Cristiano Ronaldo put the Rede Devils ahead on 14 minutes following a free kick, and the away side restored parity on the half-hour mark when John Carew headed home.

Early in the second period, Villa took the lead with Gabriel Agbonlahor's headed goal, and United seemed close to their third consecutive league defeat this season.

But Cristiano Ronaldo notched a precious leveler after 80 minutes, before youngster Macheda netted a screamer with aplomb from close range.

Alex Ferguson's team are now on top of the table with 68 points, only one point more than Liverpool who enjoyed the leadership for one day after beating Fulham 1-0 on Saturday.