LONDON (AP)

Ending 13 years of frustration against Manchester United suddenly doesn't seem so daunting for Aston Villa after winning at Arsenal for the first time since 1993.

Manager Martin O'Neill wants to ensure the 2-0 victory in north London is the spark to ignite the challenge for one of the four Champions League spots.

"The result allied to the performance was really terrific," O'Neill said. "It has certainly given a big boost of confidence to the players. From start to finish the team was electric. The performance was full of energy. It was full of really good football.

"It was terrific and the players must take a great deal of confidence and self-belief from that."

The reward for a second straight victory over one of the traditional title contenders would be to return to the top four at the expense of Alex Ferguson's defending champions.

Tremendous record

But the last time Villa took even a point off United at home was in August 2001.

"We must also be aware of their tremendous record here at Villa Park," Villa midfielder Gareth Barry said. "I have the distinction, if that's how you put it, of being one of two Villa scorers here on home soil against United in the past six seasons - and that was in an FA Cup game that we lost 2-1.

"That's not good enough and we must try to improve on that record on Saturday - not just in terms of goals against them but also results."

Consistency is key for 1981 champions Villa, who lost to Middlesbrough and beleaguered Newcastle before claiming the scalp of Arsenal - something United failed to do a week earlier. The Red Devils bounced back by crushing Stoke 5-0 last weekend.

Although Ferguson could be without Dimitar Berbatov after the striker picked up a hamstring injury during Bulgaria's 6-1 loss to Serbia on Wednesday, Wayne Rooney is likely to return from a calf complaint to strike his 100th United goal.

United can't afford to slip-up, knowing that if Chelsea and Liverpool, who lead the standings on 32 points, continue winning they would be 11 points adrift.

Rafa Benitez has prioritised steering Liverpool, who host Fulham tomorrow, to their 19th league title. Defender Fabio Aurelio knows Benitez is capable of that feat, having won two titles under the Spaniard at Valencia in 2002 and '04.

"He knows how to keep focused but also how to keep the morale high within the squad," said Aurelio. Chelsea will be without striker Didier Drogba, who is serving a three-match suspension for throwing a coin at Burnley fans, when they host a Newcastle side still under the command of interim manager Joe Kinnear.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was already reeling from Saturday's loss to Villa when winger Theo Walcott was ruled out for at least three months with a dislocated shoulder that underwent surgery Thursday, and captain William Gallas revealed that the young squad has been afflicted by infighting.