Tottenham sink United to end Old Trafford curse

Tottenham Hotspur FC defeated Manchester United FC 3-2 to end an Old Trafford curse that dated back to December 1989, after Premier League leaders Chelsea FC had won 2-1 at London rivals Arsenal FC.

Jan Vertonghen gave Spurs a dream start with a deflected shot inside two minutes and, half an hour later, Gareth Bale outpaced Rio Ferdinand to double the lead with a right-footed finish across Anders Lindegaard.

The match exploded into life shortly after half-time, when Nani and Shinji Kagawa scored for United either side of Clint Dempsey's maiden Tottenham goal – all three efforts arriving inside 139 seconds. Wayne Rooney then curled a free-kick against a post and Michael Carrick hit the bar, but Spurs held on for a famous victory.

Unbeaten Chelsea earned their fifth win of the season in the lunchtime fixture at the Arsenal Stadium, Juan Mata (53) sealing all three points for the Blues after Gervinho had cancelled out Fernando Torres' volleyed opener. Manchester City FC came from behind to beat Fulham FC 2-1, Edin Džeko landing the decisive blow late on.

Elsewhere, Norwich City FC's Carrow Road remained a happy hunting ground for Liverpool FC striker Luis Suárez, who, like last season, hit a hat-trick as the Reds emphatically recorded their first top-flight victory of the campaign.