That’s your lot, then. A reminder that Jamie Jackson’s report has landed. Thanks for reading this MBM!
A not particularly cheery Brendan Rodgers speaks to Sky. “We were very good in large spells. We started well. We could have been more precise with the passing, but our positioning and movement was good. We scored what I felt was a couple of great goals, their keeper makes a great save from Wesley’s header, and we’re bitterly disappointed not to get the second goal. Varane’s used his experience. He gets contact and goes down, but that wasn’t what led to the goal. Harry has missed a challenge, their full back has missed a challenge, the ball’s come out and we’ve finished it. So they still had opportunities to finish it. And I though we were deserving of that. We’re bitterly disappointed with the decision, as we deserved to win the game.”
As for the McTominay challenge on Maddison? “We had one earlier in the season [at West Ham] when Ayoze Perez - Michael Oliver, who is the fourth official today - sent him off. The ball gets away from him and got sent off, a similar sort of one. But yeah, we got the yellow.”
Ralf Rangnick talks to Sky. “The second half was the better one. We were struggling in the first half to find our rhythm after the international break. The reaction after the goal we conceded was good. The last 15 minutes we had two or three good moments when we could have scored the winning goal but didn’t. We are not happy with the result, but overall the second half was OK. We had to decide between playing Marcus as a striker or Paul Pogba in midfield, and we decided to start with Pogba. After 60 minutes we made the change and had a third striker, a central striker, on the pitch. It is no secret that Marcus was not full of confidence in the last couple of weeks. We decided to go for Paul. Our supporters are one of the best, if not the best, in England, and Harry played well, an almost flawless game today. As long as a top-four finish is mathematically possible, it is possible. We will do our very best to finish the season on a positive note.”
As for the managerial search? “The picture for me is pretty clear. Not only now, but also a couple of weeks ago. Internally we have spoken about that already, but there is nothing else that I can say at this stage.”
There’s still some post-match patter from the managers to come. But while we wait for all that, here’s Jamie Jackson’s report, hot off the press!
James Maddison gives Sky Sports his opinion on the disallowed goal. “It’s one of them: you’ve seen them given, you’ve seen them not given. I’m obviously going to be biased, I don’t think it’s a foul. It was a great feeling for about three minutes! But as soon as you see them going over the monitor ... there’s no point them even going over any more. I’m not sure how Varane went down like that for the foul given. Even after that, we had chances on the counter, but we’ll take a point. We’re a little bit disappointed that we’re haven’t come away with three points, which tells you the story about coming to this place at the minute.”
That’s no good for Manchester United, really. They remain in sixth spot, but they’re still three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have two games in hand. United fans will be cheering on Crystal Palace against the Gunners on Monday evening ... and they’ll hope Newcastle can do them a favour on their visit to fifth-placed Tottenham tomorrow afternoon as well. Ralf Rangnick trudges off looking glum. His side need to build some momentum and quick. Strange how they only got going after Leicester’s disallowed second. The Foxes meanwhile remain in mid-table suspended animation.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 30 | 52 | 73 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 30 | 57 | 72 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 29 | 35 | 59 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 28 | 13 | 54 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 29 | 11 | 51 |
| 6 | Man Utd | 30 | 8 | 51 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton | 31 | 6 | 49 |
| 8 | West Ham | 30 | 10 | 48 |
| 9 | Leicester | 28 | -4 | 37 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 30 | 0 | 36 |
| 11 | Southampton | 30 | -9 | 36 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 29 | 1 | 34 |
| 13 | Brighton | 30 | -10 | 34 |
| 14 | Brentford | 31 | -11 | 33 |
| 15 | Newcastle | 29 | -17 | 31 |
| 16 | Leeds | 31 | -33 | 30 |
| 17 | Everton | 27 | -18 | 25 |
| 18 | Watford | 30 | -28 | 22 |
| 19 | Burnley | 28 | -18 | 21 |
| 20 | Norwich | 30 | -45 | 18 |
FULL TIME: Manchester United 1-1 Leicester City
There’s just enough time for Maguire to send a weak header straight at Schmeichel, and that’s your lot. The last half hour was a lot of fun, but United didn’t wake up until the last knockings, and they drop a couple of precious points in their quest for a top-four finish.
