Manchester United produced their best performance of the season in their Carabao Cup round of 16 tie against Leicester City on Wednesday 30 October, giving Ruud van Nistelrooy a dream opportunity to start on a temporary basis. Braces from Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes and a fine goal from Alejandro Garnacho gave the Red Devils a comfortable 5-2 win over the Foxes at Old Trafford.
On Monday (28 October), Manchester United announced that Erik ten Hag had left the club and that Nistelrooy would take over as caretaker manager until a permanent manager is appointed. Ruben Amorim is United’s candidate of choice and the club are working to complete the deal as quickly as possible.
Although it may be on borrowed time, Nistelrooy must make the most of the opportunity to prove his worth as a first-team manager. On Wednesday, he got off to a solid start as United dismantled Leicester City.
Manchester United’s ruthless display against Leicester City
It was a quick start for the Mancunian thanks to a great effort from Casemiro. The defensive midfielder looked, got into position and found the top right corner from about 30 yards out. In the 28th minute, Garnacho applied a cool finish at the far post to send Diogo Dalot’s low cross into the back of the net.
Five minutes after United’s second goal, Leicester City went one goal back when Bilal El Cannus punished an unconvincing clearance from goalkeeper Altay Bindir. However, unlike many times before, Manchester United did not collapse under pressure. They responded in the best way possible. Captain Bruno Fernandez took the lead by converting a free kick in the 33rd minute and scoring.
Three minutes later, Casemiro found the goal with his first header, and the rebounded ball caused a commotion inside the penalty box. Leicester disappointingly failed to clear the ball, allowing the Brazil international to swat the ball home in empty space.
Leicester City won 4-2 in the 3rd minute of injury time in the first half, thanks to Connor Cody’s opportunistic close-range shot.
Manchester United came back in the second half looking for a fifth goal and were rewarded in the 59th minute. Fernandes made the difference again when he cleverly collected an underhit back pass from Memeh Caleb Okoli and sent it past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Manchester United could have added more to their tally if the efforts of Amad Diallo (65′) and Fernandes (83′) had been more fortunate.
What’s next for Manchester United?
Manchester United will look to continue their form in the Premier League after securing a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a resounding win over Leicester City. They are scheduled to return to action against Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea this Sunday (November 3).
A win is very important for the Red Devils, who are 14th in the Premier League standings. Meanwhile, Chelsea is trying to return to victory after losing 2-0 to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup round of 16.
