'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Manchester United thrashed Aston Villa on their own patch to close the gap on fourth-placed Leicester City to just one point.
Goals from Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood and Paul Pogba facilitated the comprehensive win as Aston Villa failed to recover from a harsh penalty decision given against them early on.
In the process, the Red Devils became the first team to win four consecutive EPL games by a three-goal margin. As for Aston Villa, the relegation picture appears bigger with each passing defeat.
Trending
While Manchester United looked flat-footed in the first-half, Aston Villa created clear-cut opportunities from their time on the ball. Jack Grealish fired his volley over the bar, before Trezeguet dispossessed Pogba to sidefoot an excellent shot straight at the post.
As they say in football, a game has the capacity to change within a second. Just moments after Trezeguet's effort, Bruno Fernandes won a controversial penalty for his side.
Of course, he would go on to bury it past Pepe Reina without any fuss, but the decision from John Moss sparked intense discussion among the fraternity, more so after VAR reviewed the foul but did not overturn the on-field judgement.
Villa's confidence was rocked after the opening goal, as Manchester United went on to take control of proceedings and prepare for the counter just as they always do to unleash the killer punch.
They brought their opponents up the pitch and hit them on the counter. After a couple of breakaways initiated by Bruno Fernandes, one such counter-attack fell to a lively Mason Greenwood, who smashed the second with his right foot to put the game to bed.
There is simply no stopping the 18-year-old at the moment.
Mason Greenwood has been the find of the season for Manchester United
Manchester United then brought one from the training ground routines to score their third, with Fernandes laying it on a platter for Pogba. The Frenchman took a couple of touches to get the ball out of his feet and unleashed a beauty, leaving Reina with no chance.
Apart from a spell from Aston Villa in the first-half, it was all Manchester United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are slowly growing into a real force in the EPL, having extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to an astonishing 17 matches.
Should the Red Devils continue in the same vein of form, there's no denying that pressure will only pile up on Leicester and Chelsea.
