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Manchester United extended their unbeaten streak to eight games in all competitions with a 3-0 win over Leicester City at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Courtesy of Sunday’s result and Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, third-placed United have moved to within three points of second-placed City in the Premier League rankings.
The Red Devils endured an unsure start in front of a packed Old Trafford on Sunday. In the eighth minute, Fred gave possession away in midfield, allowing Harvey Barnes to play a little one-two with Kelechi Iheanacho before having a go at goal. David de Gea made himself big to stop Barnes from wheeling away in celebration.
A couple of minutes later, James Maddison played Iheanacho through on goal. The former City man, however, failed to bring the ball under control and made a complete mess of his strike, allowing Victor Lindelof to steer away from the goal.
In the 20th minute, Ilheanacho got on the end of Timothy Castagne’s cross into the United box, directing a fine header towards the bottom-left corner. De Gea reacted superbly to keep his team from going behind.
Having been under the cosh for over 20 minutes, Manchester United put themselves in front against the run of play in the 25th minute. Bruno Fernandes played Marcus Rashford through on goal with a slide rule pass, and the Englishman made no mistake in 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 across the face of the goal. The fullback shockingly failed to make enough contact with the delivery and touched it behind for a goal kick.
The half-time team talk did wonders for Manchester United as they completely dominated proceedings in the second 45. Rashford doubled his tally in the 56th minute, latching on to Fred’s pass and putting it 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 a first-time finish to take the ball beyond Ward. Wout Weghorst could have added another goal to United’s tally in the 88th minute, but the Dutch forward failed to beat Ward from mere yards away from goal.
United did not do nearly enough in the first half but completely ran the show in the second 45 to seal a well-deserved victory. 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 footing in the first half against Leicester. However, he played like a man possessed in the second 45.
Shortly into the second half, he came close to scoring, clattering the crossbar with a headed effort. He also blocked multiple shots, carried the ball forward with grace, and won more than his fair share of duels.
Against Leicester City, Martinez blocked three shots, won seven of 10 duels, completed two dribbles, and played a key pass.
#4 David de Gea
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea had a rather busy first half. Had it not been for his heroics, Erik ten Hag’s side could have found themselves in a trickier position heading into the break. In the eighth minute, he denied Barnes with his trailing left foot. Twelve minutes later, he superbly got across the goal to stop Iheanacho’s header with a strong right hand.
Over the course of the game, De Gea made three saves, with two of the shots coming from inside the box. He also delivered 12 accurate long balls, completed 27 passes with 73% accuracy, and made a clearance.
#3 Jadon Sancho
Brought on for an underperforming Alejandro Garnacho at the break, Jadon Sancho produced a remarkable performance. He created multiple goalscoring opportunities, linked up superbly with teammates, and scored an excellent goal to triple United’s lead.
Sancho passed the ball to Fernandes on the right and continued his down the middle. The Portuguese returned the ball promptly to the Englishman, who applied a first-time finish to beat Ward. An excellent goal aside, Sancho played three key passes, completed two dribbles, and created a big chance.
#2 Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford has emerged as Manchester United’s unabashed talisman in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era. On Sunday, he extended his purple patch with two sharp goals against the Foxes. In the 25th minute, he did ever so well to beat Leicester’s offside trap and find the bottom-left corner with a measured drive.
In the 56th minute, he doubled his money, zipping past Castagne and finding his way past Ward. Rashford, who has scored 24 goals this season (36 games), also completing two dribbles, winning four ground duels and attempting 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 through with a perfectly-weighted delivery for United’s opener. Again, in the 61st minute, he returned the ball to Sancho, leading to his well-taken goal. Fernandes could have had a third assist to his name had Dalot been a tad more clinical with his effort at the end of the first half.
On Premier League matchday 24, Fernandes played a whopping nine key passes and created three big chances. He delivered five accurate crosses, completed four dribbles, won eight ground duels and drew three fouls. The Portuguese superstar was practically unplayable against Leicester on Sunday.
