Manchester United roared back to form with an emphatic 4-1 victory over reigning Champions Leicester City at Old Trafford as goals from Mata, Pogba, Rashford and Smalling gave the hosts a 4-0 lead within the first 42 minutes. After the initial barrage of goals, Leicester had a mountain to climb and they ended the match 4-1 with a stunning long-ranger from Demarai Gray. With United back in the 3rd spot and Leicester suffering their 3rd loss of the season, we look at three talking points from today’s early kickoff.
CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?
That is exactly what the reaction was once United were all over the quickly fading Champions. With United losing thrice in a week, the amount of unwanted attention garnered by Jose Mourinho and his players was intense and it was certainly something that egged the Red Devils on.
They were sharper, fitter and quite simply better than their opponent. With the big win after a positive result against Northampton Town in midweek enabling the Old Trafford outfit to gather some momentum, Mourinho will be wary of letting his troops get carried away by this. They have huge expectations this season and for that to blossom into realisation, a run of victories is the need of the hour.
LEICESTER FEELING THE SIDE-EFFECTS OF BEING CHAMPIONS
After a fairy-tale win by the Foxes, the sceptics raised doubts regarding their ability to contend with the Champions tag and the added pressure of a multiple number of competitions which results in midweek matches. And though it is still early in the season, it is evident Leicester are struggling to cope up big time.
With the Champions League and EFL Cup in full flow along with the primary area of focus being the Premier League, the Foxes are not being able to cope up and it is big time Ranieri needs to prioritise. Failing to do which, there is every chance the season might spiral into absolute mayhem for them. Ranieri has to come up with damage limitation and chalk out a new blueprint.
MANCHESTER UNITED READY TO MOVE ON FROM ROONEY?
Jose Mourinho made the brave call many were expecting and dropped United’s talismanic captain to the bench. And the way the team performed without him would have done little to quell the doubts surrounding his usefulness in the team.
All the issues raised by the pundits regarding Pogba’s positioning and Ibrahimovic’s optimum impact seemed to be spot on as the duo ran amok in the advanced areas with the freedom the players of their stature demand. But Rooney should not be discounted for so quickly and he will continue to remain an important part of the squad as any future crisis will certainly illustrate his worth. But the fans are bracing for a season where Rooney will not be an automatic starter anymore.
