Manchester United thrashed Leicester City 5-2 at Old Trafford to make it into the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup, thanks to two goals each from Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, alongside an exquisite strike from Garnacho. The fuming, ill-tempered fans were thrilled to six of the seven goals, all coming in the opening period. Leicester tried to keep up with the pace of the game in the second half in search of a third goal and to pile pressure on United. However, the hosts defended well and then took their opportunity just before the hour mark, when Fernandes capitalized on a mistake by Okoli to round the keeper and make it 5-2. Both teams registered a few more chances as Diallo and Fernandes went close for United. Bayindir came up chumps to tip Soumare’s strike from a distance onto the crossbar at the other end. This win got Van Nistelrooy's interim managerial reign off to a successful start heading into the weekend, as they face Chelsea at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Leicester will be looking to bounce back to winning ways as they tackle stubborn Ipswich.
Erik Ten Hag was sacked on the cusp of a disappointing result against West Ham (2 - 1) last weekend and a string of poor results over his two-year spell. The last result left Manchester United 14th in the Premier League table, signalling their worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign. Former legendary Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy took charge of United as the attention was turned to the EFL Cup, a competition United won back in 2023, and they got their cup journey off to a comfortable start with a 7-0 success over Barnsley back in September.
Van Nistelrooy made four changes to the side that was beaten by West Ham, as Onana, Mazraoui, Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund all dropped out, and they have been replaced in the starting line-up by Bayindir, Lindelof, Ugarte and Zirkzee. Meanwhile, his opposite number retained only two Leicester players who started against Forest last time out, Okoli and Justin in defence. There was no place for Jamie Vardy in the squad, as Ayew led the line up front for the Foxes. Since the start of 2017-18, Leicester have reached five League Cup quarterfinals, the joint-most of any side, alongside Manchester City.
The Foxes were the first out of the blocks with an attacking threat down the flank in the 10th minute as Ayew unleashed the first shot on target. He tried his luck from the edge of the box, but his curling effort was too close to Bayindir, who made a comfortable save. Five minutes later, Manchester United responded after twinkling toes Garnacho left a few players in his wake down the left wing. He cut it back to Fernandes, who cleverly dummies the ball, which fell kindly to Casemiro. The midfielder had time and space to look up and curled a fantastic 30-yarder straight into the top right corner of the net as the goalkeeper stood in awe, looking at the strike like a patron in the front row admiring the beauty pageants at a Miss World contest. There have been some outstanding strikes in EFL Cup competitions over the years, but the fans would agree that the strike by the Brazilian is ahead of the pack by miles. That strike was Sweeter than a mother's kiss at bedtime.
The goal seemed to have sparked United to life; they were all playing the ball around the lush green pitch quicker with intent and purpose, trying to make something happen in the final third. In the 28th minute, Casemiro, who opened the deadlock, played a lovely ball over the top of the Leicester defence for Dalot to run onto the end of down the right wing; he held off his defender before drilling a low-tailored cross into the penalty area. Garnacho was left unmarked at the far post and latched on to the pass to swizzle home a lovely strike to double United’s lead.
Van Nistelrooy was jubilant, punching the air on the sideline as his team scored two goals. On the other hand, Leicester City’s Steve Cooper was furious on the bench, as he immediately appealed against the second United goal, hoping that Dalot was offside. However, his plea went on deaf ears as the linesman kept his flag down; there was no VAR, so there could not be a review. This match was the fourth League Cup meeting between Manchester United (2 wins) and Leicester (1 win), and the first since the 2002-03 third round, the Red Devils winning 2-0 with goals from David Beckham and Kieran Richardson.
Leicester sprung back to life in the 33rd minute after Luke Thomas whipped a cross into the box from the right wing, and Bayindir got off his line to punch it clear but did not get much purchase on it. The ball fell loosely to El Khannouss, who powers an effort towards goal; it struck the bottom right post, then flew across to the left post before trickling over the line to make it 2-1.
Unreal.@Casemiro and @B_Fernandes8 enjoyed themselves against Leicester 🔥#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 31, 2024
As cliche as it may sound, from hero to villain instantaneously went El Khannouss, who tripped Garnacho on the edge of the penalty area after some excellent play by the United winger, which handed the home side a free kick in an excellent shooting position in the 33rd minute. Fernandes stepped up to take a free-kick right on the edge of the penalty area. He tried to find the top right corner, but Justin got a head on it and tried to block it. However, his header sent it straight into the back of the net, with Ward no chance of stopping that as he had already gone the other way. The strike by Bruno restored United’s two-goal cushion and marked his first two-goal the season in all competitions.
