Ashley Young was one of the major reasons why Manchester United had such a resounding derby win over Manchester City on Sunday.

The former Aston Villa winger scored the equalising goal in the 14th minute at Old Trafford, following Sergio Aguero's earlier opener, before providing the crosses for Marouane Fellaini's 27th-minte and Chris Smalling's 73rd-minute headers.

After the match, Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal praised Young for his performance which allowed third-placed United to move four points clear of their local rivals.

"He was fantastic. He was our best player," van Gaal said.

"I am very happy for him but I have a group of 25, 26 players.

"Ashley has always made a big contribution, he has always played with me."

First-half goals from Young and Fellaini gave United a 2-1 half-time lead before Juan Mata and Smalling extended that advantage to three goals prior to Aguero's late second.