Leicester City eye history but Man United's trophy wait goes on

Iheanacho made it nine goals in as many games for Brendan Rodgers’ side, who go on to face Southampton in their first FA Cup semi-final since 1982

Sun, 21 Mar, 2021 - 22:30

Ian Whittell

After four successive semi-final defeats, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had vowed to end that miserable run this season. Thanks to two goals from Leicester’s in-form striker Kelechi Iheanacho, at least losing a semi will not be a concern for Manchester United in this season’s FA Cup.

Iheanacho made it nine goals in as many games for Brendan Rodgers’ side, who go on to face Southampton in their first FA Cup semi-final since 1982.

Mason Greenwood handed United brief hope with a first-half equaliser, before Youri Tielemans restored Leicester’s lead as they became the first domestic team to inflict an away defeat on Solskjaer for 14 months.

In a season in which a top-four finish remains odds-on for United and their interest continues in the Europa League, this was a missed opportunity for Solskjaer, who left Bruno Fernandes on the bench for over an hour.

“Bruno has played a lot of football,” said Solskjaer. “On Thursday in Milan he broke all his records for physical stats and the boy is not inhuman.

“He’s also a human being and has played a game every three or four days. This was a chance to start Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek but the accumulation of games maybe caught up with us.

We just couldn’t find our normal spark, brightness, energy, and maybe all the games caught up with us. The international break comes at a good time for us and we will be ready by Easter, don’t worry about that.

The opening goal was a disaster for Brazilian midfielder Fred, who was enduring a torrid start to the tie, although he was not aided by his captain, Harry Maguire who rolled him the ball while he was being closed down by Leicester’s dynamic high press.

Fred panicked. A poor back pass towards his goalkeeper was easily picked off by Iheanacho who showed far more composure than either of them in rounding Dean Henderson and rolling the ball into the net.

For a defence that had conceded just thee goals in their previous 11 games, it was a farcical way to concede and Leicester’s second, after 51 minutes, was not much better.

Tielemans surged forward from halfway, playing a one-two with Iheanacho to bypass Nemanja Matic and, with Fred failing to predict the run, the Belgian ran at the United defence before beating Henderson with in the bottom corner.

It was no more than Leicester deserved. In United’s first meaningful attack of the game, Pogba, who scored the winner off the bench in the midweek Europa League victory, put in a cross which was dummied brilliantly by Donny van de Beek, allowing the ball to run for Greenwood who finished superbly.

With United behind early in the second half, the tie could — should — have been over just before the hour when Jamie Vardy embarrassed Maguire as he powered past him but inexplicably thumped his effort wide.

Solskjaer expressed his dissatisfaction via the substitutes’ board as he threw on four replacements — Luke Shaw, Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani, and Scott McTominay — in search of the equaliser.

Although United looked slightly more dangerous going forward, it was one of Solskjaer’s subs, McTominay, who had a double role to play in the third Leicester goal that ended their FA Cup interest, first when his 78th minute foul on Dennis Praet handed the Foxes a free-kick.

Marc Albrighton swung over an excellent far-post delivery which McTominay misjudged, allowing Iheanacho to meet it with a powerful header that Henderson could only push into the roof of his goal from close range.

Fernandes offered the prospect of a late consolation goal, with a magnificently-judged 30-yard free-kick which was destined for the top corner until Kasper Schmeichel made a brilliant save — a frustrating end to a frustrating, and fruitless, afternoon for United.

“When I left Celtic, I felt like I had won everything but I wanted to come to my next club with the ambition to win,” said Rodgers.

“OK there are lots of teams ahead of us with bigger budgets, bigger histories, whatever else. But the ambition is there for us to win titles and be competitive.

This club’s never won the FA Cup in its history — it’s been to four finals but the last one was 1969 — so to be able to win it would be special.

LEICESTER (3-4-1-2): Schmeichel 6; Fofana 7, Evans 7, Soyuncu 8; Albrighton 6, Ndidi 9, Tielemans 8, Castagne 6; Perez 6 (Praet 73, 6); Iheanacho 8, Vardy 6 (Choudhury 83).

MANCHESTER UNITED (4-2-3-1): Henderson 6; Wan-Bissaka 6, Lindelof 6, Maguire 5, Telles 6 (Shaw 64, 7); Fred 4 (Diallo 84), Matic 5 (Fernandes 64, 6); Greenwood 8, van de Beek 6 (Cavani 64, 6), Pogba 7 (McTominay 64, 5); Martial 6.

Referee: C Pawson 6.