MATHEUS Cunha and Benjamin Sesko struck in the final 20 minutes at Old Trafford today to give Manchester United a key 3-1 victory over Aston Villa in the battle for UEFA Champions League qualification.
An encounter low on quality before half-time came alive after the break, with United captain Bruno Fernandes playing a pivotal role.
After Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez had turned away a goal-bound Bryan Mbeumo effort, Fernandes whipped in a textbook near-post corner, which Casemiro flicked over Martinez and into the net off the far upright.
On his first Premier League start in 14 months, Ross Barkley levelled for the visitors with a snap shot 11 minutes later.
However, United were not to be denied.
Fernandes supplied a superb through ball to send Cunha racing clear of the Villa defence and the Brazil forward found the far corner with a precise low strike.
Substitute Sesko then took his personal tally to eight goals in 10 games as his deflected effort on the turn looped past Martinez.
The result keeps Michael Carrick’s side in third and provides the United interim boss with a sixth successive home win – a record only bettered by Sven Goran Eriksson, Carlo Ancelotti and Manuel Pellegrini at the start of their respective Premier League reigns.
Villa have now won just three of their past 12 league matches and their 12-point return during that period leaves them sweating on qualification for Europe’s elite competition next season.
At the City Ground, there were five Super Eagles stars in action as Nottingham Forest and Fulham played out a drab 0-0 draw.
Ola Aina started for hosts Forest, with Taiwo Awoniyi coming on in the 63rd minute, while Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi were in Fulham’s starting line-up as Samuel Chukwueze came off the bench.
Dan Ndoye had a goal disallowed for Nottingham Forest after a VAR review, while Awoniyi had the best chance of the game late on but could not convert.
With the result, Forest moved out of the relegation zone into 17th, just ahead of West Ham on goal difference.
