Fernandes scores winner as United beat Villa

Manchester United secured a crucial victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday, thanks to Bruno Fernandes' first-half goal. 

The Villans, who were only six points behind Man Utd in the race for Champions League qualification, struggled to match their opponents' intensity.

The Red Devils dominated proceedings early on, with Marcus Rashford and Fernandes causing trouble for the Villa defence. The duo almost combined for an early goal, but Rashford's effort was saved by Emi Martinez.

In the 27th minute, Man Utd came agonizingly close to breaking the deadlock through Casemiro's looping effort, which hit the crossbar. 

However, the home side's persistence paid off in the 39th minute when Fernandes finally found the back of the net.

Rashford's low effort was saved by Martinez, but Fernandes was quick to pounce on the rebound and give Man Utd a deserved lead.

The second half was evenly contested with few clear-cut chances, but Casemiro almost doubled Man Utd's lead with a curling shot from distance that narrowly missed the target.

The visitors had their best opportunity of the game in the 80th minute when Douglas Luiz's shot was blocked on the goal-line by Victor Lindelof. 

Despite Villa's late surge, Man Utd held on to claim a valuable victory in their pursuit of a top-four finish.

With this result Erik ten Hag's men remain fourth in the table, with a nine-point lead over Tottenham who sit in fifth place, while Villa's first defeat in 10 games sees them remain in sixth place.

Man Utd's next fixture is an away game against Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday. Meanwhile, Unai Emery's side will be looking to bounce back from their defeat when they face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.