IT’S THAT WILY OLD FOX VARDY
Striker proves he’s a match for classy Cavani by winning point for Leicester
IN THE end, it was the old-fashioned centre- forwards, players with miles on the clock, who would prove decisive.
Edinson Cavani and Jamie Vardy are both 33 years old. They’ve been down this track a few times before. Their intelligent physicality, runs off the ball and their instinct tell of old heads which are not easily fazed. And in a thoroughly entertaining match-up of Premier League equals, both made their mark.
For Vardy it was in the way he ghosted away from Eric Bailly in the 85th minute to ensure Leicester got the point they deserved. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who knows a thing or two about late interventions in crucial matches, praised Vardy’s movement in drifting to find himself on the end of an Ayoze Perez cross.
‘ Ole would know about t hat instinct,’ said Brendan Rodgers. ‘Jamie just has this incredible brain for football. He reads the game so well. Not everyone finds themselves in the position to score.’
It would have been his 13th Premier League goal of the season, though for now the deflection off Axel Tuanzebe’s legs has it down as an own goal.
Solskjaer also knows what it’s like to come off the bench and make an i mpact f or United. That was precisely what Cavani managed. After 75 minutes in which Anthony Martial had lacked authority as a centre forward, Cavani came on to demonstrate how to dominate from that position.
Tuanzebe made the incisive pass that freed Cavani, but it was the Uruguayan’s quick feet and decisive run into Leicester territory which transformed the moment. Bruno Fernandes spotted a kindred spirit, made the run, received the pass and finished the move perfectly to put United 2-1 ahead.
On the back of his matchwinning performance against Everton o n We d n e s d a y, Cavani is beginning to find his feet after a settling-in period and injury.
‘You just have to wait a while for him to get used to English football and the demands of the season,’ said Solskjaer. ‘It is very much stop and start, game every three days, but he made a great impact today.’
It wasn’t all about the old h e a d s , h o we v e r. Ma r c u s Rashford, 23, might have had a hat-trick, his header over inside the opening two minutes being a particularly glaring miss. But he did redeem himself on 23 minutes, with a clinical finish to score his 50th Premier League goal for the club. Daniel James cut inside but it was the decisive outstretched leg of Fernandes which turned it into o Rashford’s path and on t his occasion he didn’t falter.
‘His stats say everything hing about his qualities,’ said Solskjaer, skjaer, who praised him as a ‘player and a human being’. There is so much f o c us o n hi s impressive humanitarianianism, it’s easy to forget et that he still delivers on the pitch as well.
Though, as t hat earl y miss showed, there is still ill room for improvement. A later r one-on-one with Kasper Schmeichel chel saw the Leicester keeper come me out on top with a superb save, mimicking the spread-eagle stance of f his father, a strong hand pushing the he ball away. Then there ere was Har
vey Barnes, also 23, and surely poised to team up with Rashford more frequently on England duty, with probably the pick of the goals, a stunning strike from 20 yards out after Fernandes had lost the ball to Wilfred Ndidi. It would be churlish to dwell on that for Fernandes though. His record since joining the club in January is phenomenal. Again here he was United’s best player with his goal, assist and all-round authority. He must rank as one of the best-ever United signings.
‘ He is definitely a player that impacts results,’ said Solskjaer. ‘He scores chances, creates goals and takes risks which any Manchester United player should be brave enough to do. Sometimes there is an easier pass but you can’t take that away from Bruno — you want him to be the X-factor.’
Steadily United are plotting their way to the top of the table but without convincing that they can win the title.
Defensively they remain too open, and they still play in bursts rather than dominating opponents. Playing Victor Lindelof as a stand-in right-back allowed Barnes to thrive while James Justin and Marc Albrighton made frequent incursions from the opposite flank.
Indeed, Leicester gave as good as they got, as befitted their Premier League position. ‘When you play the huge clubs, they have that personality that sometimes a lesser club lacks,’ said Rodgers. ‘But I t hought we pl ayed with t hat personality and authority. We’re nowhere near in terms of budget and resources, but from a football perspective, we’re competitive.’
Perhaps it is a sign of how far Leicester have risen in the past 10 years that these sides meet as equals. Of course, it could equally be an indication of United’s decline. Be that as it may, there is little to split them.