool above Chelsea into fifth place with 49 points from 30 games while Tottenham's avoidance of a sixth successive league defeat left them one point above the relegation zone with 30 points.
Nottingham Forest moved out of the relegation zone on goal difference as they drew 0-0 at home with Fulham while 15th-placed Leeds United managed a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace despite having Gabriel Gudmundsson sent off.
FERNANDES RECORDS 100TH ASSIST
United were playing their first game in 11 days and were keen to get back on track after interim boss Michael Carrick's seven-game unbeaten run ended in a 2-1 loss to 10-man Newcastle United on March 4.
Casemiro put United ahead in the 53rd minute with a glancing header from a Bruno Fernandes corner but Ross Barkley levelled in the 64th with a shot from the middle of the area.
The game looked headed for a draw before Cunha scored from the left side of the box in the 71st minute, with Fernandes recording his 100th assist for the club across all competitions.
With eight games left, Fernandes is also four shy of matching the Premier League record for assists in one season of 20 held by Thierry Henry (2002-03) and Kevin De Bruyne (2019-20).
Sesko put the game out of reach 10 minutes later with a blistering shot from the centre of the box.
With 22 points from a possible 27 under Carrick's leadership, Sunday's win will invariably lead to more questions about his chances of becoming United's permanent manager.
"It's only noise if you listen to it, I suppose," Carrick said. "It doesn't affect me one bit, to be honest. I'm in this position at the moment, doing the best I can, loving it obviously. We keep pushing for more."
LIVERPOOL CONCEDE LATE AGAIN
For the eighth game this season Liverpool conceded in the 90th minute or later in the Premier League and the latest one prompted boos at the final whistle at Anfield.
"We have conceded far too many goals to pick up the amount of points that this club and I am used to," manager Arne Slot said. "As this season is going, it is not a complete surprise we are conceding in the last moments."
When Dominik Szoboszlai's 18th-minute free kick beat Tottenham keeper Guglielmo Vicario it looked like being the catalyst for a comfortable victory against a side without a league win in 2026 and who are in danger of being relegated from the top flight for the first time since 1977.
But a depleted Tottenham produced a spirited response and carved out some good chances before Richarlison stroked home a shot in the 90th minute to snap Tottenham's six-game losing sequence in all competitions.
Former Everton striker Richarlison's goal was his fifth in the Premier League at Anfield and only Andy Cole has more away goals against Liverpool in the competition.
The result meant Tottenham have now gone 12 league games without a win, the club's worst run in 91 years, but interim manager Igor Tudor's first point since taking charge offered some positivity that they can avoid being sucked down.
"The team spirit was amazing. This was the main demand. The quality is there. Every point is crucial, we are just going game by game. We hope today is a turning point," Tudor said.
Forest, who play Tottenham next week in a vital clash, were left to rue a goal by Swiss winger Dan Ndoye being disallowed for offside but the point at home to Fulham at least lifted them out of the bottom three above West Ham United.
Leeds eked out a useful point in their quest to stay up and it could have been better at Palace if Dominic Calvert-Lewin had not dragged a first-half penalty wide.
(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)
