Manchester United Defeat Aston Villa 3-1 to Strengthen Third Place in Premier League

Manchester United secured a 3-1 Premier League win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford, strengthening their hold on third place and boosting their Champions League qualification bid. Casemiro opened the scoring, Ross Barkley equalised for Villa, but late goals from Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko sealed the victory. Interim manager Michael Carrick celebrated his seventh win in nine games, earning praise from co-owner Jim Ratcliffe amid ongoing discussions about his permanent role. Villa have lost three consecutive league matches, remaining just three points behind United.