A free flowing contest at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon saw Scott McTominay come off the bench to head Manchester United to within five points of Aston Villa after a 2-1 win.
Rasmus Hojlund continued his hot scoring run with a poacher's strike to open the scoring inside 20 minutes before Douglas Luiz converted smartly to equalise in the second half.
Erik ten Hag made the decisive substitution bringing McTominay on late in the second half, before the Scot once again scored the winner for the Red Devils.
It was a result that sees Man United right back in the hunt for the Champions League places, five points behind Villa and six behind Tottenham Hotspur.
-
Aston Villa
Had little to do regarding any major saves but dealt with a few late Alejandro Garnacho efforts late on in the second half.
Matty Cash - 5
Struggled to get forward due to the constant threat of Marcus Rashford, particularly in the second period where the full-back was on the back foot.
Diego Carlos - 6
The Brazilian did his job when called upon, and kept the visitors at bay for the best part of the game before McTominay's winner.
Clement Lenglet - 6
Like his partner, helped deal with the majority of Man United's breaks, and kept Hojlund quiet after his opener.
Alex Moreno - 6
A real threat going forward which caused Diogo Dalot issues defensively, though allowed space for Garnacho on the counter.
Boubacar Kamara - 6
Struggled to get on the ball for the most part, and had to withdraw early due to a nagging knee problem in the second half.
Douglas Luiz - 7
Another astute performance in a quality season for the Brazilian, who produced class and sharpness with some excellent passes, not to mention his superb finish to equalise.
Leon Bailey - 7
Perhaps a shock to most when Bailey departed for Youri Tielemans. The wide man was the hosts' most potent threat going forward, and could have had an assist or two on another occasion.
John McGinn (c) - 6
Typically influential, the Scot was unable to impact things at the front end of the pitch with much of Villa's dangerous play going through Jacob Ramsey.
Jacob Ramsey - 6
Starting wide left at Villa Park Ramsey was a nuisance for Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo, drifting infield into the left channel though he could not find the all important finishing touch on numerous occasions.
Ollie Watkins - 5
One of Watkins' more quiet performances this season. The English forward was well dealt with by Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire, with his biggest highlight coming when his poked effort was smothered by Andre Onana.
Moussa Diaby - 6
He came on and made a desired impact off the bench within minutes, firing a dangerous effort into the box that Luiz duly converted.
Youri Tielemans - 5
Struggled to influence things in midfield against tired legs.
Lucas Digne - n/a
Nicolo Zaniolo - n/a
-
Manchester United
Andre Onana - 7
Potentially his most assured display between the sticks. Onana commanded his box and made some key saves in both halves to deny Watkins and McGinn.
Diogo Dalot - 6
A solid defensive performance when tasked with a difficult predicament. Both Ramsey and Moreno caused the full back issues but Dalot dealt with the threat well.
Raphael Varane - 8
The first outing with Maguire since Lisandro Martinez's injury and both performed well in tense conditions.
Harry Maguire - 8
A confident display returning to the side. Dominant in the air and influential for the opener with a towering header across the box.
Luke Shaw - 6
Provided key balance to Man United in the first period, which proved a problem for the away side in the second when he was forced off at half-time.
Casemiro - 5
Did well on occasion to break things up but was poor in possession to help the visitors settle.
Kobbie Mainoo - 6
Not his most eye-catching performance since his breakthrough to the first team, but did well in a volatile atmosphere and showed slick feet to find Dalot for the cross that saw the winning goal.
Did well in moments and broke well mainly in the first period. The winger had a few opportunities to either double Man United's lead or find the winner in the second half before McTominay grabbed the headlines.
Bruno Fernandes (c) - 6
The Man United skipper was unable to quite have his usual impact but was brave and showed leadership late in the second half to secure an important three points.
Marcus Rashford - 6
Looked to be more direct and worried Cash before he came off in the second period.
Rasmus Hojlund - 7
His scoring streak stretched to five in six Premier League games with a poacher's effort that opened the scoring.
Victor Lindelof - 5
Clearly uncomfortable playing at left full back against a threatening Bailey, but perhaps let off when the Jamaican was subbed off.
Scott McTominay - 7
A bullet header to score his seventh league goal of the season and win a crucial three points for his side off the bench.
Jonny Evans - n/a
Sofyan Amrabat - n/a