Key events
Ben Fisher’s match report is here, so I’m going to sign off. Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight!
“As a United fan,” says Liz White, “I’m fine with a spell of boring competence to be honest.”
Post-match reaction
Christian Eriksen
It hasn’t been beautiful for 90 minutes but we have three wins. We want to do better but it’s a good start. It was similar to Southampton – we have to kill the game earlier, otherwise it will be tight at the end. The games keep coming – Thursday/Sunday until after the World Cup.
Jadon Sancho
It was a great team goal, I’m just glad we got the three points. I’m getting more comfortable. It was good to get to know the team in pre-season – I missed it last year – and we worked on a few things.
It was a forgettable game, settled by a classy goal from Jadon Sancho. It’s far too soon to say that United are back, but Erik ten Hag will be happy with back-to-back clean sheets away from home. The last time that happened in the league was in March 2021. Casemiro was good when he came on, and the new centre-back pairing of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane were again impressive.
Leicester played well enough in the middle of the pitch but lacked belief in the final third. They need a win asap.
Full time: Leicester 0-1 Man Utd
Peep peep! Manchester United move up to fifth after their third consecutive victory.
90+3 min: Great chance for Leicester! A long ball forward is touched on deftly by Daka towards Justin, in space to his right. He has a touch but then shoots high and wide from the edge of the area. That was Leicester’s best chance of the game.
90+2 min After a good move from Leicester, Maddison shoots over from 20 yards with his left foot. He made space nicely, moving away from Casemiro, but then lifted his shot over the top.
90 min Four minutes of added time.
89 min United’s control of the game has been much greater since Casemiro came on. Fernandes moves down the right and hammers a cross that hits the stretching Iheanacho and flies just over the bar.
87 min: Man Utd substitution Fred for Marcus Rashford.
87 min: Leicester substitution Patson Daka replaces Jamie Vardy.
87 min Vardy is booked for dissent after being penalised, probably harshly, for a tackle on Malacia.
86 min This is a better spell for United, who have spent most of the last few minutes in the Leicester half.
84 min Fernandes slides a through ball down the inside-right channel towards Ronaldo, who hammers a low cross/shot that evades Eriksen in the middle. Ronaldo looks sharp tonight.
83 min Dewsbury-Hall has a long-range shot blocked by Martinez. United break and Dalot stands up a cross towards Ronaldo beyond the far post. He launches into a scissor kick that goes into the ground before bouncing over Ward and a few yards wide.
82 min Fernandes nutmegs Thomas and pings a pass out to Rashford on the left. He plays in Ronaldo, who tries to give Eriksen an open goal with a low first-time cross. It’s cut out superbly by a sliding defender, Ndidi I think. United win the ball back and Rashford mishits a left-footed shot wide from around 15 yards.
81 min Nothing is happening. It’s been a strangely bloodless game.
78 min Thomas does well to stop Dalot’s low pass/cross finding its way through to Eriksen in the area.
76 min Casemiro has played well, bringing a bit of calmness and authority to the United midfield. He gets on the ball a helluva lot. Meanwhile, Leicester are bringing on Kelechi Iheanacho for Youri Tielemans; that should mean a switch to a 4-4-2.
73 min A dangerous throuh ball from Fernandes towards Dalot is well cut out by Evans. A stat on BT Sport shows that Leicester have had only seven touches in the United area all night.
71 min Barnes runs Dalot in the area and tries to cross into the six-yard box. Dalot slides in to block, with the ball ricocheting off Barnes and out for a goalkick. Varane and Martinez are straight over to congratulate Dalot, which is either the sign of an improved team spirit or a slightly disdroportionate reaction to winning a goalkick.
70 min This has been an exceedingly forgettable game.
68 min: United substitution Cristiano Ronaldo replaces Jadon Sancho, who scored a good goal but was otherwise pretty quiet. Marcus Rashford will move to the left wing.
67 min Maddison’s free-kick thumps into the wall.
65 min McTominay puts hands on Maddison on the edge of the D, a dangerous free-kick to concede. This is a chance for Leicester.
64 min Barnes turns Dalot neatly and slides the ball into Vardy, whose return pass falls short. United are asking for trouble with their passive second-half performance.
62 min Leicester continue to dominate possession, though Casemiro has already made two or three decent interceptions.
59 min: United substitution Casemiro replaces Anthony Elanga. That means Eriksen will move to No10 and Fernandes to the right wing.
58 min Vardy reverses a good return pass to Maddison, who can’t take it in his stride on the edge of the area. Martinez clears.
57 min Casemiro is getting ready to come on.
