Vincent Kompany's first goal in 20 months and Sergio Aguero's 11th in 11 games helped Manchester City to a 3-0 win at Southampton.
Kompany marked his latest return to the City rearguard in what has been an injury-plagued season by heading a 55th-minute opener.
Leroy Sane grabbed a second moments before Aguero chipped in with his 29th goal of the season to seal victory.
This was a potentially tricky assignment ahead of a crunch week for City, with an FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal next weekend followed by a midweek Manchester derby.
Had Southampton secured the third straight win they were looking for, Pep Guardiola's men could conceivably have been facing a United side just a point behind them.
But after City skipper Kompany found the net for the first time since August 2015, Sane and Aguero ensured they kept Jose Mourinho's side at bay in the race for a top-four finish.
So how did the two teams fare? See the gallery above for our player ratings.
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