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Jamie Vardy had a quiet afternoon before playing a major role in Leicester’s late draw
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers said his team showed the personality of a “great club”, as they came from behind twice to win a point against Manchester United.
Axel Tuanzebe deflected a close-range effort from Jamie Vardy, who had a quiet afternoon, into his own goal in the 85th minute to deny the visitors a record 11 consecutive away wins in the Premier League.
Bruno Fernandes had given United the lead with just over 10 minutes to go when he latched on to replace Edinson Cavani’s deep pass and passed Kasper Schmeichel.
Marcus Rashford opened the scoring when he reached the end of a Fernandes pass to slip in for his 50th goal in the top flight, before Harvey Barnes drew a good first-half tie.
The Foxes remain second in the table and Rodgers says his team’s endurance shows they can “compete at the highest level.”
“We showed a lot of potential last year, but with more training time and more confidence the players will improve,” said Rodgers, whose team has already beaten Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal this season.
“When you play against big clubs, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, they have that personality, but we play with personality and authority in the game.
“We are nowhere near in terms of budget, but from a football perspective we were competitive.”
The result at the King Power Stadium ended United’s 10-game winning streak in the league on the road, a distance from the record set by Chelsea in 2008.
“We gave them a lot of trouble and looking at it, we had real authority in the game,” added Rodgers.
“It was the least we deserved. We showed real quality and we showed that we can compete at the same level against a team that had won every game away from home.”
Both teams maintained their pre-match position in the table ahead of Saturday’s other matches, with Leicester three points behind leaders Liverpool and one points ahead of third-placed United.
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Both coaches recognized the threat of a counter attack from their opponents before the game, and it wasn’t long before the first opportunity came.
Rashford should have given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United the lead in the second minute when Fernandes slashed the ball toward the back post, but the unmarked English forward headed wastefully over the bar.
Just a minute later, the Foxes lunged the other end and the impressive James Justin fired a fierce cross for Vardy, but Victor Lindelof was able to clear the danger.
That theme continued for the remainder of the contest, as the teams that started on the second and third day on the table eventually canceled each other.
Rodgers’ hosts had a bit more possession, but United, who have the best road record in the division, managed to produce one more shot.
Half a century for Rashford
Rashford has led by example off the pitch this year, having successfully campaigned for the government to extend free school meals during the coronavirus pandemic and winning a special sports personality award from the BBC.
The 23-year-old has also been exceptional on the pitch, becoming the third-youngest United player to reach 50 Premier League goals, behind Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he will surely be disappointed to have left Leicester without the match ball.
He recovered well from his early mistake to pick up Fernandes’ pass and slip the first goal past Schmeichel.
But the Foxes goalkeeper prevailed in their next game, saving magnificently when Rashford was clean.
Only Fernandes have scored more goals for the club than Rashford’s six this season, but the United academy graduate has to be more clinical to deliver the biggest prizes to Old Trafford and enjoy the successes of Rooney and Ronaldo.
‘Close, but not close enough’ – what they said
Rodgers, Leicester City manager, speaking to BBC Sport: “We showed the mindset to come back. I thought part of our attacking game was very good. You are playing against a team that is so fast on the counter, but I felt like we counterattacked – cousin very well.
“Today was another sign of improvement for us, where if you can’t win, you make sure you don’t lose it, so I’m satisfied with the mentality.”
On Vardy: “I thought he was outstanding today. The space he creates with his movement and career. I am delighted for the team, delighted for Jamie and it was a good football game.”
Manchester United manager Solskjaer told BBC Sport: “When there are 10 minutes to go and we score a goal, you think: ‘Take the ball and watch the game.’ But it wasn’t like that, we’ve come back so many times from losing positions to win, so we know the feeling of the other side.
“Marcus Rashford is always upbeat. He’s always there or there to score goals. Good ending and he knows he had a couple more chances, but that’s football for you.
“Victor Lindelof has a back problem and it seems to have worsened it today. We had an early kick-off and that gives us a few more hours to prepare for the next game.”
“We knew today was going to be difficult. It was close to a victory, but not nearly enough.”
United happiest on the road – the statistics
- Manchester United are undefeated in their last 14 league matches away from home, winning 11. It is their longest streak since January 2011 (16 matches).
- Leicester City have conceded 191 goals in the top flight against Manchester United; he has only let in more against Arsenal (206).
- United are the first team to score two or more goals in 11 consecutive away games in the top flight since they did so themselves in March 1959 (13 games).
- Leicester manager Rodgers has failed to win 10 of his 12 Premier League games as manager against United, losing nine.
- Manchester United striker Cavani has five goals as a substitute in the league this season (three goals and two assists), two more than any other player.
- Leicester City’s Barnes has scored seven goals in 20 games in 2020-21, already matching his last term tally in 42 appearances.
Whats Next?
Leicester will travel to Crystal Palace on Monday (start at 15:00 GMT), while Manchester United host Wolves the following night (20:00).
Credit: BBC
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