Manchester United were able to retain second-place on the Premier League table thanks to a 3-1 win over Newcastle United on Sunday.
Leicester City had displaced United as the closest challengers to Manchester City following their victory at Aston Villa earlier in the day.
But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are now ahead of the Foxes on goal difference after overcoming the Magpies at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford put the hosts in front after 30 minutes thanks to some poor goalkeeping from Karl Darlow, who should have blocked the England international's shot from breaching his near post.
Steve Bruce would have breathed a sigh of relief just six minutes later when Allan Saint-Maximin replied with an equaliser down the other end.
Toon came out of the break looking resolute, but a lapse in concentration from left-back Jamaal Lewis allowed Daniel James enough space to unleash a right-footed strike from inside the box past Darlow to restore United's lead.
And the game was put out of reach for the relegation battlers with 15 minutes remaining when Rashford was brought down by Arsenal loanee Joe Willock
Bruno Fernandes stepped up to convert from the spot for his 22nd goal of the season.
United fans also got their first glimpse of 17-year-old Shola Shoretire, who made his debut as a substitute after replacing Marcus Rashford with 89 minutes on the clock.
Speaking after the game, Solskjaer expressed his desire for United to deliver consistent results as they hope to see leaders Manchester City falter in the title race.
"We can't control any other team," Solskjaer said. "We just have to focus on ourselves and be the best possible Manchester United every game. Things happen and there are many surprises in football."
He added: "We had to up the tempo a little bit, especially in the last third and I felt we managed to do that. It is always difficult to get going after an away game in Europe.
"Even though we dominated possession and had a lot of the ball we couldn't create many opportunities. I felt in the second half we found our positions better."
