Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes were sent off as Manchester United were beaten2-0 at Fulham yesterday, tightening the Premier League title race by losing in consecutive matches for the first time in four years.

Chelsea, though, missed a chance to close the gap on the leaders, losing 1-0 at Tottenham to remain four points adrift.

Man United's lead could still be cut to a point today if Liverpool beat fifth-place Aston Villa, although the defending champions will have a game in hand.

The Red Devils, beaten 4-1 at home to Liverpool last week, lost Scholes in the 18th minute when he used his hands to block Bobby Zamora's shot on the goal line.

Danny Murphy gave former side Liverpool's title bid a huge help by dispatching the penalty into the top corner.

Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer kept Fulham in the match before Zoltan Gera added a second goal with a volley in the 87th.

With the defending champions about to lose their first match at Craven Cottage since 1964, Rooney was shown a second yellow card for throwing the ball away in the 89th.

"The ball was thrown direct to where the free kick was being taken. Did it hit the referee? No," Ferguson said. "He threw it because he wanted to get the game going."

Guus Hiddink lost for the first time in his eight-match reign at Chelsea. Luka Modric struck into the bottom corner of Peter Cech's goal from the outside of the area five minutes after the break for Spurs' second league win over their London rival since 1990.

Maintained grip

Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes was vital in protecting the win, saving from John Terry late on, while the crossbar denied Alex an equaliser deep into injury time.

Arsenal maintained their grip on the fourth Champions League spot with a 3-1 win at Newcastle after a 10-minute goal spree.

Nicklas Bendtner headed Arsenal ahead in the 57th after latching on to Andrei Arshavin's free kick, but Obafemi Martins levelled within seconds of the restart after William Gallas botched a clearance.

The Gunners restored their lead by exploiting the absence of defender Steven Taylor, who was receiving treatment on the sidelines. Abou Diaby played a one-two with Robin van Persie before firing past onrushing goalkeeper Steve Harper.