Rooney back to his best as Man Utd cruise past Villa

Manchester United may have kept their powder dry in the transfer window but they remain the team to beat in the Premier League as two goals by Wayne Rooney helped them to a 3-1 home win over Aston Villa.

Darren Bent pulled one back for Villa but Nemanja Vidic scored an emphatic third to take United to 54 points as they remain on course for the Premier League title.

Second-placed Arsenal trailed to a Louis Saha goal for Everton at The Emirates before two in five minutes by Andriy Arshavin and Laurent Koscielny midway through the second half secured a 2-1 win to take them to 49.

Fourth-placed Chelsea, who won 4-2 in a thriller at Sunderland to make it three league wins in a row, have moved on to 44 points and are now just a point behind Manchester City, who visit Birmingham City on Wednesday.