Manchester United 's hopes of top four were dented following a 1-1 draw at home to Leicester City.
Much of the first-half passed by without anything meaningful to note, both sides feeling the other out in what was a cagey opening half hour.
United legend Gary Neville was on commentary duty and he described his former side's early efforts as "pathetically slow". Both sides showed real reluctance to actually mount any kind of sustained pressure and the first-half ended with neither really laying a glove on the other.
The second-half brought more drama as the visitors took the lead just after the hour mark via a Kelechi Iheanacho header, but it was quickly cancelled out thanks to a close range strike from Fred following a Kasper Schmeichel save to level the score.
James Maddison wheeled away in celebration with less than 10 minutes to go, but his strike was chalked off after replays showed what Andre Marriner deemed a foul in the build-up.
Mirror Football have taken a look at five talking points from what was an afternoon to forget for United.
Ronaldo’s absence sparks Fernandes headache
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United were forced to go without their iconic number seven against the Foxes as Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out of the contest with illness. "Unfortunately, he [Ronaldo] had some flu like symptoms before training yesterday so he didn't feel well enough to train,” Rangnick confirmed before kick-off.
"We then decided to send our doctor to his home this morning to check if he felt any better, which he didn't unfortunately."
The Red Devils have struggled at times without their talismanic forward but despite his absence, there was still no room for the struggling Marcus Rashford.
At times, the lack of a recognised centre-forward hurt the hosts as Bruno Fernandes was not taking up the kind of positions or making the same runs Ronaldo normally would have.
It forced United's midfield to constantly look out on the flanks for the likes of Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga as outlets. Fernandes on the other hand, struggled to get into the game due to his new role within Rangnick's new formation.
The 4-2-2-2 set-up is not one that plays to the strengths of the 27-year-old, but Rangnick is seemingly reluctant to play Rashford from the off.
Harry Maguire’s response to boo boys
Having been the subject of jeers from his own fans at international level during the week, Harry Maguire was presented with the perfect chance to silence them back in club colours.
The central defender was up against the side he left to join United in Leicester and ex-Red Devil Neville suggested before the match that the mid-week boos could act as motivation for Maguire.
“We’ve seen another Manchester United captain in Harry Maguire get booed by England fans and it will be interesting to see how United fans react today, it could be a good thing for Harry that he was booed by England fans as that ordinarily galvanises United fans into responding and sticking up for their player,” Neville claimed.
Sure enough – Maguire’s name was proudly being sung by the Old Trafford faithful for much of the game’s opening exchanges.
In truth, the United skipper had very little to do for the majority of the game such was the toothless nature of Leicester's attack. Maguire made a vital intervention early on in the second-half to thwart a promising Foxes move.
Barnes and Maddison star
The two England internationals were in fantastic form for the Foxes at Old Trafford and were always Leicester’s brightest players throughout.
Harvey Barnes had Diogo Dalot’s number from the first whistle, though the 24-year-old's only crime was not getting on the ball more often – each time he did sparked danger from a United perspective.
It was a similar story for Maddison, who gave United plenty of warnings of what was to come with some delightful crosses before the best was saved for his assist.
The ex-Norwich City talent produced the best pass of the match to tee up Iheanacho, Maddison whipping a fierce cross into the danger area that allowed the Nigerian to guide his header beyond David de Gea.
Maddison thought he'd won it late on, but his strike was ruled out following a brief VAR check due to a foul on Raphael Varane in the build-up.
Wesley Fofana’s rusty return
The promising young centre-back made his first Premier League appearance of the season after suffering a horrendous broken leg back in August during a pre-season friendly against Villarreal.
Fofana emerged as one of the most exciting defensive prospects in the league last term after a stellar debut campaign at the King Power following his move from Saint-Etienne.
Given his former side, Fofana is so often compared to William Saliba – another ex-Saint-Etienne talent who signed for Arsenal back in the summer of 2019 but is yet to make an appearance in English football.
In stark contrast, Fofana is already a fan favourite with the Foxes but endured a difficult return to top flight action at Old Trafford. The 21-year-old displayed some rust having been away from the pace of the Premier League for so long.
Fofana was forced to walk a tightrope for much of the game after being cautioned for a clumsy tackle on Anthony Elanga early on. That was swiftly followed by a careless pass that handed United their best chance of the first-half but the Frenchman was bailed out by his goalkeeper.
United's top-four prospects
Failure to pick up three points against the Foxes could prove costly depending on how the remainder of the Premier League weekend plays out.
United went into the game four points adrift off fourth having played a game more and now remain in that predicament but have now played two more games than Arsenal, who currently occupy the coveted fourth-spot.
Antonio Conte’s Spurs are at home to Newcastle on Sunday, before the Gunners travel to Crystal Palace on Monday night. Should both Spurs and Arsenal triumph, it may well spend the end of United’s hopes of Champions League qualification after dropping more points at home to Leicester.
Time is running out for Rangnick’s side to turn these draws into wins with a place in Europe’s most elite competition on the line.