Updated
90 min +5: Leicester break! Justin hares down the right and should find either Dewsbury-Hall or Maddison in the middle. But he rolls a pass behind both of his team-mates. United go up the other end, Rashford bursting into the box down the inside-right. He shapes to shoot but Elanga takes the ball off his toe! Rashford goes down, and wants a penalty, but he’s never getting one, and it turns out Elanga was offside anyway.
90 min +4: For the first time this evening, it’s all United as they press forward and keep Leicester pinned back.
90 min +3: United should have their winner. Dalot curls in from the right. Amartey slips. Rashford doesn’t anticipate, but the ball drops to Sancho ... who sends a wild slice wide left from ten yards! What a let-off for Leicester.
90 min +2: ... while Daka comes on for Iheanacho. There will most likely be more than five added minutes now. Leicester took their time over those changes.
90 min +1: Mendy limps off and is replaced by Choudhury ...
90 min: There will be a minimum of five extra minutes.
89 min: Sancho crosses from the right. Leicester, suddenly hanging on a bit, hack clear. Mendy goes down with cramp. “Weird how Leicester seem to get up for playing United but then are so average against most everybody else,” writes Rick Harris. “Rodgers isn’t still after the Old Trafford gig is he?”
88 min: Rashford dribbles down the left at top speed. He nearly breaks through, clear into the box, but loses control at the last minute, the ball squirting through to Schmeichel. United have improved since the disallowed goal.
87 min: ... so having said that, United step it up a bit. Telles and Fernandes combine down the left and win a corner. Fofana does enough to clear it under intense pressure from Maguire. A winner for United’s captain would be quite the story after the week he’s had, huh?
Updated
85 min: United continue to struggle to keep hold of possession. Leicester still look the more likely.
83 min: Tielemans has a dig from distance. Easy for De Gea.
NO GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Leicester City
Yep. Brendan Rodgers isn’t happy, but Iheanacho did sweep Varane’s boot. A foul. It’s the correct decision to overturn the goal. United’s ponderous defenders breathe a sigh of relief.
Updated
81 min: Or do they? Iheanacho hooked Varane’s leg away as the pair contested the ball on the edge of the United box. VAR tells the referee to check the monitor.
GOAL! Manchester United 1-2 Leicester City (Maddison 80)
Iheanacho gets the better of Varane in a scruffy tussle on the edge of the box. He flicks to Maddison on his right. Maddison sweeps into the bottom right and Leicester retake the lead!
Updated
79 min: The Foxes continue to enjoy the lion’s share. United can’t keep hold of the ball.
77 min: Leicester have enjoyed 61 percent of possession during the last 15 minutes.But they’re close to going 2-1 down, Elanga threatening to break into the box from the left after mistakes from Dewsbury-Hall and Justin. But he can’t take the ball with him. He’d have been one on one with Schmeichel had he managed to do so.
76 min: Fernandes evades a couple of challenges down the left and skitters into the Leicester box along the byline. A magnificent dribble that has no end product. He kicks the post in frustration.
75 min: Pogba makes way for Matic.
74 min: Some more space for Maddison down the right. His low cross is poor. Leicester have responded well to conceding the equaliser so quickly.
73 min: The corner is no good. United clear their lines with ease.
72 min: A free kick for Leicester out right. Maddison curls it in. Fofana steers a header towards the top left. It’s heading in, but De Gea extends at full length and turns the ball around for a corner. What a save!
71 min: Iheanacho latches onto a poor Dalot backpass down the Leicester right. He’s clear in the box, ahead of Varane! But he faces a tight angle, and in attempting to float a chip over De Gea, clanks over the bar.
69 min: Nothing comes of the corner, but it’s fair to say that this match has finally taken flight after a dismal opening hour. A conspicuous rise in energy and effort by both sides.
68 min: Some response by United! But now Leicester come back at the hosts, winning a free kick out on the left. Maddison whips a dangerous ball towards the far stick. Maguire is forced to flick out for a corner on the right.
Updated
GOAL! Manchester United 1-1 Leicester City (Fred 66)
Schmeichel’s poor kick upfield is returned by Varane. Fred moves towards the Leicester box and lays off to Fernandes, who threads a shot towards the bottom left. Schmeichel parries, but only succeeds in teeing up Fred, who roofs the rebound from ten yards!
