Manchester United secured a crucial 3-1 victory over top-four rivals Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday. Casemiro opened the scoring with a header in the second half, but Ross Barkley equalized for Villa in the 64th minute.

However, United finished strongly with goals from Matheus Cunha in the 71st minute and substitute Benjamin Sesko in the 81st minute, sealing the win. This marked interim manager Michael Carrick's seventh victory in nine games since taking over.

United now sit third in the league table, three points clear of fourth-placed Villa in the race for Champions League qualification via a top-four finish. Co-owner Jim Ratcliffe praised Carrick's "excellent" work this week but has not yet committed to him on a permanent basis.

Bruno Fernandes provided two assists in the match, surpassing David Beckham's previous club record of 15 assists in a single Premier League season and reaching 100 assists for United in all competitions since joining in 2020. Fernandes said, "I'm more proud and pleased because I did it serving my teammates. Giving joy to others is also very good."

Aston Villa, meanwhile, suffered their third consecutive league defeat and have only one win in their last seven top-flight matches, leaving them just three points above fifth-placed Chelsea in the battle for European spots. With 18 games remaining, their form has been inconsistent and concerning.

Source: www.aljazeera.com