Manchester City consolidate

London, December 5 

Manchester City opened up a five-point lead at the top of the table with a seventh straight Premier League victory, but were made to work for a 2-1 win at Watford on Tuesday.

City's goals came either side of half-time as Leroy Sane chested home to end Watford's resistance before Riyad Mahrez swept home early in the second period.

However, they had to withstand a nervy finish after Abdoulaye Doucoure bundled home five minutes from time.

Perez sparks West Ham 

Elsewhere, Bournemouth moved above Manchester United --- up to sixth --- thanks to a 2-1 win over Huddersfield.

Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser continued their fine personal seasons by giving the hosts a 2-0 lead inside 22 minutes before Terence Kongolo pulled a goal back for the Terriers.

Brighton edged into the top half as despite playing for over an hour with 10 men, they beat Crystal Palace 3-1.

West Ham's upward trajectory also continued as they scored three goals in 12 second-half minutes to beat Cardiff 3-1. Lucas Perez replaced the injured Marko Arnautovic in the first half and went onto score his first two league goals since a summer move from Arsenal before Michail Antonio added a third. — AFP