Manchester United and Chelsea couldn't afford any slip-ups if they were to have even the slightest chance of catching Manchester City in the final months of the Premier League.
Both lost on Wednesday, and saw City rack up another big win to move even closer to the title, reports AP.
United conceded inside 11 seconds to Christian Eriksen and was beaten 2-0 by Tottenham at Wembley Stadium in front of a record Premier League attendance of 81,978.
Chelsea had a more surprising loss, upset 3-0 by Bournemouth at home after conceding all the goals in a 16-minute spell in the second half.
City took its opportunity to push 15 points clear in what is turning into a procession to the title, beating West Bromwich Albion 3-0 on the back of another masterful display by Kevin De Bruyne.
De Bruyne set up Fernandinho for the opener and then scored himself, before Sergio Aguero added a late third at Etihad Stadium. In the process, City went past 100 goals for the season in all competitions.
United stayed in second place while Chelsea dropped to fourth - below Liverpool on goal difference - and is now 18 points behind City.
"We knew the distance to the leader was already considerable, even before this match," United manager Jose Mourinho said. "Now we have us, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal - we will be there fighting for three positions (behind City)."
Leicester was without Riyad Mahrez for its trip to Everton, with the Algerian not included in the squad after being the subject of a bid from Man City on Tuesday, and missed its star winger in a 2-1 loss at Goodison Park.
Burnley and Southampton came from behind to secure 1-1 draws against Newcastle and Brighton, respectively. Stoke and Watford drew 0-0.
It hasn't derailed the leaders, with City winning four straight games in all competitions - two coming in the league - in an impressive reaction to stay on course for an unlikely but increasingly possible quadruple of trophies.
