With the majority of Manchester United's squad having played for their respective countries in the past week, jet lag may have been to blame for a poor start against Aston Villa.

A Gabriel Agbonlahor header 13 minutes in put United at a 1-0 distadvantage—and seemed to kick the boys into gear.

It wasn't long before slick passing in the midfield gave Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez chances up up front, with the equalizer coming on 34 minutes when Nani delivered a low cross that Rooney hit home.

That score silenced the Villa Park crowd, and it was only the beginning.

Just before halftime, Tevez cut in from the left and played a world-class ball to Rooney, who controlled inside the box and fired a shot past Scott Carson. United proceeded to steal the ball on the kickoff and win a corner, off which Villa's Craig Gardner deflected a shot from Rio Ferdinand into the roof of his own net.

The 3-1 lead left the game out of Villa's reach.  

Nigel Reo-Coker picked up a costly booking seven minutes into the second half—his fifth yellow card of the season means a one-match ban. 60 minutes saw things go from bad to worse, as Reo-Coker picked up another yellow for a rash challenge on Anderson.

That booking meant Villa were already short a man when Scott Carson brought down Tevez in the box, earning a red card and giving United a penalty. Rooney failed to convert the try—and missed a hat-trick again when he crashed another effort against the crossbar.

Ryan Giggs capped the scoring in the 75th minute with a twice-deflected shot.

The 4-1 win is a testament to United's class and determination. Anderson was particularly good for the second straight match, and Nani, Tevez, and Rooney all played admirably.

Doubters of the Tevez-Rooney partnership should watch the replays of this one and eat their words.

As it stands, the defending champs seem to have regained their old form—and the rest of the league would do well to keep an eye out.