Saturday 31 January 2015

Match report: United 3-1 Leicester




MANCHESTER UNITED moved into third place and kept up the pressure on second placed City with a comfortable 3-1 over rock bottom Leicester at Old Trafford on Saturday.


Louis van Gaal's side were not at their best but we did not have to be against a Foxes side who offered little in attack.

United let a 2-0 and 3-1 lead slip the last time these two sides met in September, but there was never a hint of a similar fightback from Nigel Pearson's side this time.

Leicester concentrated on frustrating the Reds early on and their game plan was working until Daley Blind dispossessed Andrej Kramaric after a United attack had broken down.

Blind's excellent through ball played in Robin Van Persie who took a touch and rifled home his ninth goal of the season shortly before the half hour mark.

Five minutes later, United doubled their lead after 42-year old custodian Mark Schwarzer failed to hold Angel Di Maria's shot and Radamel Falcao beat two defenders to turn home the loose ball from close range.

Leicester's collapse was completed a minute before the interval when Blind met a Rooney corner and captain Wes Morgan could only direct his attempted clearance past Schwarzer and into the net.

Substitute David Nugent almost capitalised on a sloppy Phil Jones backpass, but the ever-alert David De Gea read the danger and cleared.

Another substitute, Marc Albrighton, lashed an effort over the bar before the visitors belatedly replied through Polish defender Marcin Wasilewski's header.

That was the last action of a routine win for United that lifts the Red into third, at least until Southampton play Swansea on Sunday.

United manager Louis van Gaal was pleased with his side, and said:I'm very happy because of the positive result. We lost the last home match so we had to show to our fans that we are coming back again.
"I liked my team in the first half. In the second half we tried to kill the game because we know what happened at Leicester when we were also 1-3 ahead and we lost the game.
"But in the second half we played the ball too much backwards, and that I do not like that as you always need to keep your eyes open for the pass forward.
"But we also have to learn to kill the game, we may have done that more than we wanted, but it is a learning process.”

United Faithful Man of the Match: Daley Blind
Overall Team Performance: 8/10 






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