England's Jack Wilshere earns Arsenal plaudits following win over Aston Villa

Jack Wilshere once again won praise from manager Arsene Wenger as he starred in Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.

The England midfielder was played in an advanced role and set up the winner for Santi Cazorla, who scored both Arsenal's goals.

Theo Walcott also shone for the Gunners, who are now only one point behind deadly rivals Spurs in the Premier League table. It was the perfect tonic for Wenger's men, who were knocked out of The FA Cup by Blackburn last weekend.

Afterwards, Wilshere paid tribute to his manager for helping the club through a difficult week and also looked ahead to a massive game at White Hart Lane next Sunday which will have a huge part to play in which club finishes the season in the top four.

He said: "The manager stands up for us, he's a great manager for us and he's shown that over the years.

"He relieves the pressure but we as players have to relieve the pressure too.

"We have a game away at Spurs now and we know what that means to the fans; and it means the same to the players. We are in a good position now and we have to show confidence."

England cap Gabriel Agbonlahor and England Under-21 star Fabian Delph were among the players who performed well for Villa, who felt they deserved a point from the game.

Over at Carrow Road, Leon Osman put Everton ahead against Norwich - only to see the Canaries strike twice, through Kei Kamara and Grant Holt, to snatch a 2-1 victory.

Osman's goal came when he headed home a cross from England team-mate Leighton Baines six minutes before half-time. But it wasn't enough in the end for Everton, who also fielded Phil Jagielka in defence.

At Loftus Road, England's Michael Carrick and Ashley Young helped Manchester United go 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League as they won 2-0 against QPR.

Goals from Rafael and Ryan Giggs - on his 999th senior appearance - secured victory for United who also brought on England's Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "It was a great result for us. It's another game away so it's important, we are 15 points ahead at the moment.

"It was one of these games where the pitch was lively, the ground was tight. There wasn't a great deal of football in the first half to be honest, it was a display from us which was more about determination, concentration and defending and we got through it."