Manchester United had a huge boost in midweek as their most impressive performance under Ruben Amorim saw them cruise into the Europa League last 8 by beating Real Sociedad at Old Trafford in front of their own fans. With a few contentious decisions either way, it was the mix of scoring, physical battles and determination from the entire squad that earnt the respect and admiration of the United faithful. As a result, they headed into the final game before the international break with a chance to add to this momentum. They travelled to Leicester on Sunday evening to round off the domestic games for the month and having already beaten Leicester 3 times this season, this was a big opportunity to capitalise while some of the others in the bottom half had dropped points this weekend.

The game itself had to follow a pretty exciting Carabao Cup final as the Sunday evening clash rounded off the weekend of football and the last domestic action before the international break. With another fantastic away following, the momentum from Thursday’s win come through to the King Power, and although the players didn’t need to be quite at their top level, their attacking play and defensive solidity despite the injuries led to a dominant 3-0 win which saw Hojlund and Garnacho end their goal droughts, and Bruno Fernandes continued to be a leader of the side in this upturn of form.

The result doesn’t lift United out of the bottom half yet, however the 3 points helps United to overtake Tottenham and move into a sky-high 13th place. With 7 points still to overturn to reach the top 10, the league form has improved but United have a tricky run of games post international break, so Amorim will be hoping for a clean bill of health from those departing, and those on the injury table to possibly get back to fitness for the final push and Europa League ambition.

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Teams

United’s injury woes continued to plague Amorim’s selections as he went with the majority of experienced players fit and ready to go, while supplementing the gaps with the youth of Heaven. There were some surprising changes in the XI as Casemiro and Zirkzee were benched due to playing a lot of football in recent weeks, and Amorim called on both later in the game to replace the returning Ugarte and the aging Eriksen. The only other experienced player to make the bench was a returning Mason Mount, who didn’t feature as he will be likely managed by Amorim who has praised the player in the build up. The rest of the bench was made up of youngsters, including Amass who made his first senior appearance on the bench, Chido-Obi who came on for another late cameo and Toby Collyer who is becoming more of an experienced option and was called upon after Heaven’s injury early into the second half.

Overall the setup was mainly as expected, with Amorim having to use whatever experience is at his disposal. The rotation of certain players also meant that Ugarte got a start for the first time since his knock against Fulham. There was also a change to the front 3 as Eriksen came in for the impressive Zirkzee who has shone in recent weeks as he finds his feet at United.

For Leicester City, their hunt for not only points but a goal at home meant they knew they would have to find a counter attack at points and went for club hero Jamie Vardy leading the line in a 3-4-2-1 which often played as a back 5. With El Khannouss and Daka offering support to Vardy, there was a determination to create some chances, but an understanding they would have to work primarily on the counter against the more dominant United.

Leicester City: Hermansen, Thomas, Coady, Faes, Kristiansen (Mavididi 82′), Soumare (Winks 64′), Ndidi, Justin (McAteer 82′), El Khannouss (Ayew 90′), Daka (Buonanotte 64′), Vardy

Subs: Stolarczyk, Okoli, Coulibaly, Reid

Manchester United: Onana, Heaven (Collyer 51′), Lindelof, De Ligt, Dalot, Ugarte (Casemiro 69′), Fernandes, Mazraoui, Eriksen (Amass 69′), Garnacho (Zirkzee 69′), Hojlund (Obi-Martin 85′)

Subs: Mee, Harrison, Fredricson, Mount

Leicester City 0-3 Manchester United

The match saw Rasmus Hojlund break his 21 game goal drought, opening the scoring in the 28th minute with a well-placed shot, assisted by Bruno Fernandes. The relief felt from both Hojlund, his teammates and the travelling fans was clearly shown as Hojlund started quickly and posed an instant threat for United with a more physical and energetic showing.

In the second half, Alejandro Garnacho doubled United’s lead in the 67th minute, 10 minutes after his first finish had been ruled out for offside, marking his first goal in 25 games. Bruno Fernandes, who delivered a standout performance, sealed the win with a goal in the 90th minute, capping off a dominant display by the visitors.

The match was marred by a concerning injury to Manchester United’s 18-year-old defender, Ayden Heaven, who was stretchered off after a severe injury, casting a shadow over the team’s victory. While reports are yet to suggest the seriousness of Heaven’s injury, the reports came that the player walked away from the King Power in a protective boot, suggesting there might not be as much long-term concern as initially thought.

Leicester City’s struggles continue as they suffered their seventh consecutive home defeat without scoring, setting an unwanted Premier League record. This loss leaves them nine points adrift of safety, intensifying their relegation concerns. Meanwhile this win extended Manchester United’s unbeaten run to seven matches, reflecting a resurgence under coach Ruben Amorim. The team now looks ahead to their next fixture post international break, against Nottingham Forest, aiming to maintain their positive momentum.

Talking Points

The first major talking point of this game was surely Hojlund who ended the growing goal drought, a much unwanted 21 game run without hitting the back of the net. With growing frustrations from the fans and from the player himself who seemed short on confidence in many big moments over recent weeks, the relief felt from all aspects of the club are a huge boost for United as they head into the international break, and will be hopeful that with limited attacking options, Hojlund’s first finish of 2025 can lead to many more before the season is done. In the post game breakdown, Hojlund spoke candidly of his own struggled leading the line for United, but with the improved service, higher physical and energetic play from the Danish forward and a boost in morale, he will surely be ready to go in United’s next outing.

The game wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows however, as Ayden Heaven added another name to United’s injury woes, at the worst possible time for the youngster who was beginning to find his feet as he makes the big jump to senior football to fill in a necessary role in United’s back 3. With a strong start to the game, Heaven was strong in making a challenge, made a few key interceptions and although he showed a bit of inexperience in his passing, his chest banging determination was a strong positive for Amorim and United in recent weeks, but the injury will be another set back for the club as there will likely be another makeshift back line unless the international break can offer some welcome returns.

With Heaven being added onto the injury list it did open up another opportunity to get some younger talents into the senior setup once again, as Heaven had settled nicely into the squad, Collyer who is now a recognised senior player in the squad came in as a replacement wing-back to re-jig the defence, and we later saw a senior debut for Harry Amass at left wing back who was another youngster keen to impress amid the lacking squad depth. Along with a cameo for Chido Obi-Martin, United’s future looks to be in capable hands with the progressions being made from the youth sides into the first team.

Finally, Bruno Fernandes continued his incredible influence and positivity in performance with another key role in United’s win. While there hasn’t been much to cheer from the United perspective, Bruno Fernandes’ recent run of form is capable of matching any player in World football, as he added 1 goal and 2 assists to the recent run, bringing his contributions to 7 goals and 3 assists in United’s 7 game unbeaten streak. While he and the squad may still have to convince some of the former club legends, the fanbase are certainly enjoying this run and seeing some huge improvements week by week which will be crucial for the remaining 2 months of action which sees United pushing for Europa League success and a tricky run of league games to try and secure a top half finish.