LONDON, (Reuters) – Teenager Federico Macheda marked  his debut for Manchester United by scoring an astonishing  stoppage-time winner to give them a 3-2 win over Aston Villa yesterday and keep them on course for the Premier League title.

Macheda, 17, who replaced Nani after 61 minutes, showed  tremendous composure to turn Villa defender Luke Young and curl  the ball past Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel to give United the  victory that took them back to the top of the table.

United have 68 points from 30 matches. They are one point  ahead, with a game in hand, of Liverpool who had gone top on  Saturday after an equally late and dramatic winner from Yossi  Benayoun in their 1-0 win at Fulham.

Chelsea, who won 2-0 at Newcastle United on Saturday, are  third with 64 points from 31 games.

United, with Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov injured and  Paul Scholes, Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney all suspended, had  lost their previous two league games to Liverpool and Fulham and  looked to be heading for their third successive defeat with only  10 minutes to go.

Villa, looking for their first win in nine matches and first  at Old Trafford since 1983, led 2-1 but the game turned against  them and left them hanging on to fifth place by a point from  Everton.

United took the lead with a 14th minute Cristiano Ronaldo  goal following a free kick awarded for a James Milner back pass  to Friedel but Villa struck back with headers from John Carew  after 30 minutes and Gabriel Agbonlahor after 58.

Ronaldo then made it 2-2 with a low shot from the edge of  the box before Macheda’s dramatic winner.

In the day’s other game, Everton crushed Wigan Athletic 4-0  at Goodison Park with two goals from Jo and one each from  Marouanne Fellaini and Leon Osman.