Wayne Rooney overcame his hangover from England’s defeat in Moscow with two goals in a game that Manchester United won at a canter after Aston Villa had two players - Nigel Reo-Coker and goalkeeper Scott Carson - sent off in the second half. Two own goals completed the rout.

Carlos Tevez played perhaps his best game for United, linking effectively with Rooney, but Villa’s early promise dissolved under United’s strong finish to the first half, in which they scored three goals in 10 minutes to pave the way for their 10th successive league win over Villa and a seventh in succession in the Premier League.

Having already claimed the scalp of Chelsea this season, Aston Villa’s manager, Martin O’Neill, felt able to say before the game that his confident, young team is playing with “vibrancy and panache”. He believed that his players could take on United at their own game. Anchored efficiently in the centre of midfield by Gareth Barry and Reo-Coker, Villa attacked with predictable pace and surprising penetration along the flanks. Patrice Evra encountered problems early on trying to contain Craig Gardner, as did Wes Brown with Ashley Young’s repeated incursions on Villa’s left side.

With United playing in a fluid 4-4-2 system and Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, the onus was on Rooney and Tevez to provide the clever movement that might break down Villa’s resolute defence.

They combined early to pressurise Wilfred Bouma, Rooney’s neat ball over the top requiring Bouma’s intervention to prevent Tevez from being in a potential scoring position and when Carson, the Villa goalkeeper, picked up the ball, referee Rob Styles controversially awarded United an indirect free kick inside the penalty area, but United failed to make the most of their good fortune.

Both the tempo and overall quality was high. Nani cut from the left to shoot narrowly wide from long range. Barry played the ball out to Young on the left and his low cross was flicked goalwards by Luke Moore before it was cleared. There was constant ebb and flow.

Villa took the lead when Craig Gardner’s cross from the right evaded everybody in the middle and arrived at the feet of Young on the opposite flank. Young looked up and delivered the ball perfectly to the near post for Gabriel Agbonlahor whose header beat Edwin van der Sar, the United goalkeeper – the first time United’s goal had been breached in the Premier League for 10 hours and 11 minutes. Buoyed by their success, Villa tried to test Van der Sar again but Gardner and Young both shot over from the edge of the penalty area.

But United remained dangerous. Evra’s cross from the left was headed down by Rooney for Nani, who was unable to keep down his close-range shot.

Tevez set up Paul Scholes for another shot which rose above the crossbar before an incisive move between Tevez and Rooney inside the penalty area opened up the Villa defence and Carson had to save with his legs from Tevez’s shot.

Scholes was more effective now and United’s passing more crisp and penetrative. Villa began to buckle. It was only a moment’s hesitation by Zat Knight but that was all that United needed to secure the equaliser. Scholes played the ball to Nani whose cross was allowed to roll on by Knight and Rooney gratefully accepted the gift, finishing clinically at the far post, his fifth goal in five games.

The sixth duly followed after United’s grip on the game had strengthened significantly with Scholes and Anderson more commanding in midfeld and Tevez igniting the attack with his energy and vision and burgeoning partnership with Rooney. When the Argentine was given room to cut in from the left, Villa were already in trouble. He made a superb pass to the England striker whose finish was exemplary. The defending was not with Martin Laursen and Olof Mellberg allowing far too much space to a man in such form.

Villa’s frustration was compounded by a penalty appeal that came to nothing when Agbonlahor advanced into the area and fell, seemingly, from a brush with Rio Ferdinand. But it became even worse for the home team just prior to the interval when Nani’s corner was met by Gerard Pique whose header had to be cleared off the line by Young. The ball came to Ferdinand whose shot was helped across the line by Gardner.

United maintained their superiority almost effortlessly in the second half, though it helped that Villa were reduced to 10 men when Reo-Coker received a second yellow card on the hour.

When Tevez was taken down in the penalty area by Carson, referee Styles immediately sent off the Villa goalkeeper. Rooney was all set for his hat-trick but Stuart Taylor’s first act after coming on in place of Knight was to save Rooney’s penalty kick as he dived to his right.

After a Rooney strike rebounded off the crossbar, Giggs’s shot was deflected of Laursen for a second own-goal.

Star man: Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

Player ratings. Aston Villa: Carson, Mellberg, Knight (Taylor 66min), Laursen, Bouma, Gardner (Maloney 53min), Reo-Coker, Barry, Young, Agbonlahor, Moore (Osbourne 54min)

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Pique, Brown, Ferdinand, Evra, Giggs (Ronaldo 77min), Anderson, Scholes (O’Shea 77min), Nani, Tevez (Fletcher 73min), Rooney