📰 Table Of Contents
Result
Manchester United failed to make good on their home advantage at Old Trafford this evening as the Red Devils fought to a frustrating 1-1 draw with visiting Leicester City, with the result seeing Ralf Rangnick’s men three points adrift of fourth in the Premier League with two more matches played than Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Manchester United have one win in their last four Premier League games ⛔️
They’re three points out of fourth place and Arsenal have two games in hand pic.twitter.com/gCNnqf7Vwc
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 2, 2022
United have now dropped seven points in their last four Premier League fixtures (1-2-1) and have potentially really fallen out of step in the race for Champions League football, with the presence of star man Cristiano Ronaldo being sorely missed on an evening where three points was the assignment. And it could have been worse as well for United if not for James Maddison’s second-half strike being pulled back for a foul on the part of Kelechi Iheanacho in the build-up to the goal. Nevertheless, as it stands, the situation remains below expectations at the Theatre of Dreams, but it is certainly a result the Foxes will take if not feeling a little hard done by that they did not come away with the full three-point haul.
Manchester United Player Ratings
David de Gea (6.5)| Nothing spectacular from David de Gea but at least he cannot be held to account for Leicester’s goal. He was okay overall.
Diogo Dalot (6.5)| Similar to de Gea. He was okay but hardly did much to truly stand out above anyone else on the day. But a decent performance nonetheless.
Raphaël Varane (6.5)| Certainly has not been the center-back bulwark that many would have hoped but he was nothing more than okay overall like most of the United team.
Luke Shaw (6.5)| Had a decent outing at Old Trafford before pulling up injured in the first-half, and was taken off during the interval. Despite being booked, he was not an issue.
Scott McTominay (6)| A topsy-turvy performance for the Scotsman. Did so well to win back the ball and try to drive play but his final ball was woeful. Lucky to not be sent off as well.
Fred (7.5)| Probably United’s best player on the pitch this evening and capped off his all-around performance with the match-leveler after Bruno Fernandes had his shot turned away.
Jadon Sancho (6)| Lively at times but offered little overall in the way of creative nuance or in his ability to be a goal threat.
Anthony Elanga (6)| Arguably a very similar if not identical performance from the young Swede when compared to what Sancho managed to muster.
Paul Pogba (6)| Not really a brilliant afternoon for the mercurial Frenchman through no fault of his own. Tasked unfamiliarly in the first-half of proceedings and it showed.
Bruno Fernandes (7)| Considering he was utilized as a center-forward on the day with Cristiano Ronaldo absent through illness, he performed admirably throughout.
Alex Telles (6; came on at half-time)| Didn’t offer anything different to Luke Shaw after coming on for the England man at half-time.
Marcus Rashford (6; came on at 55-minutes)| Another sub-par outing from a player that was meant to shine. Fernandes being selected over him was telling.
Nemanja Matić (6; came on at 75-minutes)| A peculiar choice to replace Paul Pogba given United needed to go out and win at home. Offered little in that push.
Leicester City Player Ratings
Kasper Schmeichel (6.5)| It can be argued that the Danish international had a better time of it overall than de Gea perhaps, but apart from a few more saves, he was okay as well.
James Justin (6.5)| A fairly decent showing from the right-back this evening and went about his job well enough.
Wesley Fofana (6.5)| A sight for sore eyes to be back competing in the Leicester City XI, and put in a fairly decent shift throughout.
Jonny Evans (7)| A good performance from the Northern Ireland international in what was his first start since December. Taken off early no doubt due to fitness building.
Timothy Castagne (7)| The Belgian international had a solid performance for Brendan Rodgers and could be key during the run-in.
Nampalys Mendy (6.5)| Decent from the Senegalese midfielder in a deputy role in place of the injured Wilfred Ndidi, but still never enough to truly fill the void.
Youri Tielemans (6.5)| Not his most influential outing in the center of the park for the Foxes but leading the club in tackles helped his level of contribution.
Kieran Dewsbury-Hall (7)| Was instrumental in Leicester’s goal after he tracked back and won the ball before playing it to Maddison. An overall strong outing from him.
James Maddison (7.5)| He will be kicking himself that his potential matchwinner did not stand for a foul before the goal, but his assist was sublime. Very good on the night.
Harvey Barnes (7)| Failed to score but he was the main threat in the final third after registering 6-shots on the night. Warming up to a level Leicester need from him.
Kelechi Iheanacho (7)| Was a real threat on the evening and did well to find the back of the net for the match opener after Maddison whipped in a delicious ball.
Daniel Amartey (6; came on at 64-minutes)| Was okay after coming on for Jonny Evans and probably cannot be held to the fire for not doing more overall.
Hamza Choudhury (N/A; came on at 90-minutes)| Came on in stoppage time for the injured Nampalys Mendy and did little in that handful of minutes.
Patson Daka (N/A; came on at 90-minutes)| The Zambian international will be frustrated to not get more time, and unfortunately, did little with what he did receive.
What they said
Ralf Rangnick
🗣 “We struggled in the first-half…”
Ralf Rangnick shares his thoughts on Man Utd’s draw with Leicester City and #MUFC‘s hopes of finishing in the top four this season 👇 pic.twitter.com/gNUHtUa0gu
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 2, 2022
Brendan Rodgers
🗣 “It works okay for Manchester City.” 😅
Brendan Rodgers’ thoughts on facing Manchester United’s system without a striker pic.twitter.com/JRP8LmgK0E
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 2, 2022
What you may have missed
Should Scott McTominay have received his marching orders for this tackle on James Maddison early in the second-half?
Yes, McTominay should have been sent off for a studs up challenge on Maddison pic.twitter.com/ELaVDHyvSm
— Has the Referee or VAR made a poor decision? (@PoorEPLreferees) April 2, 2022
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