IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday
Leicester City set a club record of eight successive top flight wins after two goals from Jamie Vardy helped them to an impressive 4-1 Premier League victory at Aston Villa on Sunday.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Jonny Evans were also on target for Leicester, who served up a performance akin to those which produced a memorable title run in 2015-16 as they missed several chances to win by a bigger margin.
The result left the Foxes second in the standings on 38 points from 16 games, eight adrift of runaway leaders Liverpool and six ahead of third-placed champions Manchester City, while Villa slipped to 17th on 15 points.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers heaped praise on his players.
"I thought they were amazing, it is a historical day for the club and the performance warranted that," he was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"We scored all types of goals today and kept going to the end and tried to keep scoring goals."
The league's top scorer Vardy fired Leicester ahead with his 15th goal of the season in the 20th minute when he shook off Ezri Konsa and slotted the ball in after rounding goalkeeper Tom Heaton with a sublime first touch.
Iheanacho made it 2-0 with a deft finish from a fizzing low cross by James Maddison before Jack Grealish pulled one back for Villa on the stroke of halftime, burying a powerful shot from 12 metres past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Centre back Evans restored Leicester's two-goal advantage with a looping header from 10 metres shortly after the break, rising above his marker to meet a Maddison corner.
The effervescent Maddison, who tormented the home team's defence all afternoon, shaved the post with a fine shot from the edge of the penalty area in the 67th minute as Leicester continued to dominate.
Vardy put the icing on the cake for the rampant visitors in the 76th minute after he raced clear of Matt Targett from the halfway line and drove the ball past Heaton into the bottom right corner.
Evans, who won three Premier League titles with Manchester United, was upbeat about Leicester's chances of finishing in the top four.
"We are up there and it shows we are playing well," the 31-year-old Northern Ireland defender told Sky Sports.
"Our performance was good. It is nice people are talking about us, we're enjoying it and there's great spirit in the club."
Late Fernandez strike gives Newcastle 2-1 win over Southampton
Centre-back Federico Fernandez smashed home a rebound two minutes from time as goal-shy Newcastle United came back from one goal down to beat visitors Southampton 2-1 in their Premier League clash on Sunday.
Coming into the tie having scored a miserly 15 goals in 15 games, Newcastle went behind when Southampton striker Danny Ings held off a defender before shooting across keeper Martin Dubravka for his fifth goal in five league games.
The home team had plenty of possession and threatened repeatedly from the flanks but it took the introduction of substitute Andy Carroll to turn the game in their favour.
More used to attacking crosses than putting them in the box, Carroll lofted the ball in from the wing for Jonjo Shelvey to get up highest to plant the ball in at the far post and even out the scores in the 68th minute.
Roared on by the home crowd, the Magpies went looking for a winner and it came as full time approached when Sean Longstaff's shot from distance was fumbled by Alex McCarthy but Fernandez was on hand to thump the ball into the back of the net.
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce credited striker Carroll, who has yet to score following his summer return to the club where he made his name, with turning things around for his side.
"The introduction of Big Andy had glimpses today of what he had 10 years ago. He looks well at the moment, big Andy Carroll coming on was a huge help," he said.
Southampton remain in the relegation zone in 18th spot with 15 points, while Newcastle go 10th in the table on 22 points, with goal-scorer Fernandez indicating that they were not done climbing yet.
"We need to enjoy this period and build a winning mentality. You never know where we can arrive at the end of the season, but we take it game by game," he said.
Stevens, Baldock score as battling Blades edge past Norwich
Sheffield United wing backs Enda Stevens and George Baldock scored in three second-half minutes as the Blades came from behind to defeat a spirited Norwich City 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday.
Victory meant that Chris Wilder's team, who are eighth in the standings on 22 points, have avoided defeat in their opening eight away games of the campaign.
They last managed the feat in the top flight in the 1899-00 season, remaining unbeaten for 10 matches on the road.
Trailing 1-0 following a poor opening half at a wet and windy Carrow Road, the Blades equalised four minutes after the break when Stevens rose above Norwich's defence to powerfully head in fellow defender Baldock's cross from the right.
With Norwich still reeling, Baldock put the visitors ahead in the 52nd minute, twisting and turning before firing the ball past goalkeeper Tim Krul and into the bottom left corner after collecting a pass from John Lundstram.
Norwich midfielder Alexander Tettey had earlier marked his return to the starting lineup with the opening goal in the 27th minute, blasting a low shot past goalkeeper Dean Henderson after the Blades failed to clear Emiliano Buendia's corner.
Mario Vrancic could have doubled the Canaries' lead in the final seconds of the first half but the Bosnian midfielder's right-footed effort from distance was saved by Henderson diving to his left.
Blades defender Chris Basham was shown a red card 16 minutes from time for a poor challenge on midfielder Kenny McLean, but he was asked to return to the pitch after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) deemed that his tackle deserved only a yellow.
The Blades survived a late scare when Norwich substitute Todd Cantwell wove his way past several defenders and got his shot away but Henderson was equal to the task, producing a sharp save to deny the English midfielder.
"We're an honest bunch and we don't need much telling, but there was a good reaction at halftime," Baldock told Sky Sports.
"We've come into the season full of belief and confidence. We got written off before a ball was kicked but we're doing ourselves proud."
Relegation-threatened Norwich, who remain 19th, travel to second-placed Leicester City next Saturday while the Blades host another promoted side in Aston Villa.
