Leicester City storm back to sink Manchester United 4-2

188

Leicester City fired on all cylinders late on to beat Manchester United 4-2 at home in the English Premier League (EPL) on Saturday.

The win ended a four-match winless run for them and piled more pressure on visiting manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The result also ended Manchester United’s record 29-game unbeaten away run in the league as they collapsed in a frantic five-minute spell in the closing stages.

They had taken an early lead and then pulled themselves back to 2-2.

With Cristiano Ronaldo putting in a subdued performance upfront for Manchester United, it was shambolic defending that stretched their own winless run to three games.

In those games, they have taken only one point from a possible nine.

Vardy was delighted after the game as Leicester City bounced back from their barren spell.

“It was massively important,” Vardy told reporters. “The most important thing was the performance because we had let our standards slip. We had the international break to reflect on things.”

Visiting midfielder Paul Pogba conceded Manchester United were well below par and pointed out the team lacked energy and confidence.

“We deserved to lose,” he said. “To be honest, we have been having these kind of games for a long time. We have not found the problem, conceding easy goals, stupid goals.

“We need to be more mature, play with more experience and arrogance in a good way. We need to find something, we need to change.”

Manchester United had made a perfect start as Mason Greenwood fired them into a 19th-minute lead.

That was when he unleashed a thunderbolt from 20 metres, which flew into the far corner as it shaved the inside of the post.

But the visitors were punished for sloppy passing in the danger zone in the 31st minute as Kelechi Iheanacho robbed Harry Maguire of the ball.

The Nigerian international squared it for Youri Tielemans to hit the top corner with a looping shot over goalkeeper David De Gea.

A tame second half came to life with De Gea tipping a sublime Tielemans ball onto the woodwork.

This was before Ronaldo, who spurned a first-half chance with Manchester United ahead, saw home goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel palm over his shot from inside the area.

It was rip-roaring action from there on as Caglar Soyuncu turned the tide with a close-range effort in the 78th minute.

Marcus Rashford, returning after shoulder surgery in August, then levelled for Manchester United in the 82nd minute.

Less than 60 seconds later, however, substitute Ayoze Perez chipped the ball into Vardy’s path and the striker gave De Gea no chance.

It was with a superb volley with the outside of his foot, delighting the home fans in the King Power stadium.

Substitute Patson Daka put the icing on the cake for Leicester City in stoppage time.

This was as more poor defending gave the Zambian striker time and space to tap the ball in from point-blank range at the far post.

Manchester United slipped to fifth in the standings on 14 points from eight games, four behind leaders Liverpool who thrashed Watford 5-0 away in the lunch-time kick-off.

Leicester City climbed to 11th on 11 points