Manchester United secured a 1-0 win over Leicester City in the Premier League on Thursday, September 2.
The Foxes came into this game having lost three of their previous four in the league. The other game was a draw against Brentford in which they threw away a two-goal lead in the second half. Brendan Rogers was under tremendous pressure and hoped the home support at the King Power Stadium would lift them.
The Red Devils, on the other hand, lost their first two games. However, they beat Liverpool and Southampton in their next two and were eager to continue the winning form. Erik ten Hag kept the same lineup as Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo continued to start from the bench.
Manchester United made a strong and composed start to the game, carrying on with their encouraging displays from their wins. They controlled possession of the ball and maintained a compact shape in central areas to prevent Leicester from breaking through. Jamie Vardy barely had any space to run into as Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez marked him well.
Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho seem to have forged a good partnership as they look lethal going forward. The former provided an assist for the latter to score from and put United 1-0 up after 23 minutes. The pace with which they broke through on goal left Jonny Evans stranded.
Despite being in a comfortable position, Manchester United looked susceptible to making silly mistakes. Both their fullbacks Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia were booked in the first half. It put them in potential danger against Leicester’s pacey forwards for the second period as United led 1-0 at the break.
Much to Manchester United’s surprise, Leicester City came out for the second period with a spring in their step. They moved the ball quicker and used the central and wide channels equally as they diversified their game. Maddison attempted a wonderful free-kick which was saved equally well by David De Gea in goal. The hosts did well to put the visitors on the back-foot.
The visitors failed to create a significant chance to score nearly 20 minutes into the period. Their forwards continued to make direct runs towards goal, but failed to enter the box in numbers. United’s defenders continued to do their job of thwarting any of the Foxes’ moves.
Manchester United held on to secure their third consecutive league win. On the other hand, it was Leicester City’s fourth defeat on the bounce. That said, let’s take a look at the Red Devils’ player ratings.
Manchester United Player Ratings
David De Gea – 7.5/10
De Gea made a couple of decent stops early in the game as he seems to have buried his demons from mistakes in the bygone days. He made two saves and distributed the ball with 52% accuracy. It was also the Spaniard’s second clean sheet in a row.
Diogo Dalot – 7.5/10
Dalot looked composed on the right flank but was booked in the first half. He won seven of his 10 duels, making four tackles in the process. Dalot also passed the ball with 80% accuracy, including one key pass and four long balls.
Raphael Varane – 7/10
Varane and Martinez maintained their shape perfectly and prevented Leicester’s players from having a clear run at goal. He won six of his seven duels and passed the ball with 87% accuracy.
Lisandro Martinez – 7/10
Martinez closed down Vardy and Maddison well, allowing them less than a few seconds on the ball. He received a yellow card in the second period. Martinez made three clearances and one block, and won one of his four duels.
Tyrell Malacia – 6.5/10
Malacia made an enthusiastic start to the game and often ventured forward with the ball to create chances of his own. However, he was booked in the first half and had a tame game after that.
Scott McTominay – 6.5/10
McTominay looked composed on the ball and played some important passes as United looked to attack. However, he made a couple of silly challenges in the second period that potentially put United in danger.
Christian Eriksen – 6.5/10
Eriksen covered a lot of ground and distributed the ball well at the heart of Manchester United’s midfield. He passed the ball with 81% accuracy, including three long balls.
Anthony Elanga – 6/10
Elanga was relatively ineffective in attack as his fellow forwards stole the limelight. He won just two of his eight duels and played one accurate long ball. He was subbed off just before the hour mark.
Bruno Fernandes – 7/10
Fernandes was Manchester United’s captain on the night and put in a decent performance. He passed the ball with 75% accuracy, including three key passes and four long balls. He also won six of his 14 duels.
Jadon Sancho – 7/10
Sancho looked sharp from the start and scored to put Manchester United 1-0 up midway through the first half. The only other shot he attempted was blocked. He won two of his four duels and was subbed off in the 68th minute.
Marcus Rashford – 7/10
Rashford made things happen in the final third as he created the chance from which Manchester United grabbed the lead. He attempted two shots, with one off target and the other being blocked. He played two key passes, two long balls and one cross.
Substitutes
Casemiro – 6.5/10
He went on to replace Elanga as ten Hag enforced a change in shape for his team. He put in a decent performance as they shut Leicester out to secure the win.
Cristiano Ronaldo 6.5/10
Ronaldo came on as a second-half substitute and looked threatening from the start. He made some smart runs and had chances to score but missed them.
Fred – N/A
He came on in the dying embers of the game and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
