Leicester City 0-1 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points as the Red Devils win three on the bounce | Premier League 2022-23

Manchester United secured a narrow 1-0 win over Leicester City in the Premier League on Thursday, September 2.

The Foxes came into this game having lost three of their previous four in the league and being bottom of the table. The other game was a draw against Brentford in which they threw away a two-goal lead in the second half. Brendan Rodgers was under tremendous pressure and hoped the home support at the King Power Stadium would lift them.

The Red Devils, on the other hand, lost their first two games. However, they beat Liverpool and Southampton in their next two and were eager to continue the winning form. Erik ten Hag kept the same lineup as Casemiro and Cristiano Ronaldo continued to start from the bench.

Manchester United made a strong and composed start to the game, carrying on with their encouraging displays from their wins. They controlled possession of the ball and maintained a compact shape in central areas to prevent Leicester from breaking through. Jamie Vardy barely had any space to run into as Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez marked him well.

Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho seem to have forged a good partnership as they look lethal going forward. The former provided an assist for the latter to score from and put United 1-0 up after 23 minutes. The pace with which they broke through on goal left Jonny Evans stranded.

Despite being in a comfortable position, Manchester United looked susceptible to making silly mistakes. Both their fullbacks Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia were booked in the first half. It put them in potential danger against Leicester's pacey forwards for the second period as Manchester United led 1-0 at the break.

Much to Manchester United's surprise, Leicester City came out for the second period with a spring in their step. They moved the ball quicker and used the central and wide channels equally as they diversified their game. Maddison attempted a wonderful free-kick which was saved equally well by David de Gea in goal. The hosts did well to put the visitors on the backfoot.

The visitors failed to create a significant chance to score nearly 20 minutes into the period. Their forwards continued to make direct runs towards goal, but failed to enter the box in numbers. United's defenders continued to do their job of thwarting any of the Foxes' moves.

Manchester United held on to secure their third-consecutive league win. On the other hand, it was Leicester City's fourth defeat on the bounce. That said, let's take a look at the five major talking points from the game.

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#5. Varane and Martinez are a formidable defensive pairing

Varane and Martinez seem to complement each other's style of play quite well. While the former stays close to his opponent and uses his physique to perfection, the latter prefers going in for hard tackles. Martinez is also known for being aggressive with his opponents despite the ball not being in play.

The pairing has given Manchester United some much-needed mobility at the back, helping them move the ball out effectively. With Casemiro yet to start in front of them in defensive midfield, one can speculate they will only get better as a defensive unit.

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#4. Leicester City are no longer guaranteed a top-half finish

When Leicester won the league in 2016, pundits and fans sang praises about their arrival in the UEFA Champions League. In the years that followed, they remained in and out of the European spots, often qualifying without much hassle.

Many top clubs across Europe have taken note of their model and the players in the squad. Soon enough, big offers came in for their stars, causing unrest in the dressing room among all the uncertainty.

Wesley Fofana was the latest case of a player going above and beyond to force through a move. While this may seem normal to outsiders, such behavior can often cause divides within the dressing room.

In addition, teams like Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and newcomers Fulham look strong this season. They are likely to give the Foxes a run for their money with regards to finishing in the top 10.

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#3. Sancho and Rashford are Manchester United's main output in attack

Manchester United's dynamic English duo were both on the scoresheet against arch-rivals Liverpool. They combined well and created chances to help their side seal the win. They combined well against Leicester too, as Rashford provided an assist for Sancho to score from.

With Anthony Martial and Anthony Elanga yet to hit form, and newcomer Antony yet to be integrated into the team, United will rely on Sancho and Rashford. So far, they have stepped up, but it will be interesting to see if they can put in a consistent effort for the whole season.

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#2. The clock is ticking for Brendan Rodgers to deliver

Prior to kick-off, Leicester City were rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table with just one point. If things do not take a turn for the better soon, Rodgers might well be next in line to be sacked.

When the Scotsman arrived at Leicester, he molded them into a formidable team that played free-flowing, attacking football. He used a 4-1-4-1 formation which caused most teams in the league problems on the counter attack. However, as time has passed by and players have left the club, they have slowly but surely fallen down the ranks in the league.

It will be interesting to see whether Leicester City can remain in the Premier League following a dreadful start.

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#1. Erik ten Hag is adamant that he will not change his winning XI

Erik ten Hag fielded the same starting XI for the third game in a row as he insisted on maintaining Manchester United's winning run. In the pre-match interview, the Dutchman again stressed that his lineup is determined by tactics and not by the personnel involved.

He also mentioned that players on the bench will be involved as the fixture list will soon get very congested.