EPL: Watford 2-4 Manchester United

Ashley Young scored a rare brace

Ashley Young scored a rare brace as Manchester United won 4-2 at Watford to move to within five points of leaders Manchester City.

The winger had not scored for 18 months going into the game against his former club at Vicarage Road, but his quick-fire double and Anthony Martial’s effort put United 3-0 ahead at half-time.

United took their foot off the pedal after the break and that allowed the hosts back into the contest with Troy Deeney’s penalty and Abdoulaye Doucoure reducing the deficit.

But Jesse Lingard settled the nerves with a late fourth to cement United’s place in second spot in the Premier League table, while Watford stay eighth.

Watford enjoyed the upper hand early on with Victor Lindelof needing to be alert to prevent Richarlison getting on the end of a Kiko Femenia cross into the area.

On nine minutes the Brazilian turned provider but his ball in behind was just too far ahead of Andre Gray to convert.

However, United opened the scoring against the run of play on 19 minutes when Romelu Lukaku played the ball to Lingard on the edge of the area. He then picked out the run of Young down the left and he went past Femenia on his way into the area before firing past Heurelho Gomes.

Six minutes later Young curled a superb free-kick into Gomes’ top corner to double United’s lead.

Gomes produced a brilliant double save as he parried an effort from Lukaku before recovering quickly to then deny Lingard who was following up.

Watford almost pulled one back before the interval when Richarlison got up to meet Femenia’s cross into the area, but his header hit the top of the crossbar.

The Hornets started the second half on the frontfoot looking for a way back into the game but left themselves open at the back and from break Martial played in Lukaku but the Belgian’s strike trickled across the face of goal and wide of the far post.

Both sides were hit by the loss of key men as Nemanja Matic was forced off for United while Will Hughes was limped off for the Hornets with what looked like a hamstring injury.

Paul Pogba had a chance to make it 4-0 on 74 minutes but he could only guide his header from a Lingard free-kick over the crossbar.

A minute later Marcus Rashford robbed the ball off Adrian Mariappa and played in Lukaku who took too long over his shot with just Gomes to beat and was denied by the recovering defenders.

Watford got a foothold in the game on 77 minutes when Marcos Rojo was guilty of a foul on Roberto Pereyra in the area and Deeney sent David De Gea the wrong way from the penalty spot.

There were hopes of an unlikely point for the hosts when Doucoure stuck out a leg to convert an Andre Carrillo cross into the area to make it 2-3 on 84 minutes.

However, Lingard sealed the win for the Red Devils with a surging run past Mariappa and Christian Kabasele from inside his own half before placing his effort past Gomes from just outside the area on 86 minutes.