It’s quite simple, according to Alex Ferguson. Manchester United just need to win their last five league fixtures, and no matter how many goals Arsenal score, no matter how awesome their away form, the title will come to Old Trafford.

This was not the sort of performance to make the Gunners give up the ghost, but it was the required result, one which puts United two points clear at the top and the ball back in Arsène Wenger’s court. Ferguson claims the players are loving the pressure of this run-in, ‘it’s not torture, it’s sheer bliss’ he said, but subconsciously or otherwise, United appear to rationing their efforts and economising on energy.

It looked as if they could pick up another three points without too much sweat when they took the lead after 19 minutes. Southgate had already made one goal-line clearance but Villa barely had time to clear their lines before United managed to find the target - albeit with the help of Steve Watson. He turned Paul Scholes’ lay-off past his own goalkeeper in an attempt to prevent it reaching Dwight Yorke.

Jesper Blomqvist’s searching pass had created the opening, but on a day when both United’s wide players enjoyed more crossing opportunities than come along in the average training session, neither managed to make enough count. Blomqvist kept losing his footing or taking a touch too many, while Beckham, despite the jaw-dropping accuracy of his free kicks, could not find his range with his centres and hit at least half a dozen too long.

One Beckham cross which did present Villa problems almost produced a goal for Scholes two minutes after United went in front, but with Andy Cole and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer out injured and Yorke failing to produce any fireworks against his old club, the home side failed to build on their advantage. It took Villa a while to realise they were not about to be buried under an avalanche, but after a further 10 minutes of watching United fritter away a wealth of possession and look uncharacteristically laboured when going forward, they tentatively came forward and were swiftly rewarded.

There was a fair chance Steve Stone was offside when he accepted Watson’s precision pass down the right touchline, but though the United backline turned as one to the linesman, the flag stayed down. From that position Stone was not about to squander the opportunity, and his cross from the goal-line was turned past Peter Schmeichel by the timely arrival of Julian Joachim in the six-yard box.

If United felt like complaining, they only needed to reflect that Schmeichel was actually quite lucky still to be on the pitch at that stage. A few moments earlier he had come for a routine catch and found the cross was not as deep as he had anticipated, and though he had the presence of mind to opt for a punch when he reached the edge of his area, Schmeichel was a foot or two over the line when he made contact with the ball. The linesman appeared not to notice and the referee was not well positioned to judge, so Schmeichel got away with it.

In fairness there were few Villa players complaining over a minor and almost certainly unintentional transgression, but Oakes might have a wry smile when he sees the video. The Villa goalkeeper was sent off for precisely the same thing in a match at Blackburn earlier in the season.

Oakes saved well from Teddy Sheringham on the stroke of half-time, though Villa finished the first half stronger, with Dion Dublin going close with a volley from Paul Merson’s deftly chipped pass. It was obvious United would come out for the second half with some of Ferguson’s ripest exhortations ringing in their ears, yet still Villa were caught out by the sheer speed of the home response. Southgate especially.

Perhaps he and Villa thought Alan Wright’s foul on Yorke was too far out for even Beckham to pose any danger, for this time Southgate failed to mount his goal-line guard, and a visiting defence awaiting a cross could only watch as a wonderfully precise strike floated unerringly into Oakes’ top-right corner from 30 yards and quite a sharp angle.

If that goal did not knock the stuffing out of Villa a penalty 18 minutes later would have, if only Denis Irwin had converted it. Instead Oakes flung himself to his right to save, which was justice of a sort, since Watson’s gentle push on substitute Phil Neville constituted one of the softest penalty decisions ever.