Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester United: Scott McTominay nets late winner after Douglas Luiz cancelled out Rasmus Hojlund's opener - as Erik ten Hag's side strengthen their Champions League ambitions with three points at Villa Park

That's four wins on the bounce now for Manchester United and the last time they did that was last May. So for those looking for signs of life from Erik ten Hag’s team, there it is. The desire to win. The ability to stay in a game that is threatening to get away from you. The scoring of late goals. They are very good habits to have, all of them.

And here United did all of that and more to snatch a fabulous game from Aston Villa that they really had no right to win. United scored their goals in the 17th minute and in the 87th. In between, Villa were the better team. They played the better chances and played the better football.

But when it came to it, United were better at the dirty stuff and the clinical stuff. Their goalkeeper Andre Onana made saves with just about every bit of his body. And when he couldn’t save his team then his defenders did, throwing bodies in the way, sticking out feet and knees and thighs.

And then there were the goals. The first was functional, Rasmus Hojlund scoring on the six-yard line after Harry Maguire headed down a corner. The second was brutishly beautiful, Scott McTominay thundering in a header from a Diogo Dalot cross to spark tumbling delirium in the away section at a fevered Villa Park.

Villa’s goal had come midway through the second half, Douglas Luiz turning in a Leon Bailey cross. All the best players – with the possible exception of Maguire and Onana – wore claret and blue but still United got this done and they have at least given themselves of a run at the top four now.

Here, once again, the outcasts came to Ten Hag’s aid when he needed them. Maguire and McTominay both would have been sold last summer had the United manager had his way. But Maguire was his team’s best defender and spiritual leader here while McTominay, sent on to try and fill holes in midfield, went several steps further by scoring the winning goal.

Villa will be devastated and with good reason. Their attacking players – Bailey and John McGinn and Ollie Watkins – were marvellous to watch at times and threatened to overrun United on occasion. But Unai Emery’s team are on one of those runs – three home defeats on the spin – when things aren’t going their way. As for United, the opposite can be said to be true and it’s been a while.

Early on United were actually quite comfortable and Maguire seemed to win a header every time he ambled up for a corner so it was no great surprise when one such incident led to a goal.

United had threatened mildly during an even opening 15 minutes and the goal they scored at the Holte End was ridiculously simple. Maguire rose above Boubacar Kamara to nod an outswinging kick down and Hojlund, standing alone on the six-yard line, volleyed the ball through Emiliano Martinez’s legs with his instep. Replays showed that the Villa players had all moved out as Maguire made contact only for Watkins to linger and play the goal scorer onside.

Having struggled at home recently, one wondered what Villa’s response would be. But, backed by a wonderfully noisy home crowd, they were the better team for the remainder of the first half and would have scored had it not been for some rather ordinary finishing and two very good saves from United’s Onana.

There is an energy about Villa when they play well and it’s particularly noticeable when they are not in possession. Here, they hustled and harried United in to making mistakes inside their own half and once the ball was turned over the home team were not slow to deliver it into their front players.

Bailey’s curled shot was a yard wide of the far post in the 22nd minute and that heralded a period of play that could have brought Villa more than one goal.

Onana’s save from McGinn’s powerful drive required strong hands as the ball was moving while the save he made to deny Watkins a minute later was even better. Watkins was played in by a sharp first-time pass by McGinn and looked favourite to score until Onana saved with his knee.

Jacob Ramsey then shot wide after being played in by Alex Moreno before Maguire did brilliantly to block another shot from the same player. That seemed to have saved a certain goal.

The flow of traffic wasn’t entirely one way at this time. United continued to look dangerous on the counter, especially when Alejandro Garnacho combined with team-mates down the right side. Their best chances had arrived before their goal, though, as Diego Carlos blocked a Hojlund shot superbly after the Dane had worked a smart one-two with Bruno Fernandes. There had also been a sharp Garnacho shot that had flown in to the side netting at the near side, causing United fans packed in to the stand at a 45 degree angle in the other corner to feel for a moment that it had gone in.

This was, on the whole, a really good game, a contest that carried great energy and jeopardy. While the score was one-nil to United, it continued to feel as though it go either way.

Villa were first to threaten in the second half but once again Onana was in the way. Victor Lindelof, on as a half-time substitute for Luke Shaw, gave the ball away to Matty Cash under no pressure in the 48th minute and when the full-back crossed low, Watkins got ahead of Rafael Varane to connect firmly. The ball came back off Onana’s shoulder but it would probably be generous to say the goalkeeper knew an awful lot about it.

As time wore on, Villa seemed to invent new ways not to score. Bailey broke brilliantly on the hour but his pass was half a yard too hard for Ramsey. Then, two minutes later, a Ramsey shot struck Varane on the heel only to land at the feet of a player in white – Diogo Dalot – rather than one wearing claret and blue.

Then, midway through the half, the dam did break. Villa won another corner and when Onana saved close range from Clement Lenglet, the ball was returned low across goal by the increasingly menacing Bailey and Dougla Luiz turned it in to the roof of the net from six yards.

Ten Hag’s response to his was to take off Marcus Rashford and send on McTominay, something that said everything for the desperate need United had to get some kind of a hold in midfield. They had, at times, been overrun. McTominay, however, was to have a totally different kind of influence.

Not much changed initially, it has to be said. Onana dived to save yet again from Luiz with 13 minutes left after Dalot made a mess of a clearance. Had the Brazilian made better contact – and he should have – then Onana wouldn’t have had a chance.

This was not the first time this season that Villa had played very well against United. On Boxing Day, a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford became a 3-2 defeat. Here, once again, things turned against them late on.

Emery’s team had given everything here but were suckered with three minutes of regulation time left. A diagonal ball found young Kobbie Mainoo on the far side, he laid it back to Dalot and when the full-back crossed first time, McTominay got ahead of Cash to thump an unstoppable heard past Martinez from six yards.