Manchester United beat Aston Villa 3-1 to tighten their grip on third place Football news

Bruno Fernandes reached 100 assists in all competitions after setting up two goals in a decisive 3-1 win over Villa.

Manchester United strengthened their bid to qualify for the Champions League with a vital 3-1 win over top-four rivals Aston Villa.

Michael Carrick’s side took the lead before Ross Barkley fired Villa level with Casemiro’s second-half opener at Old Trafford on Sunday.

United finished strongly with Matthews Cunha and Benjamin Cesko scoring late on to seal Carrick’s seventh win in nine games since taking over as interim boss.

Third-placed United in the Premier League are three points clear of fourth-placed Villa in the race to reach the Champions League with a top-four finish.

United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe praised Carrick’s “excellent” work this week but stopped short of committing to the former Old Trafford star on a long-term basis.

However, Carrick is making a strong case to earn the job on a permanent basis after stabilizing United following the sacking of Ruben Amorim.

United’s latest victory came after the first defeat of their reign at Newcastle after an 11-day break and Carrick celebrated with a jubilant jig on the touchline after Cesco wrapped up the points.

Splattering Villa have lost their last three league games and won just one of seven top-flight matches, leaving them three points behind fifth-placed Chelsea with eight games remaining in the battle for the European places.

After a lethargic first half, United finally opened up the Villa defense in the 53rd minute.

Brian Mbeumo’s stinging strike was met by Emiliano Martinez who scored the corner that brought the opener.

Bruno Fernandes curled a corner to the near post, and Casemiro made a perfectly timed run to see a header past Martinez.

With Casemiro likely to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season, United fans serenaded the Brazilian midfielder with chants of “one more year”.

United lost focus and conceded the lead in the 64th minute.

In his first Premier League start for 14 months, Barkley fired a stunning strike past Senne Lammens from 11 meters (12 yards) after United failed to clear the danger.

But Cunha scored in the 71st minute and Carrick’s teammates did not pay for their mistake.

The Brazilian forward burst onto Fernandez’s sublime pass into the Villa area and produced a fine finish into the far corner.

It was Fernandes’ 16th Premier League assist of the season to take the United captain past David Beckham’s previous club record of 15 in 1999-2000.

He has 100 assists for United in all competitions since signing from Sporting Lisbon in 2020.

Cesco came off the bench to prove a point to Carrick after being dropped and the Slovenian striker fired home a deflected effort in the 81st minute.

Fernandes said he was happy to provide his team-mates with two assists to overtake Beckham’s record.

“I am most proud and happy because I have served my teammates. It feels good to make others happy,” he said.

“When you play in the position I play, I’m very happy that I can help them score and be happy in that moment. It’s a big achievement for me, but the main achievement is to be on top at the end of the season.”

Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest moved out of the relegation zone after a 0-0 draw against Fulham at the City Ground.

Fourth-bottom Forest, who have had four managers this term, are still waiting for their first win under Vitor Pereira, ahead of third-bottom West Ham on goal difference.

Ten-man Leeds held on for a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s missed penalty and Gabriel Gudmundsson’s red card.

Later on Sunday, struggling Tottenham went to Liverpool with just goal difference to keep them out of the relegation zone.