Manchester united 4-0 Aston villa

United 4 Aston Villa 0 It was all about the response from United to the shock defeat at Wigan and Manchester City's thumping win at Norwich on Saturday. Sir Alex's players answered any questions regarding title credentials emphatically with Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and substitute Nani amongst the goals in a match the leaders dominated from start to finish. Rooney netted an early penalty after ex-Villan Ashley Young was fouled and scored his team's third when on the brink of being substituted. United scored at the end of both halves, through Welbeck and Nani, as the champions opened up a five-point lead again at the top with four games remaining. Player Ratings: David De Gea: Tested in the opening exchanges by Andreas Weimann but had little else to do, apart from showing his concentration levels are always high by tipping over a header by Villa substitute Emile Heskey. Rafael: Didn't feature at Wigan but returned with his usual vim and vigour, with one backheel to Antonio Valencia straight from the Copacabana beach. A cut-back supplied Wayne Rooney with a chance and his only blip was allowing Weimann to muscle him off the ball for a Stephen Ireland opportunity. Otherwise outstanding, his tackling was sharp and he combined superbly with Valencia down the right. Jonny Evans: Composed from the outset and his passing out of defence was largely spot-on. Did overhit one cross from an unfamiliar right-wing position but a fine ball to Valencia for another Rooney chance provided further evidence of his assured distribution and, of course, Paul Scholes would have been proud of Evans' pass that allowed Nani to slip in a late fourth. Rio Ferdinand: Never seems to have a bad game and remains one of the classiest performers in the Barclays Premier League. Reads the game tremendously and always a calming influence, he was in control throughout. A sublime interception and run forward led to Valencia going close to adding to the scoreline. Patrice Evra: Supplied the centre that allowed Danny Welbeck to get the crucial second goal before half time. Also delivered an inviting cross into the path of Valencia, only for the winger to get his shot all wrong. Displayed bravery and passion for the occasion by winning a battle with Ciaran Clark, a clash that ultimately led to the Villan being replaced with concussion. Antonio Valencia: It was a relief to see him involved in the early stages after receiving little of the ball at Wigan and he was back to his usual dazzling form. Provided some telling crosses to the likes of Rooney and Welbeck and also had a deflected drive pushed away by Shay Given. A constant menace. Michael Carrick: Cultured in midfield and stately at times in possession. Involved in the build-up to Welbeck's goal, there were many highlights including a cracking ball out to Evans on the right and a volleyed pass into the path of Rooney after the break. A header to Scholes inside his own box showed his confidence and there was one great moment towards the end when he won a 50-50 tackle, shimmied and then played an accurate pass forward. Booked for a foul on Gary Gardner. Paul Scholes: A joy to watch as he controlled the tempo alongside Carrick and rolled back the years yet again. Villa resorted to strong-arm tactics to try and stop him in his stride but he recovered after treatment and was a class apart for 78 minutes before being replaced. Two sumptuous volleys from outside the area showed why he's been one of the best Ashley Young: Earned the early penalty against his former employers after being felled by Clark inside the box and worked hard down the left. Lucky to escape injury after a dreadful tackle by Alan Hutton and this probably led to his substitution for Nani. Danny Welbeck: Villa's defenders seemed to be finding a knack of getting their bodies in the way whenever he threatened and the ball wasn't breaking for the England striker until the 43rd minute. When Nathan Baker failed to cut out an Evra cross, he reacted smartly to toe the ball into an unguarded net. Only denied more goals by the acrobatic Given, who even had to resort to handling outside the area to frustrate him on one occasion. Wayne Rooney: Two more goals for the Reds' top scorer - a calmly-taken penalty and deflected drive for the third goal. It proved to be his final act before being substituted and, although his passing wasn't up to his usual high standard throughout, he still provided a major influence on the match and could have added to his tally on a few occasions. Substitutes: Nani (for Young, 61m): Another run-out and a goal to show he is ready to play a major role in the final four games. Always a box of tricks, he'll cause defenders problems and showed a cool head to finish his opportunity clinically. Dimitar Berbatov (for Rooney, 73m): The fans were keen to get another look at the Bulgarian and Sir Alex obliged by bringing him on for the closing stages. Played with his usual swagger and style and saw one goalbound attempt blocked. Tom Cleverley (for Scholes, 78m): There will probably come a time when he's asked to replace Scholes full-time but that could still be another season away on Sunday's evidence. Learning from the master and shot over late on when presented with a chance to add a fifth.