Bruno Fernandes proved the difference as Manchester United returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 3-0 victory over Leicester City.
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The United captain, making his 250th appearance for the club, had a hand in all three goals, ensuring Ruud van Nistelrooy signed off as interim head coach with a win.
Fernandes opened the scoring 17 minutes in before his presence forced Victor Kristiansen to turn it into the back of his own net 21 minutes later.
Substitute Alejandro Garnacho rounded off the scoring late on with a stunning strike to wrap up a comfortable win at Old Trafford in Man Utd's final match before new head coach Ruben Amorim takes charge.
United move on to 15 points but remain 13th in the table, while Leicester stay two places behind them on 10 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 |
Spurs
TOT
|
17 | +14 | 23 |
| 12 |
Brentford
BRE
|
17 | 0 | 23 |
| 13 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
17 | -1 | 22 |
| 14 |
West Ham
WHU
|
17 | -8 | 20 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
16 | -7 | 16 |
How the match unfolded
The hosts got off to a quick start, with Amad Diallo playing a perfectly-weighted backheel into Fernandes, who curled in a low finish from the edge of the box.
Wilfred Ndidi could have equalised before the half-hour mark, but goalkeeper Andre Onana made himself big to smother the Leicester player in a 1v1.
Kristiansen was unfortunate in the 38th minute as he turned Noussair Mazraoui’s whipped cross into the roof of the net, but Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen kept the deficit down, stretching out a leg to deny Amad before half-time.
Jordan Ayew almost pulled a goal back in the 69th minute, spinning away from three United defenders to fizz a shot towards the near post, with Onana once again making a fine save.
Garnacho sliced a shot over the crossbar after his introduction from the bench midway through the second half. He made no mistake with his second chance, brilliantly bending his shot out of Hermansen’s reach into the top corner.
Promising signs for Man Utd
Van Nistelrooy could not have asked for a better sign-off to his time in interim charge of Man Utd, during which he has overseen three wins and a draw across all competitions in his four matches at the helm.
There were also plenty of positive signs in the first half for the incoming Ruben Amorim. Van Nistelrooy's short stint has seen an improvement in the final third for the Red Devils, who had only scored nine goals in their first 10 matches, a record low at that stage in Premier League history.
A return to form for Fernandes has also proved timely, with the Portuguese causing all sorts of problems for Kristiansen in an energetic first half and finishing with a goal and an assist.
Even when their clinical edge looked like it was fading in the second half, Garnacho’s introduction added a spark to United’s forward play. The Red Devils, though, will feel they could have scored more if they had been able to capitalise on their wide play.
With Amorim set to be in charge for United’s match at Ipswich Town - their next after the international break - the signs from Sunday showed that the incoming head coach will have plenty to work with.
No late show for Leicester
Leicester have left it late in their recent away matches, with stoppage-time goals bringing the drama on so many occasions this season.
Ayew has provided two of those, snatching a last-gasp win at Southampton before ensuring Leicester left Ipswich with a point last weekend, but he struggled to have an impact after being given a chance from the start at Old Trafford.
They were not helped by the absence of Jamie Vardy, who would have relished a chance to play off the back of a United defence that had looked disconnected in previous weeks. Ayew did not offer the same threat, and Abdul Fatawu struggled to take advantage despite having the better of Diogo Dalot for much of the match.
Steve Cooper would not have lost hope given their recent run though, and Leicester did improve in the second half, taking the game to a tiring United side.
They stayed brave, throwing bodies forward in numbers, but ultimately could not find a way through as they failed to score in a Premier League match for the first time this campaign.
Club reports
Man Utd report | Leicester report
What the managers said
Ruud van Nistelrooy: "In the end the most important thing is this football club, and I'm here to support it. I want to continue doing that in the future.
"The communication was that after the block of four games there will be communication between you and your colleagues who are in an uncertain situation, so I expect to hear today or tomorrow from them."
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Fernandes has been directly involved in 100 goals in 170 appearances for Man Utd in the Premier League (56 goals, 44 assists), reaching this milestone with just one more appearance than Cristiano Ronaldo (169) had upon doing so.
Leicester manager Cooper has lost all four of his Premier League matches against Man Utd, with the Red Devils being one of only two opponents Cooper has faced more than twice in the competition without winning a single point (also four defeats from four against Fulham).
Man Utd are unbeaten in 19 consecutive Premier League matches against promoted sides, taking 53 points of a possible 57 across these contests (W17 D2). Their last such defeat was a 4-1 loss at Claudio Ranieri’s Watford in November 2021.
Leicester have won only two of their 11 league matches this season (D4 L5), only having fewer victories at this stage of a single Premier League campaign on one occasion (one in 2001/02).