Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to score another late goal for Manchester United, who boosted their top-four chances with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa.

Only goal difference separated the teams in the Premier League table ahead of kick-off at Old Trafford, but Matheus Cunha and Sesko ensured that gap stretched to three points.

United were on top in the first half, with Amad Diallo's header pushed away by Emiliano Martinez before Diogo Dalot blazed a golden opportunity over the crossbar.

It took until the 53rd minute for them to find the breakthrough, as Bruno Fernandes' corner was deftly guided in off the far post by Casemiro, who had ghosted through Villa's defence.

Ross Barkley – on his 200th Premier League start – pulled the visitors back level 11 minutes later, bending his strike into the bottom-right corner, with an offside Amadou Onana swerving out of the way in time.

But Villa could not build any momentum, and a blistering counter-attack was finished off when Cunha guided Fernandes' lovely throughball past Martinez 71 minutes in.

Substitute Sesko was then in the right place to pounce on Lamare Bogarde's attempted clearance, and he spun in the box to fire his shot on goal, with a big deflection off Tyrone Mings helping it into the net.

A big three points at Old Trafford

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 15, 2026

Data Debrief: Fernandes stars to reach century

Though he did not get his name on the scoresheet, Fernandes once more played a starring role for United.

He got two assists, taking his tally to 16 in the Premier League this term, overtaking David Beckham's record (15 in 1999-00) as the most for the Red Devils in a single campaign in the competition.

But it was also his 100th in all competitions for United, making him the fourth player to reach a century of assists for the club in the Premier League era, after Ryan Giggs (249), Wayne Rooney (127) and Beckham (115).

Michael Carrick, meanwhile, has earned 22 points in nine Premier League games (W7 D1 L1), more than any other side since he started (January 17), while Villa have lost three consecutive top-flight matches for the first time since February 2023.