An adage once said, “when it rains, it pours,” and sure was the goal from Manchester United. It was Casemiro again in the 39th minute with his second of the game! The midfielder struck the post with his initial header, and the rebound bounced dangerously around the box. Leicester was unable to clear it, and it fell luckily back to Casemiro, who smashed the ball into the back of the net from close range.
Moments after the smoke settled from the fans in their euphoric moment, Casemiro as inches away from being the 57th player in the history of Manchester United to score a hat trick when Fernandes chipped a free-kick over the top of the Leicester defence, and Casemiro was left unmarked and tried to find the back of the net with a header. Still, he miscued his header and went across the bottom right post, missing the post by a whisker.
On the stroke of half time, Luke Thomas fizzed a free-kick deep into the penalty area, and it was sloppy from United, allowing the ball to strike Dalot, who could not control it, and Conor Coady was in the right place; at the right time, to send it into the back of the net from a few yards out to make it 4-2. One would believe the beer stands and the restroom stalls were empty as the fans remained glued to their seats in a thrilling first half.
After a quick team talk by both managers, the second half was on its way again; Ruud Van Nistelrooy was expecting more of the same and hoped his players managed the game well. In contrast, Cooper would want to score the next goal to set the cats among the pigeons.
In the 58th minute, Garnacho pulled the ball back to Fernandes on the edge of the box, who got a shout from Zirkzee, and he left it for the striker, who took a touch and fired an effort towards the Leicester goal. It was powerful, but too close to Ward, who made a good save.
A minute later, Fernandes, with his second of the game, made it 5-2. The skipper tried to play a one-two with Rashford down the left, but it did not come off. However, Okoli then played a pass back to Ward but did not get enough pace on the pass, and Fernandes latched onto the end of it. He showed great skill and composure in hoodwinking Ward, then blasted the ball past Coady on the line to score.
After the fifth goal, both managers made a myriad of changes. Diallo came close to making it six. Fernandes whipped a teasing cross into the box from the right; the ball was headed across the goal by Dalot before Mazraoui sent it into the path of Diallo. The substitute went for an acrobatic overhead kick, but it flew wide from the bottom left post. Bayindir was called into action in the 67th minute and did respond with a fantastic stop to deny Soumare, who powered a thunderbolt towards goal from outside the area; the ball appeared to be heading into the top left corner of the net. However, the keeper got fingertips to it and pushed it onto the crossbar.
First game = win for van Nistelrooy 🔴🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/k82f65xO8i
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 30, 2024
It was a game of two halves that Manchester United dominated. The last best chance fell to the 2022 champions in the 83rd minute when Casemiro delivered a lofty ball over the top of the Leicester defence for Fernandes to run onto the end of, and the United skipper took the shot on the volley. Still, he was left in awe as his effort sizzled over the crossbar from close range. Since the opening whistle, Fernandes has been heavily involved and has looked eager to get his hat trick since opening his account. The referee added two minutes to the 90 minutes as the game trickled to a grinding halt, much to the delight of the new interim manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy and the home supporters, while the visitors licked their chops and headed down the tunnel.
Manchester United will now tussle up with archrivals Tottenham Hotspurs in the quarterfinals at The Stadium on December 17, 2024. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have a long-standing rivalry in English football, having faced each other numerous times across various competitions, including the English Football League (EFL) Cup. Historically, Manchester United has had the edge over Spurs, winning 40 of their last 65 meetings since 1995, while Tottenham has won 12, with 13 games ending in draws.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have a notable history in the EFL Cup, with Manchester United typically having the upper hand. The teams have met in critical stages of the competition, with United defeating Spurs in the 2009 final after a penalty shootout following a goalless draw at Wembley. That victory helped United secure their third League Cup title. On the other hand, they won the 2008 final against Chelsea, their last major trophy win to date. Both clubs have rich EFL Cup histories, but United's success has generally been more consistent, while Tottenham has not won the cup since that 2008 victory. Irrespective of the outcome of this encounter, the eyes of the fans will be on the match-up.