We look back on a cold, damp but ultimately rather pleasant afternoon at Old Trafford, where United saw off Villa with a minimum of panic and a fairly healthy amount of control. Also, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, whose influence once again shaped the game, as well as Sesko’s latest goal, United’s growing set-piece threat and the increasingly persuasive case for Champions League football returning to its natural habitat.

We also turn our attention to the wider football landscape: Chelsea’s latest collapse, Liverpool’s steady drift, Arsenal’s oddly joyless march towards the title, and the small question of who is going to fall out of the top five. There is also a look ahead to Bournemouth away on a Friday night, plus some discussion of Carrick’s long-term prospects, Casemiro’s uncertain future, and a few necessary diversions into bad pubs, Chinese takeaway standards and the statistical absurdity of United almost never naming the same XI twice.

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