David Moyes' side were staring at a hat-trick of defeats for only the third time in the entire Premier League era.
But once Welbeck rattled in the rebound after Adnan Januzaj had headed against a post, there was never much chance of it happening en-route to a 3-0 win.
Main man: Danny Welbeck (right) scored twice as Manchester United cruised to victory at Aston Villa
Opening salvo: Welbeck slides home United's goal to send them on their way at Villa Park
Making things happen: Wayne Rooney dropped deep and was pivotal in Manchester United's victory
Doubling up: Welbeck slides home to increase United's advantage as they return to winning ways
It was the perfect way for United to answer their critics, and Welbeck to silence a few of his.
The England striker revelled in the responsibility of leading the attacking line as Robin van Persie starts his month on the sidelines, with Wayne Rooney dropping so deep at times, he was almost assuming the Paul Scholes creative role.
Rooney did skim the outside of a post after Valencia had opted to pass rather than shoot after driving deep into the area.
The England striker revelled in the responsibility of leading the attacking line as Robin van Persie starts his month on the sidelines, with Wayne Rooney dropping so deep at times, he was almost assuming the Paul Scholes creative role.
Rooney did skim the outside of a post after Valencia had opted to pass rather than shoot after driving deep into the area.
Clever boy: Tom Cleverley added gloss to the scoreline with a third United goal in the second half
Pleased as punch: Tom Cleverley celebrates wildly after stretching United's lead on Sunday
Welbeck
spurned a glorious chance to claim his first senior hat-trick from a
very similar position after Valencia had once again proved too hot to
handle.
It was an all-too-familiar story for Villa, for whom Benteke was a shadow of the player who terrorised defences throughout last season.
A confrontation between David de Gea and Gabriel Agbonlahor, making his 300th Villa appearance, at the start of the second period suggested the hosts had received a blasting from manager Paul Lambert.
But pretty soon, Rooney had powered forward and slipped a pass to Cleverley, who drove home his first Premier League goal in almost exactly a year.
It was an all-too-familiar story for Villa, for whom Benteke was a shadow of the player who terrorised defences throughout last season.
A confrontation between David de Gea and Gabriel Agbonlahor, making his 300th Villa appearance, at the start of the second period suggested the hosts had received a blasting from manager Paul Lambert.
But pretty soon, Rooney had powered forward and slipped a pass to Cleverley, who drove home his first Premier League goal in almost exactly a year.
Temper, temper: Welbeck (obscured) clashes with Nathan Baker before the pair were booked
Up in the air: Matthew Lowton challenges Wayne Rooney as Villa suffer another defeat at home
Soon
afterwards, the England midfielder was throwing himself in front of an
Andreas Weimann shot as United attempted to preserve their healthy
advantage, a sign in itself of the determination in the away ranks to
right the wrongs of a dreadful few weeks.
The return of Darren Fletcher after almost 12 months out with, and virtually three years affected by a chronic bowel condition, merely added to the party atmosphere amongst the away support.
De Gea denied Karim El Ahmadi after Welbeck had floated a chip onto the roof of Guzan's goal but by then, thousands of Villa fans had already started to head for the exits.
The return of Darren Fletcher after almost 12 months out with, and virtually three years affected by a chronic bowel condition, merely added to the party atmosphere amongst the away support.
De Gea denied Karim El Ahmadi after Welbeck had floated a chip onto the roof of Guzan's goal but by then, thousands of Villa fans had already started to head for the exits.
Welcome return: Darren Fletcher made his first Premier League appearance since last Boxing Day
Sidelined: Scotland midfielder Fletcher has struggled to overcome a chronic bowel condition

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