Ronaldo absence not only problem as
FOR all the fuss about Cristiano Ronaldo being past his best, the truth is Manchester United are even worse without him.
Ronaldo missed yesterday’s fortuitous draw through illness. It was the sixth Premier League game he hasn’t started since he returned to Old Trafford and his team-mates haven’t won any of them.
No Ronaldo meant no focal point in attack with the experiment of using Bruno Fernandes as a false nine failing badly. Ralf Rangnick then turned to the out-of-form Marcus Rashford to come off the bench to play centre-forward but things didn’t improve.
A point gives United faint hope of qualifying for the Champions League though they are still three points behind fourth-place Arsenal having played a couple of games more.
But Leicester, who had won their previous three matches against United, felt they deserved another victory.
Scott McTominay was fortunate to escape with a yellow card after his high lunge caught James Maddison.
And when Maddison thought he’d put the visitors 2-1 ahead late on, VAR rescued United by spotting a kick by Kelechi Iheanacho on Raphael Varane, who cleverly enforced the check by rolling around as if hit by a sniper.
Leicester’s lead taken after 63 minutes showed all facets of the game, a stunning tackle by Kieran Dewsbury-Hall on Fernandes, a wickedly curved left-foot cross by Maddison and clinical downward header from Iheanacho.
To United’s credit, they at least showed character to fight back, levelling three minutes later when Kasper Schmeichel parried Fernandes’ shot and Fred fired the rebound into the roof of the net.
The goal created an eruption inside the