October 16, (THEWILL) – Leicester City defeated Manchester United 4-2 in a Premier League thriller, with late goals from Jamie Vardy and Patson Daka and ended the Red Devils’ long unbeaten away run in the Premier League.
This was supposed to be United’s easier match in what will be a gruelling series of matches in the coming weeks, but Leicester did not seem to get the memo, ensuring that United’s English league record of 29 games without defeat on the road did not reach a 30th milestone.
They pressed the visitors early on, causing them to make a series of errors, and they could have been ahead if they had been more clinical in the final third.
Mason Greenwood, who appeared out of nowhere on the right flank to create a yard of space before opening up his body to send a rocket of a left foot shot into the back of the net, broke the deadlock for United instead.
The hosts responded quickly and kept up their neat passing football, which resulted in a spectacular equaliser. Harry Maguire was caught in possession by Nigeria’s Kelechi Iheanacho, who started for Brendan Rodgers’ side, as United attempted to play out from behind.
Iheanacho then found Youri Tielemans just inside the box, who produced a fantastic clipped effort that flew past De Gea to draw both sides level one minute after the half hour mark.
Leicester continued to dominate possession in the second half and looked the most likely to score, but United rode their luck to stay level.
However, three goals were scored in the span of five minutes. Caglar Soyuncu was in the right place at the right time to tuck the ball into the back of the net from a corner, and Leicester took the lead.
Then, with a perfect run, Marcus Rashford, returning to the United lineup after his surgery, went one on one with Kasper Schmeichel to make it two goals apiece. But United could not hold on, as Jamie Vardy scored a composed half-volley from inside the box 15 seconds later, sending the home fans into a frenzy.
Leicester substitute Patson Daka’s gamble finally paid off as he made it 4-2 in the final minutes of the game.
It is United’s first away league defeat in 30 games (since a 2-0 loss at Liverpool in January 2020), and the first time the Red Devils have conceded four goals in an away league game since April 2019 (0-4 vs Everton), according to the stat aggregator OptaJoe.
The Foxes’ next two fixtures are away to Spartak Moscow in Europe, followed by a trip to London to face the sensational newboys Brentford. In the Champions League, United will host Atalanta before hosting Liverpool at Old Trafford, which this result and Liverpool’s 5-0 thrashing of Watford makes for an interesting spectacle to look forward to.
Hopefully, the Iheanacho factor will prevail on Rodgers to give him more starting opportunities as his assist for the leveller means he has been directly involved in 23 goals in his last 26 games for Leicester in all competitions, scoring 17 and making six assists for an astonishing productive display.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
