Manchester United returned to winning form with a comfortable 3-1 home victory over Aston Villa. Casemiro, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko all got on the scoresheet, while Bruno Fernandes once again stood out as one of United’s most influential performers throughout the afternoon.

The win was well-timed. Michael Carrick’s side now sit three points ahead of Villa in the race for Champions League qualification, and with Chelsea and Liverpool both dropping points over the same weekend, United have extended their advantage to six and five points over those two sides respectively — making it a particularly productive Sunday for the club.

Injury Concerns and Returns

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The one cloud on an otherwise positive afternoon came late in the game, when Bryan Mbeumo was substituted in the 75th minute. Commentator Gary Neville noted that Mbeumo appeared to be limping as he left the pitch and seemed to signal to a teammate, suggesting he may have picked up a knock. Carrick wasn’t pressed on the matter post-match, and given Mbeumo’s limited impact on the game, it’s possible the substitution was performance-related rather than physical. His potential return date is pencilled in for the away trip to Bournemouth on March 20.

On a more positive note, Mason Mount was back in the matchday squad after six weeks out — though he remained unused from the bench. Carrick confirmed earlier in the week that while Mount is not yet fully match sharp, his return to group training is a welcome development.

Three other players remain sidelined. Lisandro Martinez has now missed four consecutive matches, with a recent setback in training pushing back his expected comeback to the home game against Leeds United on April 13. Matthijs de Ligt has been absent for close to four months with a persistent back problem that the club has been managing carefully — Carrick confirmed he is improving but stopped short of giving a firm timeline, with the Leeds fixture again cited as a realistic target. Patrick Dorgu, who suffered a hamstring injury during the win over Arsenal around six weeks ago, is also expected to be back in contention around mid-April.