Ander Herrera bagged a brace as Manchester United recorded a 3-1 win over struggling Aston Villa this afternoon.

The midfielder opened the scoring two minutes before the break, with Wayne Rooney doubling United's advantage in the closing stages.

A strike from Christian Benteke reduced the arrears, but Herrera secured all three points for the Red Devils when he scored his second goal of the contest in stoppage time.

Here, Sports Mole has rated the performances of all of the players on show at Old Trafford.

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Goal

David de Gea: So often the hero this season, De Gea showed that he is indeed human this afternoon. Benteke's shot should have been a routine stop, but it somehow evaded United's Spanish goalkeeper. (5/10)

Defence

Antonio Valencia: The makeshift right-back got himself into so many dangerous situations, but too often his final pass was poor. (6/10)

Marcos Rojo: Back in the side after a long trip for international duty, Rojo showed no ill effects. It was a steady showing from the Argentine, who took no risks. (7/10)

Phil Jones: Enjoying a run in the starting lineup, Jones looked confident. At times, he carried the ball out of defence, as well as making some decent challenges. (7/10)

Daley Blind: During the first half, the Dutch international linked ever so well with Young. He showed great awareness to assist United's opening goal. (7/10)

Midfield

Michael Carrick: His performance won't make any headlines, but Carrick is an invaluable member of this United side. He rarely wasted possession and was always keen to keep the ball moving. (7/10)

Ander Herrera: Ever since Paul Scholes dropped deeper, United have been in need of a midfielder that scores goals. Herrera may have a long way to go to reach those heights, but he seems to have the knack of arriving at the right time. (8/10)

Marouane Fellaini: The big-haired Belgian was not at the races today. He was quiet for large parts and when he did have the chance to score in the second half, he failed to take it. (5/10)

Ashley Young: It was a real lively showing from the former Villa winger during the first half. His performance tailed off slightly after the restart, but he more than justified his continued inclusion in the starting lineup. (7/10)

Juan Mata: Fresh from his heroics at Anfield, it was a slightly anti-climatic showing from Mata. Having said that, he was often involved in the final third and linked well with Herrera. (6/10)

Attack

Wayne Rooney: There were times when his first touch was poor and he struggled to get involved, but the quality of his goal made up for that. He will not score many better this season. (6/10)

Substitutes

Angel di Maria: Once again, it didn't really happen for Di Maria. He may have assisted the second goal, but that was more thanks to Rooney's superb control. (5/10)

Radamel Falcao: The Colombian's stint at Old Trafford was summed by his volleyed effort towards the end which somehow spun behind him and out for a goal kick. (5/10)

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Goal

Brad Guzan: He will probably be disappointed to have conceded three goals, but the American could have done little to stop any of them. (6/10)

Defence

Alan Hutton: The Scot struggled to contend with Young early on and by the time that he had started to thwart the United winger, he picked up an ankle injury that forced him off at the break. (5/10)

Jores Okore: He missed a good chance to score in the second half, but defensively the youngster did little wrong. (6/10)

Ciaran Clark: The pick of Villa's defenders, Clark made a handful of really important blocks and challenges. Both Mata and Rooney were left frustrated by the Irishman. (7/10)

Matt Lowton: Playing at left-back, there were a couple of occasions when Lowton was caught in two minds as to whether to track Mata or go with Valencia's runs forward. (5/10)

Midfield

Fabian Delph: The energetic midfielder covered plenty of ground, but showed his frustration towards the end when he hacked down Di Maria, earning him a deserved caution. (6/10)

Carlos Sanchez: In a match were Villa had 23% possession, Sanchez barely featured. He did work hard for the cause, but that was about it. (5/10)

Charles N'Zogbia: On a day when Villa needed all of their players to be on top of the game, N'Zogbia failed to deliver. On the rare occasions that he did get possession, he was often wasteful and it was little surprise when he was substituted. (4/10)

Andreas Weimann: Similar to N'Zogbia in that he struggled to get involved for much of the contest, although there was the odd positive run forward in possession of the ball. (6/10)

Attack

Gabriel Agbonlahor: There is no doubting that Agbonlahor has the pace to cause any defence problems, but too often he was on his heels, meaning that Benteke's flick-ons counted for little. (5/10)

Christian Benteke: To the Belgian striker's credit, he won his fair share of battles and also got his name on the scoresheet. However, to have a bigger impact, he needed more help from his teammates. (7/10)

Substitutes

Leandro Bacuna: Eventually moved into a more attacking role, Bacuna struggled to have much of an impact. (5/10)

Nathan Baker: Returning from injury, Baker was required to fill in at left-back. It's not his natural position, but he didn't let anyone down. (6/10)

Joe Cole: The experienced playmaker was introduced into the action late on, but made little impression. (5/10)

Written by
Liam Apicella