England boss Kevin Keegan saw all he needed to know. He was an admiring spectator at Old Trafford as Manchester United completed a week that has seen them cruise back to form.

There's no crisis at Old Trafford and Keegan saw that David Beckham is in the sort of form that can destroy the Scots next month. Beckham created mayhem with a brilliant display of wing craft on the right, as United gave Villa a lesson in chance-taking with a 3-0 win in the FA Carling Premiership.

Villa had their moments, but their lack of killer punch in front of goal was cruelly punished by the champions. There were times when the invention and skills of Benito Carbone threatened to unhinge United, but they produced a thoroughly convincing display to end a run that had seen them take just five points from five Premiership games.

Beckham was just magic, and on this form he can be the one reservoir of talent that could send Scotland spinning out of the Battle of Britain, and England off to Euro 2000. Back from Europe and with their Champions League future put right along with their form, United set about getting the domestic stuff back on the right tracks. They restored Mikael Silvestre to defence in place of Henning Berg, and for some while at the beginning of this clash, he looked anything but composed.

Carbone produced early minutes of brilliance with backheels and nutmegs, plus a 25-yard shot that clipped the frame of the goal as Villa found far too much space in which to operate. Dion Dublin was clean through on the left, but criminally wasted the chance by driving his shot into the side-netting. George Boateng also got into the box unmolested but drove a shot over the angle. With Mark Bosnich getting all sorts of abuse from his former fans, United were knocked out of their stride, as the chances were arriving with regularity for Villa.

But the key to trying to wrestle points from Old Trafford is not to waste your opportunities when you are on top, because you can be damned sure they won't come round a second time. Slowly United started to get their act together, or more accurately, David Beckham started to play in the style that Keegan must have been delighted to see with the games against the Scots just around the corner.

Beckham's the best in Europe, maybe even the world, when he works his right flank like this. Villa, maybe dazzled by their own position on level terms, started to forget the defensive part of the job. Alan Thompson, who had been bottling up the space in front of full-back Gareth Barry, started to go walkabout, and that's all the encouragement Beckham needed to start to cruelly dismantle the England Under-21 youngster's game.

The full range of crosses, dinks, chips and driven balls started to come in from Beckham's flank and United could have had a couple before Paul Scholes finally got his range. Scholes had missed from inside the six yard box, and seen a poor first touch - yes sometimes United stars are human - let him down when he was momentarily all alone in the six yard box. But that wasn't going to save Villa for long.

After 24 minutes a regulation Beckham cross reached open space in front of David James, and Scholes raced in to power home the header. You knew then that Villa's fleeting chance of glory was gone. Ryan Giggs fired across goal, Dwight Yorke was equally wasteful, but in first half injury time Beckham was again the architect of the second.

Denis Irwin got down the left and fired over a low cross that evaded everyone, until Beckham picked it up as he came in off the right flank. The England star went to the line and neatly laid the ball back for Andy Cole to clinically drill home past a helpless James.

Villa went to the break knowing it could have been so different if they hadn't blown it when they had a measure of equality. But to their credit Villa didn't cave in after the break. Carbone was again their inspiration, but the wastefulness was just as evident. He got away behind United's defence and should have squared the ball to unmarked colleagues Lee Hendrie or Dublin. He opted to delay, looking for an angle himself, and Jaap Stam produced a saving tackle of ferocious power. But the little Italian wasn't put off, and was soon through again on Bosnich, this time his shot bouncing off the keeper and being cleared first by Roy Keane, and eventually by Neville, amid all sorts of panic.

You just knew Villa would be punished again and it dutifully came after 65 minutes. Again Beckham supplied the initial ball from the right, Scholes helped it back and Keane blitzed a thunderous low shot from 20 yards that went past James at the speed of light. Barry got himself booked for hauling back Beckham a minute later, and Villa were now finished.

Cole should have reacted quicker to a cross from substitute Solskjaer, and when Giggs charged down a clearance from his Welsh squad colleague Mark Delaney, before belting a good chance high over, you began to fear for Villa.

``Outclassed by the champions,'' roared Old Trafford's fans, just as arrogant as their team. But they were right.

Man United: Bosnich, Irwin, Stam, Silvestre, Neville, Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Giggs (Cruyff, 79), Cole (Wilson, 79), Yorke (Solskjaer, 66).
Subs not used: Van Der Gouw, Berg.

Aston Villa: James, Delaney, Calderwood, Southgate, Barry, Boateng (Stone, 55), Hendrie, Taylor, Thompson (Wright, 72), Dublin, Carbone (Merson, 76).
Subs not used: Watson, Enckelman.
Booked: Barry.

Attendance: 55,211.
Referee: A Wilkie (Chester Le Street).