Sunday's Premier League results & roundup: Manchester United maintain momentum as Aston Villa's title aspirations are dented

The Premier League provided a tasty trio of fixtures on Sunday afternoon, as title-chasing Aston Villa faced Brentford, Michael Carrick's Manchester United took on Fulham and Nottingham Forest locked horns with Crystal Palace.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up the action from Sunday's three games and assesses the key talking points from another eventful set of fixtures in England's top flight.

Brentford dent Aston Villa's title aspirations

Aston Villa's Premier League title aspirations were dented by a surprise 1-0 Brentford victory, with the Villans squandering the chance to close the gap on leaders Arsenal to four points.

A majority of the chances went Aston Villa's way in the first half, with Brentford also being reduced to 10 men as Kevin Schade was dismissed for a needless kick out at Matty Cash.

However, Brentford's counter-attacking threat remained, and the Bees opened the scoring on the brink of half-time as Dango Ouattara hammered home from close range.

Tammy Abraham thought he had the dream return to Aston Villa when he equalised early in the second period, but a lengthy VAR check eventually ruled the goal out as the ball had left play earlier in the move.

Aston Villa continued to push for a route back into the clash, but Caoimhin Kelleher could not be beaten as Brentford managed to escape Villa Park with all three points in hand.

Consequently, Unai Emery's side have now lost their last two league games at home, leaving the Villans still seven points behind the Gunners.

While it is disappointment for Aston Villa, Brentford brilliantly claimed the victory, lifting them into seventh in the Premier League standings, just four points adrift from the top five.

Carrick's Man Utd maintain momentum

Carrick's Manchester United momentum was maintained as the Red Devils secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Fulham at Old Trafford, making it three consecutive wins under the new boss.

All the talk prior to the game was about how Manchester United would fare as the team with more of the ball, but Fulham actually edged possession in a combative first 45 minutes.

Man Utd broke the deadlock after 20 minutes when a penalty was initially awarded for a foul on Matheus Cunha, only for VAR to rule that the foul occurred outside the area, with Casemiro powering a header home from the resulting free kick.

The Red Devils started far more composed in the second half, sustaining a period of pressure around the Fulham box that resulted in Cunha smashing into the roof of the net, proving that Man Utd can also play against a low block.

Fulham thought they had pulled one back just after the hour as Jorge Cuenca powered home from close range, but Samuel Chukwueze was deemed to be offside, meaning Man Utd retained their two-goal advantage.

The Cottagers made the ending nervy for the hosts, with Raul Jimenez superbly scoring from the spot with just over five minutes of normal time to play, and Kevin eventually fired a brilliant equaliser in stoppage time.

The drama only continued at Old Trafford, as Benjamin Sesko whipped into the top corner just moments after Kevin's strike, winning Manchester United the game late on.

As a result, the Red Devils made it three straight wins under Carrick, handing Fulham just their second defeat in their last nine Premier League fixtures.

Pressure piles on Oliver Glasner

The pressure continues to pile on Oliver Glasner as Crystal Palace's winless run was extended to 12 matches across all competitions in a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.

Crystal Palace were without a win in 11 straight games heading into their meeting with Nottingham Forest, with pressure beginning to pile up on Glasner, especially following a string of controversial statements from the Eagles manager in the prior weeks.

Looking for a response, Crystal Palace instead endured a disastrous start, going 1-0 behind inside five minutes as Morgan Gibbs-White found the bottom left corner.

Neco Williams showed a moment of madness to give the Eagles a way back into the game, receiving a red card and conceding a penalty for clearing a header off the line with his hand, and Ismaila Sarr made no mistakes from the spot to level the teams at the break.

Crystal Palace were expectedly dominant in the second half against the 10-men Tricky Trees, but the Eagles' ongoing struggles in front of goal continued as Forest held on for a 1-1 draw.

Consequently, Glasner's men have now gone a massive 12 matches without a triumph, and the pressure will only continue to rise on the manager while their winless woes drag on.

Meanwhile, Sean Dyche will be delighted with the resilience of his side to defend the point with 10 men, and that draw takes them six points clear of the drop zone.