BRUNO LANDS KNOCKOUT BLOW
United now have ability to hurt teams… and deserve Champions League slot
IN KEEPING with Manchester United’s season, this was not easy. They were ordinary at times, one-paced and prone to defensive uncertainty. goalkeeper David de gea looked like an accident waiting to happen and his nervousness spread to the likes of Harry Maguire and Nemanja Matic.
Although they lived dangerously, the United who finished this season are different in one crucial way to the one which started it. Ole gunnar Solskjaer’s team — thanks to the improvement in Anthony Martial and young Mason greenwood and the purchase of Bruno Fernandes — now have the ability to hurt teams in an instant.
They did not do that during the uncertain days of autumn and early winter, but they do it now and they did it here.
Leicester — needing a win — were on top as the game approached its final quarter. They were not kicking the door down but they were knocking on it. All they needed was for a chance to fall to the right person. Jamie Vardy had already hit the bar.
But when Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury dawdled in possession in his own half, the ball was taken off him by greenwood. On it went quickly to Fernandes and then again through the middle to Martial.
in the blink of an eye, United were through and when Jonny evans brought the Frenchman down, Fernandes stepped up to bury the resulting penalty.
There was to be one more goal, Leicester goalkeeper kasper Schmeichel presenting the ball to United substitute Jesse Lingard in the final few seconds.
But it was that passage in the 71st minute which tipped the balance of a tight game and sent Solskjaer’s team into next season’s Champions League.
They deserve it, too, for the way they have played during the second half of this campaign. This was their 14th premier League penalty of the season, a record for any club. But that isn’t the reason they have finished third.
No, it is because they have found a way to play that hurts teams again. They are far from good enough to be a title-winning side but they are much better than they were and that has proved to be enough.
This was tough on Leicester and their manager Brendan Rodgers. They went into the break in March odds-on for a place in the top four. But the Leicester squad always looked a little thin and injuries eventually caught up with them during the run-in.
in recent weeks, they have not been particularly recognisable in terms of form. The reason they have surrendered a Champions League place is not because they lost this game, but because they emerged from hibernation to lose points to teams such as Watford, Brighton, everton and Bournemouth.
On this occasion, Rodgers’ side were not bad at all. United started well and greenwood headed over, but then Leicester started to threaten, particularly on the break. Wilfred Ndidi and Marc Albrighton shot over, kelechi iheanacho made a weak attempt when running from deep and then Vardy was off target at the near post.
United were anxious at times. Matic gave the ball away in a bad area and then Maguire stood on it. Before long, both men were booked. United did threaten sporadically — Marcus Rashford shooting wide and then bringing a plunging save from Schmeichel in the 45th minute — but they never controlled the game. They never looked certain of the outcome. Leicester continued to press in the second half and Vardy landed a flicked header on the top of the bar. For the home team, Ndidi was excellent but how Rodgers must have wished James Maddison was on the field as he sought a touch of quality with which to unlock the safe. The first goal pretty much finished the game. Rodgers threw his substitutes on and one of them, Harvey Barnes, missed a good chance to equalise almost immediately. But it was desperate stuff by the end and the game finished chaotically for Leicester. First evans was sent off for a lunge at Scott McTominay, then Schmeichel stumbled to let Lingard in right at the end. Solskjaer’s team have not lost in the league since January and that run has seen United make up 18 points on Leicester, securing them a third-place finish. The Norwegian has much to build on and United can now look forward to Champions League football once again next season. ‘This is a massive achievement,’ said Solskjaer. ‘it’s incredible. We have come so far as a team. ‘All the media predictions were for us to finish sixth or seventh. i didn’t know that until the other day. Me and the staff were discussing it. But whenever i get criticised it makes me stronger. So that’s Ok.’
LEICESTER CITY (3-5-2): Schmeichel; Justin, Morgan, Evans; Albrighton (Gray 73mins), Tielemans (Barnes 73), Ndidi, Choudhury (Praet 73), Thomas 7 (Hirst 88); Iheanacho (Perez 57), Vardy.
Subs not used: Ward, James, Mendy, Bennett.
Booked: Evans. Sent off: Evans. MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Williams; Matic, Pogba; Greenwood (Lingard 77), Fernandes (McTominay), Rashford (Fosu-Mensah 90); Martial (Ighalo 90). Subs not used: Bailly, Mata, Fred, James, Romero. Booked: Maguire, Lindelof, Matic, Pogba, Williams.
Referee: Martin Atkinson. Man of the match: Anthony Martial.