Leicester City 3, Manchester United 1 (FA Cup Quarter Final)
Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho scored either side of Youri Tielemens to dump Manchester United out of the FA Cup.
Embed from Getty ImagesUnited could not live with the Leicester press and their mistakes gifted the Foxes the opening goal through ex-City striker Iheanacho before Mason Greenwood levelled the scores against the run of play.
Tielemans put the Foxes ahead again at the start of the second half as a passive United allowed the Belgian unhindered access to the edge of the box where his shot beat Dean Henderson.
Ayoze Perez and Jamie Vardy had missed great chances to increase the Foxes goal tally before Iheanacho popped up late with a header to finish off the tired looking Reds who paid dearly for their midfield mistakes as Leicester reached their first FA Cup semi final since 1982.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had to deal with the fall-out from a long trip to Milan to play in the Europa League while the Foxes had a free week to prepare for this game.
The Reds looked tired, something that Leicester exploited, and the Norwegian admitted that United’s energy reserves were low.
He said: “We didn’t have the spark tonight.
“The players have been fantastic for the last 3-4 months but it just caught up with us.
“Thursday night in Milan was a big night but it took a lot out of us and today we didn’t have the zip and authority.
“We tried to get on the front foot and start well, sometimes a goal can carry you over the line.
“But too many players haven’t trained and players like Edinson [Cavani] and Donny [van de Beek] haven’t had much match practice, and we knew Paul [Pogba] wouldn’t last more than an hour.
He denied that the changes might have disrupted them but admitted the Leicester goals put the Reds on the back foot.
“We want to build from the back, and sometimes it doesn’t work. We win together and we lose together – nobody is getting the blame – it was a good goal for Tielemens but perhaps someone could have got to him.
“We’ve kept clean sheets, defended really well and had the energy to stop teams but we didn’t have that tonight.
With this game behind United now, Solskjaer pointed out that United had plenty more to play for.
“We have Europa League and Premier league to concentrate on now.
“We need to keep going and improve on last season where we finished third and try and get as many points as possible and get as far we can in the Europa League.”
Dean Henderson remained in goal for United despite the availability of David De Gea and he was joined in the starting line up by Milan match winner Paul Pogba with a rare start handed to Donny van de Beek
Alex Telles, Nemanja Matic, van de Beek, Pogba, and Anthony Martial started as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made five changes from the side that beat AC Milan in Italy on Thursday while Bruno Fernandes was given a rare rest.
Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay, Fernandes, Daniel James, and the injured Marcus Rashford stepped down.
Maguire’s header from Telles’ corner was an easy take for Kasper Schmeichel.
But United looked too tired to press the Foxes high when they might have previously tried to grab an opening goal to hold on to.
Vardy’s shot was blocked by Maguire as the Foxes probed for openings with United errors mounting from an early stage.
Tired Manchester United gift goals to Kelechi Iheanacho and Youri Tielemens to allow Leicester City to cruise through to the FA Cup semi finals
But it was Iheanacho who continued his scoring run with a strike against the Reds after a mistake by Fred under pressure from Youri Tielemens after he was given the ball by Maguire and tried to pass back to Henderson only for the Nigerian striker to react first and steal the ball before rounding Henderson and slotting home after 24 minutes.
Martial forced Schmeichel to tip away a dangerous ball into the box as the Reds reacted but the Foxes won a free kick when Iheanacho was obstructed by Maguire on the edge of the United box.
Marc Albrighton squared the free kick for a shot by Tielemens which was blocked in the Forest of bodies in the area.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka intercepted a ball meant for Vardy at the back as United continued to reel from the Foxes’ attacking play.
But the Reds were level after 38 minutes with a barely deserved goal after van de Beek left Paul Pogba’s cut back to Mason Greenwood who turmed the ball home after 38 minutes for only his 5th goal of the season.
Pogba’s speculative shot was an easy take for Schmeichel before Albrighton’s boss was put out by Victor Lindelof as the game continued to be end-to-end.
Ayoze Perez was allowed a free shot on goal which he curled wide of the post as Leicester tried to retake the lead towards the end of the first half.
