David O'Leary's under-achievers, who astounded the critics with their rapid rise up the table, fell at the final hurdle in their bid to reach the UEFA Cup.
They were routed by an on-form Manchester United side that sealed their win with a vintage display that was capped by two goals from their two world-class stars, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud Van Nistelrooy, despite finishing the game with only nine players.
United's win was marred by the sending-off of Darren Fletcher in the 75th minute for a second yellow card after a foul on Villa skipper, Olof Mellberg.
He was followed by Ronaldo in the 85th minute for another second bookable ofence.
In what later turned out to be an untidy game with no less than seven further bookings by the over-zealous referee, Rob Styles, Villa struggled unsuccessfully to get back into the game which they allowed to slip from their grasp in a disastrous opening ten minutes.
Fielding what could be their FA Cup Final side against Millwall in Cardiff next Saturday, Manchester United displayed some of their best form of the season in a blistering start to completely demoralise Villa with two goals.
Villa never recovered from a disastrous start when their shortcomings were fully exploited by an eager United side.
The explosive pace of United opened up huge, embarrassing gaps in the Villa defence but it was nevertheless a major surprise when Ronaldo put the Old Trafford club ahead after only four minutes.
A Fletcher pass found the unmarked Ronaldo who immediately fired a low shot to the left of Thomas Sorensen and into the net.
Villa never recovered from that devastating shock to their aspirations and in the tenth minute they fell further behind as a result of another goal which should have been avoided.
Paul Scholes accurately found van Nistelrooy totally unmarked in the Villa penalty area. The Dutchman had little trouble going around Sorensen before slowly rolling the ball into the net despite a last-ditch attempt by Liam Ridgewell to clear off the line.
Juan Pablo Angel had Villa's best chance but he hooked his shot high over the bar which unfortunately summed up their general display.
Angel thought he should have earned Villa a penalty early in the second half but all he achieved was a booking from the inconsistent referee.
To their credit United completely shut out Villa who could not manage a single shot on target in the first hour.
Villa had two goals disallowed in a hectic finish but United were well worth their success despite finishing the game with only nine players.