Leicester City 0-3 Manchester United: Hojlund nets first goal of 2025 as Red Devils defeat sorry Foxes
Manchester United secured a comfortable 3-0 victory in the Premier League against Leicester City, aided by the full league debut of Ayden Heaven. The former interim manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has now witnessed his relegation-threatened team suffer a record seventh consecutive home defeat in the top flight without finding the net.
The match began quietly, with the only notable moment being an early chance where Jamie Vardy forced a save from Andre Onana with a close-range effort.
The first half came to life when Christian Eriksen struck the far post with a well-placed first-time shot. Shortly thereafter, Patson Daka appeared to be on the verge of scoring, but a timely tackle from Heaven thwarted his advance.
Bruno Fernandes, increasingly vital to Ruben Amorim’s United, played a key role in the opening goal in the 28th minute. He skillfully set up Rasmus Hojlund, who advanced towards goal and finished with precision using his weaker foot, marking his first goal of 2025.
United maintained control for the remainder of the first half, although Leicester occasionally threatened, with Manuel Ugarte making a vital interception to deny Wilfred Ndidi and Daka having his powerful shot blocked by Heaven.
Despite a commendable performance on his full league debut, the 18-year-old Heaven was regrettably taken off on a stretcher shortly after the second half began.
With no center-backs available on the bench, midfielder Toby Collyer stepped in as his replacement. However, this change did not disrupt United's momentum, as they soon scored again.
Alejandro Garnacho initially celebrated what seemed to be a goal, only to have it ruled out for offside after he neatly finished from inside the box.
Nevertheless, just ten minutes later, the Argentine successfully doubled the visitors’ lead, catching Mads Hermansen off guard with a quick shot from a similar position, marking his first goal since November.
With the points already secured, Fernandes added to his tally by scoring his third goal of the evening, marking his eighth goal against Leicester this season, as he finished from the edge of the penalty area.
Having previously suffered two defeats to United during Van Nistelrooy's tenure, this match represents Leicester's fourth loss to the same opponent this season, a rare occurrence as it is only the second time they have been defeated four times by a single team in one campaign.
This defeat marks Leicester's 13th in 14 Premier League matches, and results from other games leave them nine points adrift of safety in 19th place. Meanwhile, the Red Devils have moved up to 13th, with their spirits possibly improving following their advancement in the UEFA Europa League earlier in the week.
SportsLigue