Old Trafford, Attendance: 73,693
Key Moments:
1. **Leicester Strike First**
Bobby De Cordova-Reid scored in the 42nd, taking a rebound after Wilfred Ndidi’s attempt was stopped by André Onana. Leicester’s smooth counterattacking highlighted United’s slow start in the first half, when the hosts failed to manage a single shot on target before the interval.
2. **A Game-Changing Impact from Garnacho**
Alejandro Garnacho, who came on at halftime, gave United’s attack a lift. His speed and directness led to Joshua Zirkzee’s equalizer in the 68th minute. Garnacho crossed for Rasmus Højlund, whose shot was blocked and fell to Zirkzee for an easy tap-in.
3. **Maguire's Controversial Winner**
Harry Maguire (right) headed in Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick in the 93rd minute for the win. Replays indicated Maguire was offside, but VAR was not introduced until the FA Cup fifth round and the goal was allowed. Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Leicester manager, bemoaned the decision, describing it as being beaten in “offside time”.
4. **Tactical Changes and Debutants**
United’s Patrick Dorgu was making his debut at right wing-back, a curious tactical decision from manager Ruben Amorim. After a fine first half, Dorgu was replaced by Garnacho at half time, emphasizing United’s desperate need to get better.
5. **Post-Match Reactions**
Admitted the performance was poor, but praised the spirit of the team: “A good result, not a good performance,” accentuating that the players “never stopped fighting and if we needed a win it was a day like that.”-
**Van Nistelrooy** : Panned the offsides call, saying Leicester "deserved extra time".
Match Stats Overview :
**Possession**: United 55.6% — Leicester 44.4%
**Shots (On Target):** United 13 (4) v Leicester 6 (3)
**Star Man**: Garnacho (Star Man) -- had 3 chances created and won the free-kick for the winner.
Contextual Notes:
United will continue their recent era of FA Cup dominance (having reached the fifth round in each of the last 10 seasons).
- The win was just their third from eight home matches in all competitions.