MAN UNITED 4, LEICESTER CITY 1
After three straight defeats, this was the perfect riposte from Manchester United as they recorded an emphatic victory against reigning Premier League champions Leicester City at Old Trafford.
If the pressure was on the Reds, it didn’t show as they made an electrifying start in which they scored all four of their goals in the opening half to provide relief for Jose Mourinho.
Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba found the net in a sensational 20-minute spell that destroyed the Foxes.
And it was a case of Wayne Rooney, relegated to the bench, not being missed as Mata and Ander Herrera, restored to the midfield alongside the energetic Pogba, produced some flowing football that Leicester could not live with.
The result was never in doubt as Mourinho avoided losing two straight home games for the first time in 259 matches.
United, now unbeaten in their last eight homes league games against Leicester, hardly looked a club in crisis as had been portrayed following their defeats against City, Feyenoord and Watford and they played at time with a swagger not seen since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Mourinho was pleased with the response to the recent bad run explaining it is easier to have good individual performances when the team has played well.
The Reds’ manager explained why he left our Rooney pointing out it was due to the way Leicester play.
He said: “Against a team like Leicester and the way they defend, I thought the best solution was to play with two fast kids (Rashford and Jesse Lingard) with Mata interacting with the young kids.
“It worked well and it was important to have fast people on the pitch against a team that counter attacks and has their specific qualities.”
Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri was surprised by the first-half capitulation, especially after they were hardly troubled in the opening.
He said: “I will have to analyse it because it was a strange match. We played well, in the first 20 minutes, put them under pressure, missed chances and perhaps we deserved more.
“They were so clever from corners whereas we are usually strong, We switched off and lost our shape and concentration.”
Rooney’s omission provided most of the pre-match discussion as Mourinho made four changes from the side that lost at Watford on Sunday.
Luke Shaw, Marouane Fellaini and the injured Anthony Martial also lost their places as Daley Blind, Ander Herrera, Lingard and Mata won recalls.
The Leicester side included three former United players, Ron-Robert Zieler, Danny Drinkwater and Danny Simpson.
After a lively opening, in which all that was lacking was a cutting edge from both teams, United made a 22nd minute breakthrough through central defender Smalling, United’s captain for the day in the absence of Rooney.
Smalling headed home Blind’s corner from six yards as the ball squeezed past Zieler low to his left, his 12th goals for the club.
Suddenly United got the bit between their teeth as Rashford twice blazed over as did Zlatan Ibrahimovic after cheating down and volleying over from a sublime dink over the defence by Paul Pogba.
A stinging drive from Pogba was beaten out by Zieler as United went all out to double their lead.
United finally scored their second after 36 minutes following an excellent build up started and finished by Mata.
Mata, Pogba and Lingard linked superbly with the latter’s flick releasing Mata who curled in a delightful shot.
And soon it was 3-0 when Blind’s short corner found Mata whose quick ball across the face of goal was tipped in by Rashford from no more than three yards for his fourth goal of the season.
United made it four within 42 minutes when Blind’s corner was headed home by Pogba for his first goal for the club.
Ranieri, clearly with an eye on the Champions League in midweek with this game lost, made two changes at the break as Jamie Vardy and Riyard Mahrez were replaced by Andy King and Demarai Gray.
And Gray made inroads into the deficit on the hour with a stunning striker as the Foxes got on to the scoresheet.
The striker cut in from the left and from 25 yards fired an unstoppable stop high into the far top corner of the net.
The goal stung United into action as try had made a laboured start to the second period.
Lingard blazed over from a great position and Ibrahimovic saw his effort deflected narrowly wide as United looked for a fifth goal.
Gray almost scored a second goal, a replica of his first, but this time keeper David De Gea pulled off a superb save.
United made their first change with 12 minutes left as Lingard was replaced by Michael Carrick. And Rooney then made a late entrance for Rashford and Ashley Young for Mata who had been arguably United’s best player.
It was a case of going through the motions for much of the second period for the Reds as they were never going to relinquish a four-goal lead.