Lee Nguyen brace hands points to New England Revolution

Lee Nguyen scored twice to condemn the Houston Dynamo to a 2-1 defeat as the New England Revolution closed the gap on DC United at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Patrick Mullins should have put New England ahead early on at the BBVA Compass Stadium, but he could only fire wide from a tight angle after forcing his way into the box.

Despite heading into the game as the firm favourites, the Revolution were soon forced onto the back foot as Houston quickly improved in the first half.

The Dynamo were rewarded for their pressure eight minutes before the interval when Giles Barnes slotted home after Bobby Shuttleworth had kept out Omar Cummings.

New England responded well after the break, and twice came close to levelling the scores when Steve Neumann and Charlie Davies struck wide from close range.

The equaliser would arrive in the 65th minute when Nguyen earned himself space inside the box before curling an unstoppable strike past Tyler Deric.

Neither side would take a backward step in the closing stages as they went in search for a late winner, and it was New England who clinched the points with three minutes of normal time remaining.

Kofi Sarkodie appeared to make a vital clearance on the line from a Darrius Barnes strike, but the Houston full-back regained possession and found Nguyen, who fired home to complete the comeback.