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Meanwhile Ben Fisher has filed his match report from the King Power, so that’s my cue to go and do today’s Wordle. Thanks for your company, correspondence and lucid laments about Leicester.
Bruno is asked about the criticism he has faced. “I know you mean Roy Keane,” he says. “Huge respect for him, he was one of the best captains here, he won everything… I try to be an example in everything I do. Not everyone will like [it], and I respect everyone’s opinion. I accept there is a lot of margin for improvement in my game, even in my life.”
Take that, Keano.
And here’s Bruno. “Obviously very pleased,” he says. “Important to get the job done, we had to be at our best level. First half, we lost too many balls, but in the second half we were much better, getting control of the game and getting the goals.”
Does he feel the team are improving?” Yeah I think we can feel that…. Against Arsenal we were a little more deep as they didn’t have much upfront in terms of pace… Against Sociedad, we played very well on the ball, we were very brave… You can see some progress but this progress needs to go on and on.”
A reality check for United fans. They’ve won only ten league games all season, and five of those have come against the promoted clubs.
Leicester remain 19th, but their goal difference is now even more of a problem. It’s minus 38, four worse than Ipswich, who are also on 17 points. Wolves have a nine-point cushion, which should be enough.
United, meanwhile, have broken free from the David Moyes Appreciation Society. Before the game they were level with Everton and West Ham (and Spurs) on 34 points. Now they have 37, so they are 13th, two points behind Crystal Palace, who have a game in hand. With Bournemouth on the slide, United can even dream of finishing in the top half.
This has been arguably the best week of Ruben Amorim’s time at United. Its only rival is the week in December when they won at Viktoria Plzen and then at Man City. But Man City weren’t much good then …
Ruud van Nistelrooy, dignified as ever, exchanges hugs with the men he was in charge of five months ago. Then he and the Leicester players leave the stage to their visitors, who are duly serenaded by their jubilant fans. Sunday evening in the East Midlands? No problem.
Alas, poor Leicester. They are the first top-flight team ever to go seven home games without a goal. And it means they will surely not be a top-flight team for much longer.
Man United rocket up to 13th!
Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho (right) and Rasmus Hojlund finally break their scoring drought at the cost of the Foxes. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
90+8 min Leicester win a corner, then another. They’ve been the better team for the past five minutes.
90+7 min Big chance for Vardy! He hits it hard but too close to Onana, who bats it away.
90+5 min Leicester have a shot on target! It’s only their second, drilled in by Harry Winks, gathered in by Onana.
90+3 min With eight minutes added on, Ruud sends on Jordan Ayew. Which shows that I miscounted the subs earlier – sorry.
90+1 min Fernandes finished serenely from the edge of the box, but it was a goal cooked up by Casemiro. He sent a gorgeous switch from the halfway line to the right wing, where Dalot beat his man and took a moment to survey his options. His cutback picked out Fernandes, who added yet another goal involvement to his collection.
Well, there was a late goal coming …
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes celebrates scoring their side’s third goal of the game. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
88 min Zirkzee sends a header forward which doesn’t quite find Obi. United seem comfortable enough, but Leicester owe them a last-gasp shock.
85 min Before the subs, there was a minor fracas on the United left as Faes pulled Zirkzee’s shirt. A battle of two fine hairstyles. A minute later, they clash in the air and Zirkzee is left nursing a sore something.
80 min As Ruud plays his last two cards, bringing on McAteer and Mavididi, Amorim replaces Hojlund with Chido Obi. So Harry Amass, 18 today, is no longer the youngest member of this XI.
78 min Correction: Harry Amass is 18 today. If you have to go to work on the day you become an adult, this is the way to do it.
77 min A yellow card for Ndidi, for slamming into De Ligt, who is limping but OK to continue.
76 min Big chance for Leicester! Vardy is free down the left. He does everything right, drawing a defender to him and then squaring for Buonanotte … whose shot is on target but blocked by De Ligt. Nothing is going right for poor old Leicester.
