LEICESTER CITY 2, MANCHESTER UNITED 2
Manchester United conceded another injury time goal which cost them dearly in the space of days when Harry Maguire scored a 93rd minute equaliser at the King Power Stadium for ten-man Leicester City.
Daniel Amarty had lasted just 16 minutes after coming on as a second half sub for the Foxes before being sent off for a second booking leaving a mountain to climb for the home side.
The Reds wasted chance after chance to put the Foxes away and thought that a Juan Mata double had snatched the points after Jamie Vardy had opened the scoring early on for Claude Puel’s side.
The draw left Manchester City, who won 4-0 earlier at the Etihad against Bournemouth, an unprecedented 13 points ahead by Christmas with only 19 games to go until the end of the season – a record in top flight history.
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If the Reds had harboured any hopes of catching Manchester City the Foxes will almost certainly have extinguished them today.
United had made eight changes from the side that was dumped out of the Carabao Cup quarter finals by Bristol City on Wednesday.
Jesse Lingard’s early deflected shot had tested Kasper Schmeichel but the Foxes took the lead on the break after Riyad Mahrez sliced open United’s defence and slipped in Jamie Vardy to open the scoring after 27 minutes.
Juan Mata rolled in the equaliser in the 40th minute and put the Reds into a second half lead on the hour with a free kick after Christian Fuchs wasted a chance to retake the lead from a Mahrez cut-back.
Anthony Martial and Lingard (who hit the post with an open goal gaping) were guilty of being wasteful before United were presented with a chance to finish off the Foxes when Amartey was sent off.
Instead, Reds boss Jose Mourinho tried to steady the ship with some defensive substitutions although Marcus Rashford was denied by a fingertip save by Schmeichel and the Reds inexplicably wasted chances to see the game out by protecting their lead.
Puel had to throw caution to the win and sent Harry Maguire up front – and the England man was denied a penalty for the home side when Chris Smalling climbed on his back.
Justice was served, though, as Smalling was left struggling with a groin injury in added time and with all three subs used for United had to stay on but got no help from his team mates when Maguire got on the end of a Marc Albrighton cross to stab in an unlikely equaliser for the home side at the back post from three yards out.