Manchester United thrash Villa to retain top place in the premiership with another Ronaldo show.

Despite much Aston Villa pressure united seemed to ease past. Manchester United applied shooting power early on in the game. Ronaldo took the first good chance forcing Scott Carson to save early at only ten minutes.

It wasn’t long before Ronaldo did what he did best, slipping the ball through, untouched after a Giggs corner.

Despite Villa retaining an optimistic attacking pressure United seemed to put the game out of reach by 33 minutes, Tevez firing a low shot header, Carson failed to reach in time. Ronaldo, unexpectedly assisting the goal from a lightning cross.

Carew seemed to come closest for Villa with a shot that appeared to just slide past the post.

After half-time Villa carried on to play very convincing football; a superb attack early on in the second half made them look as if it was possible. Unfortunately the attack meant there was a lacking defence; it took Wayne Rooney only three minutes to make a breathtaking chance. The shot one on one with Scott Carson almost seemed to go in; curving away from the woodwork.

Villa’s Maloney made an attempt to reply in only a matter of seconds when he found himself in a chance that should’ve been a goal. Maloney wentface to face with United keeper Kuszczak and almost repeated the shot by Rooney.

After this the game seemed to tire down a little with Ronaldo coming close once again, his chocked block in a superb attempt. Fortunately Wayne Rooney’s persistence was to pay off. An epic back-flick from Ronaldo wonderfully carved right-through Villa’s two-man defence, leaving Rooney to jog past Carson.

Before the game was over Rooney made one more stand, to squash Villa. Rooney put the ball into the bottom-left with a right-footed shot, giving Ronaldo his third assist of the game.

As a whole the game didn’t really show Villa’s attacking ability, they were thwarted by a standard display from the great United defence. Ronalo made it 26, only 5 away from equalling an Alan Shearer record, with 5 games to go. 3 more assists on his record this season made it evident why he is largely considered amongst the best in the world.