London: Ander Herrera got a kiss from his manager, Louis van Gaal, after his goal late in the first half sent Manchester United to a 3-1 Premier League victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.

The Spanish midfielder scored with a low finish in the 43rd minute and struck again near the end after a Wayne Rooney special to take his tally for the season to a healthy seven.

Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan tipped over Marcos Rojo's powerful 25-yard effort, but was beaten by Herrera's low shot after good work from Daley Blind. Rooney added the second goal when he spun and fired into the top corner.

Villa's Christian Benteke pulled one back with a low strike before Herrera scored his second with a side-footed finish in injury-time to seal the win.

Dutch Van Gaal was delighted with Herrera's improved composure when finishing, so much so that he rewarded him with a halftime show of affection.

"(Ander) has a very good kicking technique and he should only be more composed," Van Gaal told the club's website. "I said to him 'you have to control the ball before you shoot'. I said that to him again in yesterday's training session, and then I kissed him at halftime because he had controlled the ball for the first time in his life and then he shot," he said.

Van Gaal, whose often quirky post-match interviews have been a feature of his first season at Old Trafford, was clearly in a good mood as his side moved above champions Manchester City for the first time this season.

With 62 points from 31 games, United are in a strong position to gain a top-four finish and return to the lucrative Champions League.

But despite a four-match winning sequence, Van Gaal said there is plenty of work to do - starting with a home derby against City next week. "I have heard that Southampton lost, Liverpool lost and now we have to wait for Tottenham Hotspur. But we already have a big gap," the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach said.

"We can look up in the table. The next match is for the second position or the third, I think. But we have to still play the first three (teams) in the league so it's still a rat race."

Van Gaal's side deserved the victory, their fifth in a row in the Premier League, after having 77 per cent possession and restricting their opponents to only two shots on target.

However, Benteke's goal, which came within two minutes of Rooney's spectacular effort, gave the hosts a scare before Herrera's late goal secured the three points.

The result was enough to take United above bitter rivals Manchester City, although Manuel Pellegrini's team will go second if they beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday.

United are now eight points above fifth-placed Liverpool as they aim to return to the Champions League after a season without European football.

United had to be patient in the first half against a well-organised Villa side before Herrera put them ahead two minutes before the break.

Ashley Young released the overlapping Blind and he pulled the ball back to the unmarked Spanish midfielder, who took a touch to set himself and drilled the ball past Guzan from 12 yards out.

Villa should have equalised when Jores Okore met Leandro Bacuna's flighted free-kick but glanced a header wide from eight yards. That miss proved costly as Rooney, who had a first-half appeal for a penalty turned down after he had been challenged by Ciaran Clark, scored his sixth goal in his last eight United appearances.

Substitute Angel Di Maria played the ball into Rooney and the England captain did well to control the pass, spin and shoot past Guzan.

It looked like the game would be over as a contest but Villa responded when Joe Cole's corner - Villa's first - found its way to Benteke and the Belgian striker's shot squeezed underneath David De Gea.