Manchester United thrashed reigning champions Leicester City with three sublime goals in the space of minutes. The current champions are just one point above relegation while United are now just one point behind fierce rivals Liverpool and will look to building upon this display.
Lineups
Manchester United were without Wayne Rooney who missed out due to illness and Mourinho went with Marcus Rashford over Anthony Martial. Rojo started in left back and Eric Bailly was a welcome presence again. Pogba and Herrera were the midfield duo while Carrick was on the bench.
Leicester had two changes from their previous lineup but that didn’t do them much good. Musa on the flanks looked threatening due to his pace and Okazaki behind Vardy was potentially promising but the team just isn’t the same anymore.
A failed experiment
United started with a slightly asymmetric 4-4-2 that saw Rashford and Ibrahimovic spearhead the attack. For most parts of the first half United were just pressing Leicester and vice versa as there were barely any promising attacks. Leicester had their only chance of the game during this span but a resilient Bailly ensured that the score stood at 0-0. Those first few minutes were the worst for Mkhitaryan as he managed to create just one chance while Zlatan did considerably well but it wasn’t enough to get through Leicester’s defence.
Shifting focus to Mkhitaryan
Mourinho probably saw that the two striker formation wasn’t working as he’d have hoped. This saw Mkhitaryan occupy the number 10 role with Ibrahimovic going solo. Rashford played on the wings. It’s possible to say that he still doesn’t contribute much on the wings except for his work rate. Mkhitaryan was solely responsible for his goal although a moment of brilliance from Smalling initiated the attack. He probably did more in midfield than the rest of the team managed in those minutes. Shifting Mkhitaryan from a supporting winger to an advanced playmaker was the turning point of the game.
Shoddy defence from Leicester
The absence of any composure and determination from the Leicester defenders resulted in a flurry of goals from United. While United deserve due credit for their quick movements, it’s fair to say the absence of marking on Zlatan and the presence of mind to intercept the pass resulted in the second goal. It could’ve been easily avoided but there was no stopping it once the ball reached Zlatan’s foot.
United had a whopping 56 clearances and won 68% of their aerial duels in comparison to Leicesters 20 and 32%. While their tackle rate wasn’t much higher than that of Leicester, the domination in other defensive aspects ensured a clean sheet with just one potential chance being created from the home side.
Taking a breather
The third goal from Mata sealed Leicester’s fate in the game. The controlled passing towards the end of the game ensured that United were in charge. Leicester’s hope of any comeback was halted and United ensured that the game was wrapped up in comfortable fashion. The passing was more cautious with lesser intent to score and this probably only frustrated Leicester who were miserable throughout the game.
Conclusion
Every time I watch Leicester I cannot reiterate the importance of Kante. The back four no longer have a composed ball winner nor does Danny Drinkwater seem like the player of last season. The team is in shambles and relegation will be a big worry. United, on the other hand, carry on their unbeaten run in the league. If they can keep up their form, they will soon be above an underperforming Liverpool side.
