Manchester United moved up to third with a 3-1 win over relegation-threatened Burnley at Old Trafford, despite being second best for large parts of the game.
Chris Smalling headed in with his first touch of the game with five minutes played, having replaced the injured Phil Jones in the opening moments of the match.
Burnley reacted superbly to the early setback and deservedly levelled after 12 minutes, as Danny Ings powered in a header after Kiwran Trippier’s brilliant driving run and cross.
The Clarets dominated the rest of the half, only for Smalling to give the Red Devils the lead again just before half-time with an emphatic header from Di Maria’s brilliant cross to the far post.
A scruffy win for the home side was sealed with eight minutes remaining as Di Maria was dragged down in the box by Scott Arfield, allowing van Persie to fire into the bottom left-hand corner from the penalty spot.