Manchester United extended their unbeaten streak to eight games in all competitions with a 3-0 victory over Leicester City at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Thanks to Sunday’s result and Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, third-placed United moved within three points of second-placed City in the Premier League.
The Red Devils suffered an uncertain start ahead of a packed Old Trafford on Sunday. In the eighth minute, Fred gave up possession in midfield, allowing Harvey Barnes to play a small one-two with Kelechi Iheanacho before going on goal. David de Gea made himself big to prevent Barnes from going on a party.
A few minutes later, James Maddison played Iheanacho on goal. The former City man, however, failed to control the ball and made a complete mess of his shot, allowing Victor Lindelof to clear him away from goal.
In the 20th minute, Ilheanacho collected Timothy Castagne’s cross inside the United box, directing a fine header to the bottom left corner. De Gea reacted superbly to prevent his side from falling behind.
Under the coat for more than 20 minutes, Manchester United took the lead against the run of play in the 25th minute. Bruno Fernandes played Marcus Rashford on goal with a slide rule pass, and the Englishman made no mistake applying the finishing touch.
Manchester United had a golden opportunity to double their lead in the 37th minute when Fernandes found Diogo Dalot with a teasing ball in front of goal. The full-back shockingly failed to make enough contact with the delivery and touched it behind for a goal kick.
The team’s half-time talk did wonders for Manchester United as they completely dominated the proceedings in the second 45. Rashford doubled his tally in the 56th minute, hanging on to Fred’s pass and pushing her past Danny Ward.
Five minutes after Rashford’s insurance goal, substitute Jadon Sancho put the game to bed. The England international combined with Fernandes before applying an early finish to take the ball past Ward. Wout Weghorst could have added another goal to United’s tally in the 88th minute, but the Dutch striker failed to beat Ward just yards from goal.
United didn’t do enough in the first half but completely ran the show within 45 seconds to seal a well-deserved win. Here are the five players who stood out in their clash against the Foxes on Sunday:
#5 Lisandro Martinez
Like most of his teammates, Lisandro Martinez also failed to find his place in the first half against Leicester. However, he played like a possessed man in the second 45.
Shortly after the second half, he nearly scored, slamming the crossbar with a header. He also blocked several shots, carried the ball with grace and won more than his fair share of duels.
Against Leicester City, Martinez blocked three shots, won seven out of 10, completed two dribbles and played a key pass.
#4David de Gea
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea enjoyed a busy first half. Without his heroism, Erik ten Hag’s side could have found themselves in a more difficult position before the break. In the eighth minute, he denied Barnes with his left foot dragging. Twelve minutes later, he crossed the goal superbly to stop Iheanacho’s header with a powerful right hand.
During the match, De Gea made three saves, two of which were shots coming from inside the box. He also delivered 12 accurate long balls, made 27 passes with 73% accuracy and made one clearance.
#3 Jadon Sancho
Brought in for an underperforming Alejandro Garnacho at the break, Jadon Sancho put in a standout performance. He created multiple goalscoring opportunities, linked up superbly with his teammates and scored an excellent goal to triple United’s lead.
Great team performance! Happy to be on the scoresheet, but the focus is on the big week ahead. 🔴 https://t.co/vxOChwkSDP
Sancho passed the ball to Fernandes on the right and continued his own down the middle. The Portuguese returned the ball quickly to the Englishman, who applied an early finish to beat Ward. The excellent goal aside, Sancho played three key passes, completed two dribbles and created a great chance.
#2Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford has become Manchester United’s unabashed talisman in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era. On Sunday, he extended his purple spot with two accurate goals against the Foxes. In the 25th minute, he did a great job of thwarting Leicester’s offside trap and finding the bottom left corner with a measured drive.
In the 56th minute he doubled his money, passing Castagne and finding his way past Ward. Rashford, who has scored 24 goals this season (36 games), also completed two dribbles, won four ground duels and attempted a tackle.
#1 Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes was at the heart of all things positive for Manchester United on Sunday. In the first half, Fernandes played Rashford with a perfectly weighted delivery for United’s opener. Again, in the 61st minute, he fired the ball back to Sancho, leading to his well conceded goal. Fernandes could have had a third assist to his name if Dalot had been a bit more clinical with his effort late in the first half.
A very good afternoon at Old Trafford and it only remains for us to continue on this path. 💪🏻 https://t.co/mUsIdT7bpl
On Premier League Matchday 24, Fernandes played nine assists and created three big chances. He made five accurate crosses, completed four dribbles, won eight ground duels and made three fouls. The Portuguese superstar was virtually unplayable against Leicester on Sunday.
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