74 min This lament came in before the second goal. “Yes I am a Leicester fan,” said Graham Randall, answering my question from the 36th minute. “This team might also be the dumbest we have for years. I really don’t understand what they do in training. Three left-backs, two defensive midfielders. No wonder we can’t score a goal. The sad thing is this might be the best performance in weeks.”
72 min Amass races down the left and hits his first senior cross, with an easy fluency reminiscent of Luke Shaw.
71 min The men going off were Eriksen, Ugarte and Garnacho, so Collyer must be moving further forward.
70 min Amorim responds to the rare luxury of a 2-0 lead by handing out a debut. On comes Harry Amass, the 17-year-old left-back who shone in pre-season and then had a long wait for this moment. Also on: Zirkzee and Casemiro.
Garnacho did well to spin and shoot, just inside the near post. He had received a simple forward pass from Fernandes, who else. And another long drought is over.
He gets there in the end.
Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho (right) celebrates with team-mates after scoring their side’s second goal of the game. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
65 min Ruud sends on some subs: Winks and Buonanotte for Soumaré and Daka, who was Leicester’s best hope in the first half.
64 min Vardy almost breaks through again, but De Ligt gets his considerable frame in the way.
61 min Eriksen wins a corner with a blocked shot, takes it, finds a United head … The ball comes out to Garnacho, whose shot is well controlled, but well held by Hermansen.
60 min As the hourglass flips over, El Khannouss plays a little through ball and Daka thinks he’s impeded by Mazraoui. The officials do not agree.
59 min Garnacho had just had time to sit on a hoarding with Hojlund before their little party was pooped.
Hojlund finds Garnacho, who jinks inside and finds the net with his left foot … but he’s offside.
56 min Eriksen gets a shot away, not half as good as the curler that hit the post.
55 min Soumaré powers forward and Collyer does well to head clear as Vardy loiters with intent.
54 min Ruben Amorim, down on his haunches, has his head in his hands.
53 min Collyer’s first contribution is an underhit back pass to Onana. Vardy chases it and forces a slice into touch.
Poor Heaven is going off on the stretcher, to sympathetic applause. It looks as if Mazraoui is going into the back three, where he often appears anyway, with Collyer filling in at right wing-back.
United don’t have a centre-back on the bench. They could bring on Casemiro, who has played there a few times, but it looks as if Amorim has opted for another midfielder, Toby Collyer.
48 min Vardy sneaks into the area. He could shoot but chooses to square for Daka, who is squeezed out by Heaven – but in the process, United’s precocious teenager goes down in agony. A stretcher is going round to him, and you just hope it’s not as bad as it looks.
Manchester United’s Ayden Heaven goes down injured. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
46 min Leicester keep the ball for the first minute. Ndidi gets away down the right but can’t find a team-mate with his cross.
Apparently, this guy is a United fan.
Someone at Sky has worked out that Hojlund went 22 hours, 14 minutes without a goal in all competitions. Will it be a case of London buses, or will Leicester be inspired to break their own fast?
“I’m following this game via your MBM,” says Hasan, “but it’s one of those rare occasions where I wish I were watching it in a pub – that way, if I heard someone question whether Leicester could equalise, I could chime in with a ‘Heaven forbid.’ Or am I already too late to the party with that kind of banter?” The party is going to last a long time. And everyone is there.
Hojlund’s goal is the difference between the sides, and it’s not often that has been said in the Premier League this season. United deserve their lead but Leicester do seem to be warming to the task.
45 min Just a minute to be added on.
43 min Leicester are getting closer. Daka has two shots in quick succession, one of them blocked by a slide from the ubiquitous Heaven.
40 min Heaven goes on a run from the back, slips past a couple of blue shirts and wins a free kick. He’s been so impressive.
Eriksen chips the free kick into the mix and a half-chance falls to Fernandes, who balloons it.
38 min Leicester’s best moment for half an hour, as some crisp passes culminate in a cross from the left by Kristiansen. Ndidi is waiting for it, but Ugarte goes with him and makes a vital clearance.
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