United in show-stopping form

Manchester Utd- 3 Aston Villa - 1:The good news for Aston Villa is that they will not meet Manchester United again this season - no more chasing Cristiano Ronaldo, no more worrying about Henrik Larsson.

Three times they have played them in the past 23 days and three times they have succumbed. If they could get away with it, some of Martin O'Neill's players might stop to applaud.

Alex Ferguson's team are in show-stopping form, enjoying the view from the top of the English Premiership as they contemplate Sunday's visit to Arsenal and a potentially pivotal moment in the title race.

True, Wayne Rooney is having one of those stodgy periods when a scowl seems permanently fixed to his face, but it scarcely matters when the rest of the team is reaching a point of maximum expression.

The time for Ferguson to worry about Rooney is when he is idling on the edges whereas, for now, he simply looks as if he is trying too hard. The Emirates Stadium would be a good venue for him to rediscover his touch.

There is so much to admire about the Premiership leaders that Rooney's lull is merely a sub-plot to the real storyline anyway - that of a team that sold their most prolific striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy, at the start of the season and have defied logic by the adventurous manner in which they have reinvented themselves.

Ferguson's belief is that the prizes can still be won in a certain, thrilling way.

Larsson darts here and there, always available, always alert. Paul Scholes, to use O'Neill's description, was "majestic", a superlative that has been applied with near monotony to the veteran midfielder this season.

Ronaldo collected his second successive player of the month award before kick-off, nodding his head appreciatively in a manner that was reminiscent of The Fonz. Rooney curled a shot against the crossbar to remind Old Trafford of the footballer it is familiar with - the one who could fall in the Manchester Ship Canal and come up with a salmon in his mouth.

Villa were so panicked that two of United's goals were assisted by some dreadful defending. Aaron Hughes and Gary Cahill made a pig's ear of clearing the ball before Park Ji-sung whacked in the first, and Gavin McCann was dispossessed after dallying on the ball too long before Michael Carrick crossed for Ronaldo to make it 3-0.

In between, however, there was a goal that sums up the way United are playing right now.

It began on the edge of their own penalty area, Carrick winning the ball with a sliding tackle. Twice he exchanged passes with Scholes. Then, advancing towards Villa's goal, he stroked the ball to Park on the right. Park laid it back into his path and Carrick took one touch for control and volleyed it into the bottom corner, so ending a move he had begun 70 yards away.

With United three goals ahead with 35 minutes played, the fact that it did not become a rout suggests the home side clocked off early, especially when Milan Baros set up Gabriel Agbonlahor for a Villa goal seven minutes into the second half.

Yet, Villa needed goal-line clearances, some outstanding goalkeeping and a dash of luck to keep the score respectable. Larsson menaced the visiting defenders, as did Louis Saha when he was unleashed from the bench.

Rooney was indefatigable.

"He just needs a goal to give him confidence," said Ferguson. "But he is working hard. I have no concerns about him."

Villa were willing opponents, but the trilogy has felt like an ordeal for O'Neill, like three whacks to the head. His side have not won in a dozen attempts and, for the first time, he has had to face questions about the possibility of relegation.

Only Watford and Charlton have won fewer games, and O'Neill spoke about a team that had hit the wall.

"If you look at young Agbonlahor, for example, he hasn't missed one minute for us this season, whereas if you had asked him in pre-season if he would have been happy with 12 appearances coming on substitute he would have thought that was fantastic. He hasn't missed a single minute and it's beginning to tell."

Guardian Service