LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)—Manchester United bolstered their bid to qualify for the Champions League with a vital 3-1 win against top-four rivals Aston Villa on Sunday.

Michael Carrick’s side took the lead through Casemiro’s second-half opener at Old Trafford before Ross Barkley hauled Villa level.

United finished strongly, with Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko scoring in the closing stages to seal Carrick’s seventh win in nine games since taking over as interim boss.

Sitting third in the Premier League, United are three points clear of fourth-placed Villa in the race to reach the Champions League via a top-four finish.

United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe this week praised Carrick’s “excellent” work, but stopped short of committing to the former Old Trafford star on a long-term basis.

But Carrick is making a strong case to earn the job on a permanent basis after stabilising United following Ruben Amorim’s sacking.

United’s latest victory came after an 11-day break since the first defeat of his reign at Newcastle, and Carrick celebrated with a jig of delight on the touchline after Sesko wrapped up the points.

“We looked a good team. It was a big game coming off the defeat. The boys reacted incredibly well,” Carrick said.

“It’s a good feeling and something we want to keep getting used to. We are in a good position at the moment.”

Spluttering Villa have lost their last three league games and have just one win in seven top-flight matches, leaving them three points above fifth-placed Chelsea with eight games left in the battle for European places.

After a lethargic first-half, United finally prised open the Villa defence in the 53rd minute.

Bryan Mbeumo’s stinging strike was palmed away by Emiliano Martinez, earning a corner that brought the opener.

Bruno Fernandes curled a corner to the near post and Casemiro made a perfectly timed run to glance a header past Martinez for his seventh league goal this season.

In his first Premier League start for 14 months, Barkley slammed a superb strike past Senne Lammens from 12 yards after United failed to clear the danger in the 64th minute.

– Assist king Fernandes –

But Cunha netted in the 71st minute to ensure Carrick’s men didn’t pay for their stumble.

Bursting onto Fernandes’s sublime pass into the Villa area, the Brazilian forward slotted a fine finish into the far corner.

It was Fernandes’s 16th Premier League assist this term, moving the United captain past David Beckham’s previous club record of 15 in 1999-2000.

He has 100 assists for United in all competitions since signing from Sporting Lisbon in 2020.

“He’s proven over a period of time how impactful he is in the big moments. He’s there all the time, he puts himself forward in training and games,” Carrick said.

Sesko came off the bench to prove a point to Carrick after being dropped, the Slovenian striker firing home with a deflected effort in the 81st minute.

Nottingham Forest climbed out of the relegation zone after a 0-0 draw against Fulham at the City Ground.

Still waiting for their first win under Vitor Pereira, fourth-from-bottom Forest, who have had four managers this term, are above third-from-bottom West Ham on goal difference.

Ten-man Leeds held on for a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s missed penalty and a bizarre red card for Gabriel Gudmundsson.

Gudmundsson had already been shown a yellow card when he committed another foul on Ismaila Sarr that referee Thomas Bramall deemed worthy of a booking.

Bramall had forgotten the first booking and initially failed to give the Swede his marching orders, before he was told through his earpiece to show the red card.

Later on Sunday, troubled Tottenham head to Liverpool with only goal difference keeping them outside the relegation zone.

In grave danger of dropping into the second tier for the first time since 1977-78, Tottenham are without a win in their last 11 league matches, losing five in a row.

Sixth-placed Liverpool would go fourth with a victory.