Ander Herrera opened and completed the scoring as Manchester United recorded a 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford this afternoon.

The Spaniard broke the deadlock two minutes before the break, with captain Wayne Rooney going on to double his side's advantage 11 minutes from time.

Christian Benteke set up a nervy finish when he scored soon after, but Herrera had the final say in stoppage time.

Here, Sports Mole looks back over the contest to determine if the result was a fair one, or whether the outcome flattered the home side.

Match statistics

MAN UNITED
Shots: 19
On target: 7
Possession: 77%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 15

ASTON VILLA
Shots: 4
On target: 2
Possession: 23%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 12

Was the result fair?

In every aspect, United were the dominant force. They had much more of the possession and created plenty of opportunities, many of which they spurned. In fact, had the winning margin been greater, Villa could not have had too many complaints. Benteke's goal made it a nervier conclusion than it should have been for the hosts, who were worthy winners.

Man United's performance

The recent victories and performances over Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool suggested that Louis van Gaal had finally struck gold with regards to United's best formation. The visit of Villa, after an inconvenient international break, was viewed as a big test to see if those displays and intensity levels could be continued against lesser opponents.

Van Gaal's men passed that test with flying colours as they dominated from the first whistle. In previous games this season, United have been accused of keeping possession for the sake of it, but there is much more purpose about their play now. At times the final pass was poor, but, once the first goal was scored, there was only going to be one winner.

The goal - a mistake by David de Gea - will no doubt have been a cause of annoyance for Van Gaal, but defensively United were sound on the whole. Marcos Rojo, who slotted in for the ill Chris Smalling, was a calming influence, while Phil Jones alongside him was solid.

Aston Villa's performance

The one positive that Tim Sherwood can take from this encounter is that his side's goal difference was not dented too badly. Villa actually defended quite well, only to be punished for switching off at key moments.

Sherwood set his side up to counter-attack, with plenty of pace in the starting lineup. However, the likes of Charles N'Zogbia and Andreas Weimann never really got involved in proceedings. Benteke looked dangerous, but those around him were too often on their heels.

Ultimately, the result at Old Trafford is not going to determine whether Villa stay in the Premier League or not. As such, going forward the outcome of this game should not have too much of a negative impact on the squad's confidence.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Ander Herrera: The Spaniard initially struggled to convince Van Gaal that he could be a key player during the early part of his United career, but all of a sudden he is one of the first names on the teamsheet. His two goals won the match, but his all-round game was a joy to watch. In a triangle with Juan Mata and Antonio Valencia, the former Athletic Bilbao man caused so many problems for the Villa rearguard.

Biggest gaffe

De Gea has been near faultless this season, but he made a big error which allowed Villa back into the game. There was no real power in Benteke's low shot, but somehow United's Spanish goalkeeper allowed it to squirm underneath his body and into the net. There was no deflection or bodies in his way, it was just an uncharacteristic poor piece of goalkeeping from the 24-year-old.

Referee performance

On Roger East's last visit to Old Trafford, he infamously confused Wes Brown and John O'Shea. He committed another big error in the opening stages today when he failed to award a penalty after Rooney had clearly been fouled by Ciaran Clark. By the letter of the law, he should also have sent the Villa centre-back off.

Aside from that, he seemed reluctant to dish out yellow cards, even for fouls that warranted such a punishment.

What next?

Man United: Next Sunday afternoon, Van Gaal's men will look to end a four-match losing streak in the derby when neighbours Manchester City make the short trip to Old Trafford.

Aston Villa: Meanwhile, Villa return to action on Tuesday night as they play host to fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers.