ALL good things must come to an end.

Sadly for Gerard Houllier, the first day of February marked the end of Villa’s January revival rather than the end of United’s remarkable unbeaten record which stretched to a club record 29th Premier League match.

But there was no shame in revitalised Villa losing to the Champions elect, whose last top-flight setback was at home to Chelsea in April last season, especially as the visitors made a real game of it.

Unfortunately for Villa, whose historic Old Trafford triumph last term was built upon a solid backline, Houllier’s hopefuls conceded at the worst possible times – at the start and end of the first half, and moments after they got back into the match. They also ran into Wayne Rooney at his best. Nani and Ryan Giggs weren’t bad either.

But with another Darren Bent goal, golden oldie Brad Friedel rolling back the years and a Jean Makoun midfield masterclass, there were plenty of Villa pluses too.

Friedel deserved better than to let in three on such an auspicious occasion for the ever-green goalkeeper. The experienced American’s coronation as Villa’s oldest ever player at the age of 39 years and 259 days got those of a claret and blue persuasion thinking of previous record holder, the 1940s defender Ernest ‘Mush’ Callaghan.

But it was Richard Dunne’s mind who turned to Mush within the first minute when he committed the cardinal sin of visitors to the Theatre of Dreams and gifted Sir Alex Ferguson’s title favourites a first-minute lead.