Leicester City defeated Manchester United 2-1 on Tuesday evening, making Manchester City the Premier League champions for the third time in four seasons. A much-changed United side sporting ten changes welcomed Brendan Rodgers’ Champions League chasing visitors with both having an eye on key matches coming up in the next few days
As expected, Leicester controlled much of the ball with United happy to sit off and be patient. That changed in the tenth minute when Tielemens ran onto Marc Albrighton’s through ball before lifting up a cross. The ball evaded Vardy in the middle but found 19-year-old left back Luke Thomas who ran in and side footed the ball into the top right corner for his first Premier League goal.
19 – At 19 years and 335 days, Luke Thomas is the youngest player to score his first Premier League goal in a match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Stage. #MUNLEI
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 11, 2021
United’s response was swift as Matic’s ball over the top found teenager Amad Diallo who laid it on to Mason Greenwood. The attacker dodged his markers cleverly before shooting across Schmeichel to bring the Red Devils level within five minutes of falling behind.
Mason Greenwood has scored 7 goals in the Premier League this season. Across Europe’s top five leagues, no teenager has scored more.
Phenom. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SdKQiPfdSC
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 11, 2021
The game settled down after that with both the teams looking to run at opposing defences, but with the backlines alert, the score remained 1-1 at halftime.
The second half started scrappily with some niggly fouls by both sides. Leicester, though, picked up their attacking intent soon enough with De Gea getting down low to stop Iheanacho from scoring after some loose play by United in their penalty box. They did retake the lead midway through, with Soyuncu thumping home an Albrighton corner.
Çağlar Söyüncü rose highest to head home brilliantly from an Albrighton corner ⚽️
2️⃣-1️⃣ to the Foxes! Come on! 💪#MunLei https://t.co/tueNhb8Ypa
— Leicester City (@LCFC) May 11, 2021
Solskjaer brought on the trio of Cavani, Rashford and Bruno Fernandes to salvage the match but it was to no effect. Leicester saw out the game with the minimum of fuss, except for one Fernandes shot that the Portuguese slashed well wide of goal. Rodgers’ men picked up a vital win while the loss for United confirmed their neighbours as champions of England once again.
Here are the three key takeaways from the match:
FUTURE BRIGHT FOR RED DEVILS
United started two debutants in the match, and both impressed. Diallo caused problems for Leicester with his direct running and taking on defenders, which led to his assist for Greenwood’s goal. Elanga on the other flank showed plenty of potential as well, especially with his willingness to chase the ball. The Red Devils, arguably, played the better football in the first half with the new look team than with their established stars towards the end of the match.
2006 – Amad Diallo Traore assisting Mason Greenwood is the first time two teenagers have combined for a Premier League goal since May 2006, when David Wheater set up Adam Johnson for Middlesbrough against Bolton. Dirtbags. #MUNLEI
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 11, 2021
With three matches in less than a week, Solskjaer was bound to rotate his players and the young team did not disappoint. Even after going down, they kept themselves in the match and deservedly drew level through the first half. Though this was their fifth home defeat of the season, United fans can really look forward to watching more of these youngsters balling next season.
FOXES WIN CRITICAL CLASH
Rodgers’ men came into the fixture knowing three points is absolutely necessary in their quest for the Champions League. With Chelsea, West Ham, and Liverpool all vying for two spots, the Foxes notched up a major win with Soyuncu’s goal in the second half. They controlled the game for most portions, winning the midfield battles with Tielemans and Ndidi towering over their opponents.
Youri Tielemans’ game by numbers vs. Man Utd:
77% pass accuracy
24 final third passes
6 ball recoveries
5 passes inside the box
3 shots — all blocked
3 tackles attempted
2 tackles won
1 assistSuch a top midfielder. 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/XyJV0QfpOZ
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 11, 2021
Though United brought on their most dangerous creative players, Leicester had enough in the tank to effectively manage the situation with Cavani and Rashford hardly having a whiff. Fernandes came closest with a miscued shot but by then the writing was on the wall for Solskjaer and his men.
CITY CHAMPIONS AGAIN
United’s defeat confirmed Pep Guardiola’s men as winners of the Premier League for a fifth time in the past decade. They had been waiting for a while, but it was the absolute slimmest of chances for the Red Devils to mount any sort of title charge at this stage.
Rashford and co. meet Liverpool on Thursday night and remain second in the table, while Leicester solidify their grip on the bronze behind them as a meeting with Chelsea in the FA Cup final beckons.
