Premier League: Manchester Utd 4 Aston Villa 0

Two goals from Wayne Rooney helped Manchester United beat Aston Villa 4-0 and restore their five-point lead atop the Premier League.

Ashley Young stirred up some fresh controversy as he won the penalty which Wayne Rooney despatched to set United on their way, before Danny Welbeck added a second from close range shortly before the break.

Rooney netted again 15 minutes from time before Nani added a fourth in injury time as the champions coasted to victory against a lacklustre Villa side.

It was Villa’s Andreas Weimann who had the first chance of the match with just a couple of minutes on the clock as he beat the offside trap from a long ball, but his left-footed effort lacked power and it was a comfortable save for De Gea.

United were awarded a controversial penalty in the opening stages of last weekend’s clash with QPR, and with less than 10 minutes on the clock, lightning struck for a second time at Old Trafford.

Ashley Young, who was criticised for his part in the dismissal of Shaun Derry last week, jinked his way into the Villa penalty area where he was clipped by the standing leg of Ciaran Clark.

Referee Mark Halsey pointed straight to the spot, and Rooney sent Shay Given the wrong way to put the hosts in front.

Replays showed that contact was minimal, but the young defender was always running a risk by leaving his leg trailing off the ground, and Rooney made no mistake in slotting home his side’s 47th home league goal of the season.

Villa had offered little threat in the United half, with former Man City man Stephen Ireland’s curling shot the only effort to speak of as the hosts dominated proceedings.

Antonio Valencia and Rafael were causing some real problems down the Villa left, and they combined again before the former Wigan man fired the ball across the box to Welbeck at the near post, but Given was on-hand to turn his first-time effort over the bar.

The Old Trafford crowd was becoming restless as a stout Villa defence began to frustrate the home side, but with just a couple of minutes to go before the break, Ferguson’s men grabbed that crucial second.

Carrick found Evra down the left after some neat interplay with Rooney, and the Frenchman’s cross was left by the whole of the visiting defence allowing Welbeck to slide in at the far post to divert the ball home.

Rooney made the points safe 15 minutes from time, feeding Valencia to the right of the penalty area, before the winger cut the ball back for the United talisman, whose stabbed effort took a nick of Collins before nestling in the back of Given’s net.

Nani added a fourth in stoppage time, slotting home past Given following Jonny Evans’ neat through-ball as the champions eased three points closer to a 20th title.