Wilfried Ndidi’s shot from an acute angle on the left was saved by Henderson after the break.
And the Foxes were gifted another goal after 52 minutes when Tielemens played a 1-2 around Nemanja Matic and United players retreated before him until the Belgian was at the edge of the United box and unleashed a low drive that beat Henderson – his 8th goal of the season.
Telles won a free kick outside of the area and won a corner off Soyuncu which the Turkish international cleared. Soyuncu cleared the United counter attack before the Telles lashed a shot wide of the back post.
Jamie Vardy found himself clean through after Ndidi won the ball and Iheanacho sent him clear but the veteran striker pulled his shot wide of the near post with the chance of a third Foxes goal gaping.
Martial went down easily to earn a free kick after 63 minutes, which Telles drifted wide, before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sent the cavalry on – making four changes at once.
Cavani, Fernandes, McTominay, and Shaw came on with van de Beek, Pogba, Matic, and Telles replaced.
Shaw crossed for McTominay whose shot was collected by Schmeichel while Jonny Evans had to head another ball in behind.
Leicester replaced Perez with Dennis Praet and after more pain for the Reds who couldn’t hold on to the ball, Iheanacho was there at the back post to head home from close range a free kick by Albrighton after McTominay lost the flight of the ball – the luckless midfielder had given away the original free kick.
In-form Iheanacho had notched his 9th goal in 9 games – his 12th of the season.
With the game safe, Vardy made way with 7 minutes to go as Hamza Choudhury came on to stiffen up the Foxes midfield.
Solskjaer threw on Amad Diallo for Fred in his last roll of the dice and Fernandes fired in a superb 30 yard free kick which Schmeichel had to tip away as the Foxes defended their lead until the end.
Victory meant that the Foxes would meet Southampton at Wembley in April for a chance to earn a place at the FA Cup final with Manchester City drawn against Chelsea in the other semi final.
GOALS – Leicester City 3, Manchester United 1 (FA Cup Quarter Final)
Leicester City 1, Manchester United 0: 24. Kelechi Iheancho ruthlessly pounced on a back pass from Fred to Dean Henderson which sold the United keeper short – the Leicester striker intercepted it, rounded Henderson and scored from 6 yards out.
Leicester City 1, Manchester United 1: 38. Mason Greenwood turned the ball home after Donny van de Beek left Paul Pogba’s cut back to run on to the young striker who made no mistake from 12 yards.
Leicester City 2, Manchester United 1: 52. Youri Tielemens played a 1-2 off Kelechi Iheanacho to bypass Nemanja Matic and was allowed a free run to the edge of the United area where – with no tackles coming from the retreating Reds players – he opted to shoot and beat Dean Henderson before Fred could reach him.
Leicester City 3, Manchester United 1: 78. Kelechi Iheanacho was there at the back post to head home Marc Albrighton’s free kick from 2 yards out after Scott McTominay had lost the flight of the ball to allow the Nigerian a free header to give the Foxes a massive lead.
MATCH STATS – Leicester City 3, Manchester United 1 (FA Cup Quarter Final)
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Fofana, Evans, Soyuncu, Albrighton, Tielemens, Ndidi, Castagne, Perez (Praet 72), Iheanacho, Vardy (Choudhury 73)
Leicester City subs not used: Ward, Amartey, Mendy, Fuchs, Thomas, Leshabela, Daley-Campbell
Bookings: Albrighton 68 (foul on Luke Shaw); Evans 75 (foul on Bruno Fernandes)
Goals: Iheanacho 24, 78; Tielemens 52
Man Utd: Henderson, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Telles (Shaw 65), Fred (Diallo 85), Matic (McTominay 65), Greenwood, van de Beek (Cavani 65), Pogba (Fernandes 65), Martial
Man Utd subs not used: De Gea, James, Williams, Tuanzebe
Bookings: Maguire 31 (obstruction against Kelechi Iheanacho); McTominay 72 (foul on Ayoze Perez)
Goal: Greenwood 38
Referee: Craig Pawson