It was a comfortable evening for Manchester United in the East Midlands as the Red Devils defeated Leicester City 3-0 in the Premier League to sign off for the international break in style.
Rasmus Hojlund ended his barren spell to fire United ahead on 29 minutes before Alejandro Garnacho and the in-form Bruno Fernandes added two more goals in the second half.
Ruben Amorim’s men were dominant in sealing a fourth win over the struggling Foxes side this campaign, leapfrogging Tottenham and Everton into 13th position.
Here are our five talking points from a routine win for the Reds.
Rasmus Hojlund finally ends his goal drought
Hojlund’s 21-game goal drought finally ended at the King Power Stadium, as the young Dane clinically took his chance after being played in by Fernandes.
The former Atalanta striker last scored on December 12 in a Europa League group phase encounter against Viktoria Plzen in Czechia.
While it has been a frustrating period, he looked far more like the player we saw last season on Sunday – timing his run to perfection before driving in on goal and showing great composure to finish brilliantly on his weaker right foot.
Hopefully, this can give the Denmark star the boost he needs to get back among the goals more often and reignite his season.
Blow for Amorim with Heaven injury
Defensive starlet Ayden Heaven again delivered a classy showing, displaying determination and anticipation in dealing with all attacking threats.
Unfortunately, the injury curse struck again when he was stretchered off minutes into the second period after suffering what appeared to be a serious-looking ankle issue.
It is such a shame to see the 18-year-old struck down by injury after such an imperious start to his United career.
Everyone at The Theatre of Red wishes the young man well, and we hope to see him back on the pitch again soon.
Ruben Amorim hands debut to Amass
Harry Amass came off the bench to make his Manchester United debut, becoming the 253rd academy graduate to make the jump to the senior ranks.
The left-footed teenager is highly rated in the youth ranks, and he looked fairly assured during his first taste at elite level.
Amass, celebrating his 18th birthday on Sunday, joined the club from Watford’s Academy in June 2023 and was part of United’s pre-season tour of America in the summer.
It’s great to see another Carrington scholar making their debut this season, following in Toby Collyer’s and Chido Obi’s footsteps.
De Ligt a rock at the back
It was another excellent night for Matthijs de Ligt, with the Dutchman rock solid throughout the 90 minutes in the East Midlands.
The former Bayern Munich centre-back put his body on the line to thwart several Leicester attacks and showed good leadership skills to help his side keep a first clean sheet in 10 games.
He produced a superb block with the game at 2-0 – sliding in to deny Facundo Buonanotte – who looked almost certain to score.
With injury issues causing an ever-changing cast in United’s back-line, De Ligt remains the one constant.
Let’s hope the 25-year-old can keep up his current good form and have a strong end to his first campaign in England.
Garnacho gets back among the goals
After having had a second-half strike ruled out for offside, Alejandro Garnacho must have thought his dry spell was set to continue at the King Power.
However, not long after, the 20-year-old struck again to end his goal drought when he drove a shot past the goalkeeper to double the away team’s advantage.
It was the former Atletico Madrid prospect’s first goal since he netted against the Foxes, ironically, back on November 10 – in another 3-0 victory at Old Trafford.
Having struggled with his finishing recently, United supporters will be relieved to see the Argentina youngster looking more clinical in the final third.
Were you impressed with the manner of United’s win over Ruud van Nistelrooy Leicester side?
Let us know in the comments or across our social channels.
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