Updated
65 min: Evans is replaced by Amartey.
64 min: That really was the ridiculous to the sublime from Maddison. An awful corner, but then a glorious whipped ball around Pogba from the left touchline to tee up Iheanacho.
GOAL! Manchester United 0-1 Leicester City (Iheanacho 63)
Fred attempts to counter from the poor Maddison corner. Tielemans and Dewsbury-Hall combine to win the ball back. Maddison is released down the left, and this time his delivery is world class! He curls in for Iheanacho, who stoops to steer a header across De Gea and into the bottom right!
Updated
62 min: Barnes tries his best to move through the gears, dribbling with some purpose down the left and skating past Dalot. Maguire is forced to come across and blooter out for a corner. Maddison takes. Fernandes heads clear. Dismal delivery.
60 min: Dewsbury-Hall attempts to release Barnes down the left. Another awful pass flies out of play. This is a low-quality affair right now. Can anybody step up?
58 min: The corner fails to beat the first man. Leicester half clear. Pogba floats a pass forward to nobody in particular. The ball sails apologetically out for a goal kick.
57 min: Pogba launches long for Rashford down the right. Rashford, full of energy, wins a corner. Telles to take.
55 min: McTominay, who is one mistimed tackle away from dismissal, is replaced by Rashford. Huge cheers as Rashford takes to the field.
54 min: Dalot zips past Barnes down the right and stands one up for Fernandes, who can’t get any meat on his header.
53 min: Maguire takes up possession and is given pelters by the Leicester fans. He then turns Iheanacho and the skill is celebrated by the home faithful. Every month is panto season in the Premier League.
51 min: The most important thing: Maddison is fine to continue.
50 min: VAR has a check and there’s not enough to overturn the decision. Had the referee shown red, VAR would have probably stuck with that as well. One of those. You’ve seen them given, but yellow seems about right. Just.
Updated
49 min: McTominay miscontrols and lunges after the loose ball. He catches Maddison, studs up on the foot. It’s just a yellow, though Leicester swarm the referee demanding a red card.
Updated
48 min: Maguire and Pogba combine to clear the corner.
47 min: Tielemans plays a cute pass down the inside right for Justin, who enters the box. He can’t find Iheanacho in the middle but forces a corner. Maddison to take.
46 min: A bit of space for Sancho down the left. He dinks a ball towards the near post. Schmeichel gathers under pressure from Fernandes, who had come in from the other flank.
United get the ball rolling for the second half. They’re kicking towards the Stretford End now, which is exactly how they like it. They’ve made one change, swapping out the injured Shaw for Telles. Leicester are as they were.
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HALF TIME: Manchester United 0-0 Leicester City
Neither team will be particularly happy with that. A few boos as the teams trudge off down the tunnel. The message: must do better.
45 min +2: United stroke it around to little effect. Both teams appear to be waiting for the half-time whistle, and the opportunity to regroup and reassess.
45 min +1: Fred releases Fernandes down the left. The flag goes up for offside.
45 min: Nope. United work the corner back to Dalot, who floats a poor pass forward in the vague environs of Sancho. Goal kick. There will be three additional first-half minutes.
44 min: Shaw’s cross from the left is deflected out for a corner. Leicester have the worst record at defending these things in the entire division; they’ve already conceded a dozen goals from corners this season. Lucky 13 coming up for United?
43 min: Iheanacho romps down the middle. He should probably take a dig, but plays a poor pass wide left for Barnes instead. That’s the end of that. Then Pogba does pretty much the same thing up the other end, refusing to shoot and instead failing to release Fred. It’s not been the highest quality half of football.
41 min: Shaw continues. Meanwhile the free kick is sent down the left for Barnes, who is stylishly robbed by Fernandes hook tackle. United clear their lines.
40 min: It looks as though Shaw can’t continue ... or can he? United prepare to sub him off for Telles, but then he pulls his right boot back on and springs up again. He walks to the touchline and prepares to come back on.
38 min: Dewsbury-Hall tears down the left but has no options in the middle. He checks back and lays off to Mendy, who is unceremoniously brought down by Pogba. Free kick, but before it can be taken, Shaw requires some treatment.
