#5 Eric Bailly exceptional on his first start since returning from international duty
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While the emphasis was mostly on United’s attacking prowess, one should not rule out United’s solid performance at the back as a vital factor in the victory on Sunday. With Phil Jones out of the game with an injury, Mourinho decided to field his other pair of centre-backs – Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly – who are familiar with each other owing to their partnership in the first three months of the season – and shift Rojo to left-back to avoid him from playing at centre-half with an unfamiliar partner.
The move worked perfectly, as Smalling and Bailly communicated with each other effectively to come away from the King Power Stadium with a clean slate.
Eric Bailly, in particular, was exceptional during a period of Leicester pressure, putting away crosses and attempted through-passes with conviction on his first league start since returning from African Cup of Nations’ duty. He made a potential goal-saving tackle to deny Musa from having a go at goal after Leicester benefitted from Ander Herrera’s rare misplaced pass.
The performance showed that he didn’t need any time to adapt to the challenges of defending in the Premier League after being away for a period of four weeks. He is a definite mainstay for United come the business end of the season, with Jose Mourinho’s side still competing for four trophies.
