Manchester United inflicted a heavy defeat on Premier League champions Leicester City, as a whirlwind first-half performance was sufficient to claim all three points at Old Trafford. Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba were all on target for Manchester United in a first half which saw them score thrice in the space of 5 minutes.
Despite substitute Demarai Gray’s brilliant goal in the second half, the result was beyond doubt once the half-time whistle was blown.
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The defeat meant that Claudio Ranieri’s side have now lost as many games this season (three) as they lost in the entirety of their fairytale Premier League winning season last time around.
We discuss the talking points from a memorable game for Manchester United fans at Old Trafford:
#1 Wayne Rooney’s exclusion United’s blessing in disguise?
Following a series of poor performances, it was no surprise to see Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney dropped from the starting line-up against the champions.
His disastrous 90 minutes against League One’s Northampton in the EFL Cup was the tipping point of Jose Mourinho’s patience, as many had anticipated. His absence meant that Juan Mata was able to start in his favourite Number 10 role behind the striker.
That move worked perfectly, as Mata constantly found gaps in the Foxes’ defence with his vision and, had the freedom to hover around the penalty area to conjure up an unlikely goal-scoring opportunity. He even helped himself to a goal (United’s second), thumping home with his left foot following a move which commenced with a wonderful chip pass by Paul Pogba.
Judging from the manner in which United trounced Leicester in the first half, Rooney may well fear that he may be neglected from first team affairs in the coming weeks of United’s campaign.
Mourinho – who has never been afraid to make the ‘big’ calls – might just have hit the nail on the head with a similarly massive call of dropping the club captain.
#2 Paul Pogba finally justifies his price tag
While Rooney’s absence from the line-up caught much of the pre-match limelight, the highlight of the match itself will be Paul Pogba’s stellar display against the defending champions.
The 23-year old, who re-joined United for a world-record fee, finally appeared to be a player who had an agenda – an agenda to dominate the game by dictating the play from midfield and picking out killer passes to open up the opposition defence.
His key chip-pass which led to United’s second goal and a number of lofted balls to send his team-mates clear was an exemplary response to his critics – dubbed by Mourinho as ‘footballing Einsteins’ earlier this week.
The Frenchman showed that he was more than capable of being the focal point of an impressive Manchester United performance.
#3 Demarai Gray’s stunning goal merely a consolation
With the game all but lost in the opening half, Foxes’ boss Claudio Ranieri hauled off key players Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, seemingly resting the duo ahead of Leicester’s Champions League curtain-raiser at the King Power Stadium on Tuesday.
Vardy’s replacement Demarai Gray was industrious in the second half. He was quick-footed on the ball and regularly cut in from the flanks to bring Leicester back in the game.
He was rewarded for his encouraging performance with a stunning goal in the 59th-minute, letting one fly from around 30 yards out and past the reach of David de Gea.
After the goal, Leicester temporarily threatened to stage a miraculous comeback, but once Michael Carrick came on, United were able to comfortably see the game out. Gray’s sublime hit remained a mere consolation.
#4 Leicester missing Kante’s impact in midfield
While it was Jamie Vardy’s goals and Riyad Mahrez’s fleet-footedness on the ball which contributed to Leicester City’s attacking index last season, one mustn’t forget the critical role Frenchman N’Golo Kante played in their title-winning season.
The midfielder’s incredible work-rate and the consistency with which he was able to break up opposition attacks were a major factor behind Leicester shaking up their defence and ensuring that they found themselves a hard team to score against, let alone beat.
Since Kante’s departure to Chelsea, the Foxes have struggled to keep a lid on their defence, conceding 4 goals in each of their last 2 away games (4-1 at Anfield and now at Old Trafford).
His replacement Daniel Amartey is yet to prove that he can fill Kante’s boots – he was run ragged by Pogba and Herrera for nearly the entirety of the match. Amartey and the injured Nampalys Mendy (tipped to be Kante’s primary replacement) will have to improve their work-ethic and desire to win the ball back from the opposition the way Kante did week in and week out last season.
#5 Daley Blind passes the Mahrez test and gets his corners spot-on
With Luke Shaw injured and Marcos Rojo horribly out of form, Mourinho turned to the versatile and reliant Daley Blind to fulfil left-back duties for this game. Pundits before the game predicted that he would struggle against Riyad Mahrez on the flank, but he would soon prove his doubters wrong.
The Dutchman barely allowed the Algerian winger to get the better of him in a one-on-one duel, intercepting his ground crosses and winning possession from attempted dribbles.
Up the field, he was accurate with his set-pieces – first delivering the corner for Chris Smalling to head in United’s opener and then locating Paul Pogba to score United’s fourth and complete the rout.
Being heavily criticised for his non-directional corners last season, Blind was able to register two assists against his name from corners this time around.