36 min: Maddison is awarded far too much time by Fred out on the right. Eventually he curls into the box. Barnes meets the dropping ball on the volley, getting in ahead of Dalot. The shot’s deflected out for a corner, but United get the goal kick. That would have been a picture-book goal, if a shoddily defended one.
34 min: “Manchester United are toothless and pathetically slow.” Sky co-commentator Gary Neville is not amused. He wants Marcus Rashford on now, if not sooner.
33 min: Dewsbury-Hall, Castagne and Barnes combine down the left. Dewsbury-Hall has the opportunity to deliver a cross, but hesitates and the chance is gone. Neither team are exactly purring.
31 min: Iheanacho has the ball at his feet on the edge of the United box, Leicester having worked it well down the right. He can’t dig it out quickly, though, and eventually clips a dismal effort well wide left.
30 min: Tielemans is booked for a clip on Fernandes, whose graceful collapse made it look more than the garden variety foul it was.
29 min: Corner for Leicester on the right. Maddison hoicks it into the box. United clear easily enough.
27 min: Fofana’s loose ball in the midfield is jumped on by Fred, who slips Fernandes away down the middle. He’s one on one with Schmeichel! He opens his body and aims for the bottom right. Schmeichel sticks out a leg, star-jumping like his old man, and kicks clear. Fine save, though he should never have been allowed to make it. Huge chance.
26 min: Schmeichel dithers a little over a clearance and is this close to being closed down by Fernandes.
24 min: Sancho drops a shoulder to skate past Justin on the left, and crosses well, but there’s nobody in the middle for United. Evans clears.
22 min: Shaw crosses from the left. Pogba sends a soft header straight at Schmeichel from 12 yards.
21 min: Barnes and Dewsbury-Hall nearly open United up with a crisp one-two down the left, but Maguire reads the danger well, and intercepts to a warm ovation.
19 min: After a fairly shaky start, United are beginning to settle. They’re seeing a lot more of the ball now. A long pass down the middle is headed back by Justin to his own keeper, decent defending under pressure from Sancho on his shoulder.
17 min: Fernandes curls the free kick to the far post. If Maguire was eight feet tall, he’d be heading home from close range. As it is, it’s a goal kick.
16 min: Elanga dribbles at speed down the left, zipping past Justin and making for the box. Just before he reaches it, Fofana sticks out a cynical leg and takes a yellow for the team. Free kick to United, just to the side of the penalty box.
14 min: Sancho’s persistence wins a corner down the left. Shaw takes. The ball’s worked to the other flank for Elanga, whose teasing cross confuses Schmeichel and nearly finds McTominay, six yards out. Castagne heads over his own bar, just in time. The second corner comes to nought.
12 min: Barnes now nutmegs a defender and bobbles another shot wide left. No end product yet, but he looks in the mood.
11 min: Barnes is sensational in full flow. He dribbles down the middle then holds onto the ball despite being surrounded, as he waits for Iheanacho to come back from an offside position. Lovely skill, and a calm head. He then one-twos with the striker before dragging a low shot wide left.
9 min: Fred drops deep to influence play from the quarterback position. He pings long, hoping to spring Elanga clear. The ball loops off a mint shirt and away from the United striker. For a nanosecond, Leicester looked wide open.
7 min: McTominay barges through a couple of half-baked challenges down the United right, and looks for Sancho on the other flank. He pings his pass only for Sancho to slip. The ball sails into the crowd. Nothing quite sticking for United yet.
6 min: Maddison’s delivery is no good. This is a confident start by the visitors.
5 min: Justin drops a shoulder to skate past Shaw down the right. Shaw slides in ludicrously late and clatters his man. He goes in the book, and has the brazen cheek to argue the toss with the referee. Another free kick for Leicester, who load the box again.
Updated
4 min: Fernandes tries to release Pogba into the box with a pass down the inside-right channel. It’s an inviting ball, but Pogba doesn’t read the intention and stops running. Goal kick, and a let-off for Leicester.
3 min: Maguire is of course also getting pantomime pelters from the Leicester fans. One way or another, he’s the star attraction tonight for sure.
