Manchester United 3-0 Leicester City: Rashford and Sancho show too much for Foxes

Manchester United picked up another Premier League win on Sunday, downing Leicester City at Old Trafford in rampant fashion. A timid start with the Foxes circling De Gea’s goal gave a worrying impression early, but Marcus Rashford’s good form and an enterprising second half display gave them full control of the match.

It was a rapid start to the game, with Leicester pressing for chances against United’s Lindelof-Martinez pairing, and David De Gea had to make several stops inside the first 20 minutes.

In the 25th minute Marcus Rashford struck. It feels inevitable each game with the form that he’s in, but the game suited the style of the goal. Leicester pressing high up the pitch left plenty of space in behind their back line, and a quick break through Bruno Fernandes sent United’s no. 10 through one-on-one to beat Danny Ward and give his team the 1-0 lead.

Things settled a bit, with more chances coming for United. Alejandro Garnacho blasted a volley well over the target, and Dalot of all people missed a tap in on a counter attack.

A free kick just before halftime presented another opportunity to double the lead, but Shaw’s direct effort from a wide angle sailed over the net.

The Reds began the second half with a lot more positivity in their play, and it paid off immediately. They kept the ball away from their goal and built chances, and soon doubled their lead, again through Rashford. Initially he was called offside on a through ball from Fred, but a VAR review determined he was marginally on. Moments later he was instrumental in buildup play for a third goal, linking up with Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes in what would lead to a goal for the former.

Sancho has looked bright since returning to the side, and goals against Leeds and now Leicester are indicative of his return to form and confidence in this side. Playing at the number 10 position in the second half, he was a constant in United’s forward play, and nearly scored again on a breakaway. Certainly there was an element of necessity in Erik ten Hag’s position shakeup across the front line in recent matches, with Weghorst dropping into a deeper role and Bruno moving to the wing, but it has worked well and further demonstrated the fluidity of the team under the Dutchman’s guidance.

Despite a flurry of chances late, the final score finished just 3-0, but it was enough to do justice to the team’s performance on the day. On a day when things could have gotten tricky, The Reds earned a strong win ahead of a big 2nd leg tie with Barcelona in the UEFA Europa League, followed by a League Cup Final on Sunday.