Ashley Young fired Manchester United back into the title race with a devastating two-goal blast against his first club Watford .

Young stung the Hornets with the opener at Vicarage Road and then whipped a stunning 25-yard free-kick into the top corner six minutes later as United closed the gap on leaders Manchester City to five points.

Anthony Martial made it 3-0 after 31 minutes to kill the contest and keep Jose Mourinho's men within earshot of the noisy neighbours.

But it was Young's brilliant one-two, against the club who sold him for £9.75m almost 11 years ago, which demonstrated why Gareth Southgate recalled him to the England squad earlier this month.

Young was initially rejected by the Hornets as a teenager because they feared he was too brittle to make the grade – but they allowed him to come back and prove his worth before handing him a contract.

Home fans opted to take offence when Young dared to celebrate his first goal in front of the Rookery.

Jesse Lingard added United's fourth late on (
Image:
AFP)

But only the stoniest heart would have begrudged Young his exotic knee-slide after the thrilling set piece which made it 2-0 because it was a throwback to the exciting kid with twiglet legs who became a star in Hertfordshire on Aidy Boothroyd's watch a decade ago.

Romelu Lukaku, reprieved by disciplinary hawks despite appearing to kick out at Brighton defender Gaetan Bong at the weekend, missed two yawning chances to add further gloss to United's performance.

Mourinho was content to run down the clock after Watford skipper Troy Deeney reduced the deficit from the penalty spot.

And when Abdoulaye Doucoure volleyed his fifth goal of the season from sub Andre Carrillo's cross with six minutes left, United had somehow turned a procession into a white-knuckle ride.

But Jesse Lingard's superb solo run and finish made sure of the points.

Here are five talking points from Vicarage Road...

Young was the difference in the first half (
Image:
REUTERS)

1. It's not over yet

There are some, including Mirror Sport columnist Robbie Savage, who think it's all over.

Tie the sky-blue ribbons around the Premier League trophy, take it along to the Etihad and hand it over to Pep Guardiola.

But such was the ferocity of Manchester United's first-half onslaught here, and the crispness of their finishing, that perhaps it's not quite a foregone conclusion.

Just supposing the noisy neighbours come a cropper in the derby next month and the gap closes... we may still get a duel between Pep and Jose instead of a procession.

Anthony Martial wrapped up the points (
Image:
Getty Images Europe)

2. Lucky Lukaku enjoys front-row view

If the rules were applied on a level playing field, Romelu Lukaku would not have been playing at Vicarage Road.

Lukaku was lucky to get away with kicking out at Brighton's Gaetan Bong, and the three-game ban mere mortals would have incurred for a similar indiscretion.

But as Manchester United sailed over the horizon with a three-goal blitz in 13 minutes, Lukaku did not even need to exert himself unduly.

Such was the quality of his team-mates' finishing in a devastating first half-hour that Lukaku could afford to keep some gas in the tank ahead of bigger tests against Arsenal and the noisy neighbours.

Romelu Lukaku drew another blank in front of goal (
Image:
AFP)

3. Young at heart

It had to be him, didn't it?

Almost 11 years ago, Ashley Young became the most expensive player sold by Watford – by miles – when he moved to Aston Villa for £9.75 million.

When he drilled United in front with a superb, crisp shot after 19 minutes, it was the first time he had scored against his former club.

Although his celebration in front of the Rookery end who once adored him was unremarkable, snowflakes among the home support decided to boo him.

His response was absolutely brilliant, bending a 25-yard free-kick into the top corner to make it 2-0 six minutes later.

Watford fans should have known it was coming. After all, he did it often enough for the Hornets when he wore their yellow shirt, as patrons of Crystal Palace, Plymouth and Leeds – among others will attest.

Heurelho Gomes had no chance with Young's free-kick (
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REUTERS)

4. No bunch of of fives for Watford this time

With consecutive home games against United and Tottenham, Watford were entitled to treat their challenging double header as a pair of free hits.

But there was never the slightest chance they would have expected to repeat their extraordinary romp 32 years ago, when the Hornets banged in 10 goals against two of English football's big guns in the space of 48 hours.

In 1985, Watford went to White Hart Lane and won 5-1 – and two days later, with Ron Atkinson's side treading carefully before the FA Cup final, they repeated the dose.

Not since Graham Taylor was in his pomp have the Golden Boys produced more enjoyable football in the top flight than the vibrant displays Marco Silva's side have served up this season.

Watford were brought back down to earth with a bang (
Image:
Action Images via Reuters)

5. Silva strikes it rich

Watford chairman Scott Duxbury has told Premier League big guns they will be whistling in the dark if they try and poach Hornets stars Richarlison and Abdoulaye Doucoure in the January transfer window.

At £11.2 million, Brazilian discovery Richarlison, 20, has been arguably the best buy of 2017.

With pace to burn, a box of tricks direct from the Magic Circle and an eye for goal, 'Ricky Rio' has already evoked comparisons with a young Cristiano Ronaldo.

Steady on – it's still early days. The boy from Brazil is talented, but let's see if he can turn rich promise into pure box office.

But even as his team was outplayed in the first half, Richarlison still managed to clip the bar with a header.

Richarlison impressed again for Watford (
Image:
REUTERS)