SUNDERLAND, England — Leicester qualified for the Champions League for the first time Sunday and moved closer to the Premier League title with a 2-0 win at struggling Sunderland.
Jamie Vardy scored both goals to take his tally for the season to 21 goals, ending a five-game drought. The goals kept Leicester seven points clear of Tottenham, which beat Manchester United 3-0, and guaranteed a top-four finish for the central England team.
Although fourth place only secures a place in the Champions League playoff round, it is highly unlikely Leicester will even be dislodged from top spot.
Sunderland, though, is four points from safety with six games remaining — experiencing a relegation battle Leicester was embroiled in last season.
The host held off the leader until the 66th minute when Vardy met Danny Drinkwater's high ball. The England striker tapped in his second in stoppage time after rounding goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
It might have been very different at Sunderland had Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel not managed to react quickly to keep out Fabio Borini's deflected shot as the first half drew to a close.
But now it appears little can stop Leicester completing its amazing transformation from a team fighting relegation a year ago to lifting the league trophy in May.
"We've got a few games left. It's a step but a very big one," Drinkwater said. "Coming off the Sunderland fans were clapping us as well which is brilliant. It was a great game, we knew it would be tough but managed to grind it out."
Tottenham destroyed a lackluster United with a three-goal salvo in six second-half minutes to keep alive its Premier League title quest.
Starting the match 10 points adrift of leader Leicester after it had beaten Sunderland earlier, Tottenham shaved the gap to seven with Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Erik Lamela on target to earn the north London club a first home league win over United since 2001.
The match kicked off half and hour late after United's team coach was stuck in traffic.
Fifth-placed United is now four points behind Manchester City.
Liverpool, meanwhile, scored two goals in each half to defeat Stoke 4-1.
Alberto Moreno's fine opener in the eighth minute Sunday was canceled out by Bojan Krkic in the 22nd before Daniel Sturridge restored the host’s lead 13 minutes before halftime at Anfield.
Two goals from halftime substitute Divock Origi capped the best week of his Liverpool career.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp made seven changes from the team that drew 1-1 in Dortmund with Thursday's second leg in mind. Two were enforced, with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson's knee injury ruling him out for the rest of the season and Emre Can suspended.
The victory lifted Liverpool into eighth place. — Agencies
