Manchester United were left frustrated by a VAR penalty controversy in their 0-0 draw at Chelsea, while the revitalized Gareth Bale struck twice in Tottenham's 4-0 rout of Burnley on Sunday.
Liverpool took advantage of dropped points for Chelsea to move within two points of the top four by ending a four-game losing streak with a 2-0 win at Sheffield United. Second-placed United had hoped to close the gap on Manchester City with a victory at Stamford Bridge.
But instead they now sit 12 points behind the Premier League leaders as their title hopes fade following a run of one win from four games.
Man U frustrated by a penalty row in Chelsea stalemate
The biggest talking point of a dour clash came in the first-half when United's appeal for a penalty was rejected by referee Stuart Attwell after he consulted the pitch side monitor when Callum Hudson-Odoi appeared to handle in a challenge with Mason Greenwood.
"It was a penalty, 100 percent nailed on. If that's a natural position for a hand to be in when the ball comes in then I must be blind," United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.
Tuchel disagreed, saying: "How can this be a VAR intervention? I don't understand why the referee has to check it but I'm glad it was no penalty."
Bale shine for Spurs -
After five defeats in their previous six league games, Tottenham eased the pressure on Jose Mourinho with a significant contribution from Bale, who made just his third league start of the season.
Bale took just 68 seconds to score with a clinical close-range finish from Son Heung-min's cross.
The four-time Champions League winner then picked out Harry Kane's run and the England captain's shot deflected off James Tarkowski for his 22nd goal of the season.
Lucas Moura netted with a predatory finish before Bale, who had scored just once in the league all season before Sunday, grabbed his second with a cool strike from Son's 55th-minute pass.
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