The three points did not arrive without controversy, however, as Ashley Young's theatrical tumble in the penalty area under minimal contact allowed Wayne Rooney to settle the hosts' nerves with a seventh-minute spot kick.

Villa, who are still in danger of relegation, offered little and United stretched their lead just before halftime through Danny Welbeck's close-range finish.

Rooney scored again with a deflected effort after 73 minutes and Nani added the fourth in stoppage time.

United moved to 82 points with four games left. Resurgent Manchester City, who thrashed Norwich City 6-1 away on Saturday, are on 77.

The top two face off at The Etihad Stadium on April 30.

United had seen an eight-point lead reduced to two in the space of a week courtesy of a shock defeat at Wigan Athletic and City's return to form so failure to beat Villa would have opened the door for their rivals.

Once Rooney tucked his penalty past Shay Given for his 23rd Premier League goal of the campaign, Alex Ferguson's side never looked in any danger against a modest Villa.

The award of the penalty was contentious, however.

Former Villa player Young cut in from the left into the area and as he pushed the ball past defender Ciaran Clark he appeared to throw himself to the floor directly in front of referee Mark Halsey who pointed to the spot.

It was the second home game in succession that Young had been involved in a "diving" controversy after his part in United's penalty against Queens Park Rangers last week that resulted in Shaun Derry being sent off.

Two minutes before halftime United made it 2-0 when Welbeck arrived at the far post to convert a low Patrice Evra cross that had evaded two Villa defenders.

United were in cruise control in the second half and killed off the visitors when Rooney combined well with Antonio Valencia before his shot brushed off James Collins and past Shay Given.

Substitute Nani, on for Young, scored in time added on after Johnny Evans picked out the winger inside the box.

While United moved a step closer to their 20th English title, Villa remain just six points above the bottom three after winning just once in their last 11 league games.

Malaga's push for third checked by Real Sociedad

Meantime, Malaga were held 1-1 by battling 10-man Real Sociedad yesterday, which prevented them from taking advantage of Champions League qualification rivals Valencia's 4-0 thrashing at Espanyol earlier in the day.

It looked to be going Malaga's way when Isco put them ahead after 19 minutes with a fine shot from 25 yards that flew into the top corner and Real Sociedad's Mikel Gonzalez was then dismissed before the break after receiving a second yellow card.

However, Xabi Prieto brought Real Sociedad level after 48 minutes with an excellent volley from the edge of the area and although Malaga pressed forward for the winner, they could not put the ball in the back of the net.

The Andalucian club's Qatari owner, Abdullah Al-Thani, has invested heavily, bringing in players like Santi Cazorla and Martin Demichelis in the search for Champions League football, but they have lacked consistency this season and are now a point behind Valencia in fourth.

A disappointing Valencia crashed at Espanyol, who kept their own European hopes alive with their first win in almost a month.

Valencia had been in good form recently, having picked up a point at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid and qualified for the semi-finals of the Europa League, but they caused little danger against Espanyol, who took their chances well.

Following a slow start with little danger at either end, Espanyol took the lead after 25 minutes, with Cristian Gomez slotting the ball home inside the area after good work from Sergio Garcia on the right wing.

Valencia had little time to respond as just four minutes later they fell further behind, with Joan Verdu firing a delightful left-foot shot into the top corner from 25 yards.

An error from Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita led to substitute Alvaro Vazquez adding another for Espanyol in the second half and then Kalu Uche finished clinically with eleven minutes left.

At the bottom of the table, Real Zaragoza beat Granada 1-0 and Villarreal drew 1-1 with Racing Santander, while Real Betis put a dent in Osasuna's European ambitions with 1-0 win.

On Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both hit their 41st league goals of the season as Real Madrid and Barcelona beat Sporting Gijon and Levante respectively. It means Real keep their four-point lead at the top of the table ahead of the Clasico showdown next weekend at Camp Nou.