LONDON – 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 on Tuesday.
United, who barely spent a penny as their rivals splashed out more than 200 million pounds ($318.8 million) in a bid to match their consistency, move to 54 points and stay five clear. Arsenal are second with 49 after they fought back to beat Everton 2-1 at The Emirates while fourth-placed Chelsea won 4-2 at Sunderland to make it three league wins in a row. The champions are now on 44 points and just a point behind Manchester City, who visit Birmingham City on Wednesday.
The night’s other game was a 2-2 relegation thriller between West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic. In recent weeks, Rooney has begun to show signs of his former sharpness and he certainly hit the ground running on Tuesday when he netted 50 seconds after kickoff. He brought down a clearance from United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and sent a dipping shot just under the bar from the edge of the box — then doubled the lead with a tap-in from a perfect Nani cross at the end of the half.