2 min: Dalot and McTominay perform a clumsy pincer movement on Barnes, and it’s a free kick for Leicester out on the left. Maddison swings it in. The ball twangs off Barnes’ back and over the bar. Not too far over, mind. So close to a dramatic start.
1 min: Leicester are kicking towards the Stretford End in this first half. Meanwhile for the record, the United fans stand four-square behind their beleaguered captain, serenading him with their La Bamba song.
Leicester get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes a knee. Warm applause greets the gesture. There’s no room for racism.
The teams are out! Manchester United wear their storied red, while Leicester opt for second-choice mint. No need for it, seeing they play in royal blue, but to be fair it is a lovely shirt. This is the one, honks Ian Brown of the Stone Roses. We’ll be off in a minute or two!
Ralf Rangnick speaks to Sky. “Unfortunately Cristiano Ronaldo had some flu-like symptoms. He’s not been able to play. We play our normal formation with Bruno as a striker and sometimes maybe as a midfielder.” As for Harry Maguire, booed by England fans earlier this week, but today given a warm reception when getting off the bus by the United faithful? “He’s the team captain and has been doing well for this club and for the national team, and I’m pretty sure exactly that would happen after what happened at Wembley.”
Updated
Brendan Rodgers welcomes back Wesley Fofana and Jonny Evans, telling Sky Sports: “They’re two top players, so it’s great for us. They’re obviously not fully fit but the only way to get them up to some sort of level is playing them in the games. It’s great to have both of them back. That position in any team is critical. It doesn’t matter what you do going forward, if you don’t have two centre halves to stabilise the team, it can be very difficult. These two are top-class performers. Hopefully they can stay fit.”
One of United’s rivals for a top-four slot have dropped points this afternoon. Chelsea took the lead at home to Brentford, only to almost immediately capitulate to an eye-opening 4-1 defeat. On the flip side, Wolves won 2-1 at home against Aston Villa, and are now breathing down United’s neck.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Liverpool | 30 | 57 | 72 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 29 | 35 | 59 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 28 | 13 | 54 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 29 | 11 | 51 |
| 6 | Man Utd | 29 | 8 | 50 |
| 7 | Wolverhampton | 31 | 6 | 49 |
Cristiano Ronaldo is unwell. That’s the big news for Manchester United. Their hat-trick hero against Tottenham Hotspur is one of three changes from that match three weeks ago. Alex Telles and Nemanja Matic drop to the bench, with Anthony Elanga, Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay stepping up.
Leicester City welcome back Wesley Fofana and former United centre-back Jonny Evans. Caglar Soyuncu and Daniel Amartey drop to the bench as a result.
The teams
Manchester United: de Gea, Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, Elanga, Pogba, Sancho, Fernandes.
Subs: Lindelof, Jones, Mata, Rashford, Lingard, Henderson, Telles, Wan-Bissaka, Matic.
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Justin, Evans, Fofana, Castagne, Tielemans, Mendy, Maddison, Dewsbury-Hall, Barnes, Iheanacho.
Subs: Soyuncu, Albrighton, Perez, Amartey, Choudhury, Pereira, Daka, Jakupovic, Lookman.
Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands).
Preamble
Manchester United’s hopes of Champions League qualification aren’t yet hanging by a thread ... but the rope looks a bit frayed and might not hold for too much longer. And so, with fourth-placed Arsenal and fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur yet to play this weekend, sixth-placed United could do with a win tonight to put some scoreboard pressure on their rivals for that precious top-four slot.
Whether or not Leicester are the best opponents for them to be facing is moot. On the one hand, the Foxes have been a disappointing mid-table irrelevance for most of the season. On the other, much of that can be put down to a wretched injury list, and as some of their big misses return, form and confidence is slowly being rebuilt. Also, United’s recent performances have ranged between patchy and poor, Cristiano Ronaldo’s one-man resistance against Tottenham Hotspur a rare highlight during a run in which Ralf Rangnick’s men have only won three of their last ten.
Leicester also have the beating of United right now. They won 3-1 en route to their first FA Cup last year, and have since won 2-1 at Old Trafford and 4-2 this season at the King Power. Four in a row would be unprecedented behaviour. Can they do a number on United yet again? Or will the unpredictable hosts bounce back from Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid and set about salvaging their season? Kick off is at 5.30pm BST. It’s on!
