Manchester United came from behind to beat Leicester 2-1 in a dramatic FA Cup fourth-round tie on Friday, with Harry Maguire scoring a last-gasp winner to deny Ruud van Nistelrooy a fairytale return to Old Trafford.
Manchester United in FA Cup Clash
The match seemed to be heading for an upset as Bobby De Cordova-Reid put Leicester ahead in the 42nd minute. The Premier League strugglers capitalized on a mistake from United’s Manuel Ugarte, with Bilal El Khannouss setting up De Cordova-Reid to score with a close-range header, sending United into the dressing room at halftime 1-0 down and facing a chorus of boos.
Garnacho Sparkles, Zirkzee Levels
United’s performance lacked energy in the first half, but the introduction of Alejandro Garnacho at halftime injected new life into the team. The Argentina international played a key role in United’s equalizer by sending a cross to Rasmus Hojlund, which got blocked. However, Joshua Zirkzee positioned himself perfectly to tap in the rebound for his fifth goal of the season.
Maguire’s Dramatic Winner
Despite United looking more dangerous after the equalizer, it appeared that the game was heading toward extra time. However, Maguire, a former Leicester defender, leapt to meet Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick deep into stoppage time, heading it past Leicester goalkeeper Daniel Iversen to secure the win.
There was controversy surrounding the goal, as Maguire appeared to be in an offside position, but there was no VAR intervention. Van Nistelrooy, in his first return to Old Trafford as Leicester’s coach, expressed his frustration with the decision:
“We earned the right to push for extra time, to fight it out, and possibly face penalties. Decisions like this at our level are tough to accept.”
Mixed Performance and Coach’s Reflections
United’s Portuguese manager, Ruben Amorim, admitted the performance was not up to standard, saying it was a “poor performance” despite the result.
“We started off without much energy, particularly in the first half.” Then in the second half, we played a little bit better, with more speed and winning second balls.”
Transfer Window Concerns
United desperately needed the victory after struggling at home, suffering five defeats in their last seven games across all competitions. United’s January transfer window left them short on attacking options, with both Marcus Rashford and Antony leaving on loan. Furthermore, Lisandro Martinez missed the game due to a cruciate ligament injury sustained in last week’s loss to Crystal Palace.
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