Bruno Fernandes marked his 250th Manchester United appearance with a memorable performance, leading the team to a 3-0 victory over Leicester in the Premier League. Fernandes scored the opening goal, claimed a second that went down as a Victor Kristiansen own goal, and provided the assist for Alejandro Garnacho’s third as United secured their third win in four games since Erik ten Hag’s sacking.
The result offers a strong foundation for Ruben Amorim, the incoming head coach, who will arrive in England on Monday. However, it will take a couple of days for him to receive his visa and officially take charge. Manchester United has yet to confirm the exact makeup of Amorim’s backroom staff or whether Ruud van Nistelrooy will remain involved, though the home fans gave the Dutchman a rousing send-off at the final whistle. Van Nistelrooy’s brief tenure as interim manager produced three wins and a draw from four games, though United remains in the bottom half of the table.
Leicester, despite their efforts, will feel unfortunate to leave without a goal. Manchester United’s first shot on target resulted in the opener, and their second came after a sustained period of Leicester pressure. Wilfred Ndidi had a great chance to equalize, breaking free of the offside trap and finding himself one-on-one with Andre Onana, but he squandered the opportunity, hitting his shot straight at the United keeper. From that point, Leicester struggled to recover, and United dominated the remainder of the match, condemning the visitors to their heaviest league defeat of the season.
Manchester United Cruise to 3-0 Win Over Leicester
Prior to the match, United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe presented Fernandes with a framed shirt to commemorate his 250th appearance. Fernandes, who had struggled for form earlier in the season, has been in much better shape recently, including apologizing to Ten Hag after the Carabao Cup win over Leicester on October 30 for not performing to his usual standards. His goal against Leicester was his fourth in as many games, a sign of his growing confidence.
The opening goal came from a well-struck shot from the edge of the penalty area after Amad Diallo provided the assist. Fernandes, clearly eager for more, celebrated enthusiastically, pointing to his thigh as if claiming credit for a second goal. He had missed a header from Noussair Mazraoui’s cross, but the ball deflected off his leg and into Kristiansen, who inadvertently put it into his own net.
Despite doubling their previous tally of first-half goals for the entire Premier League campaign, Manchester United celebrations were more subdued compared to the jubilation after their Carabao Cup victory over Leicester. Van Nistelrooy’s focus had shifted to doing a solid job for the club, a sentiment he expressed in his programme notes. He was able to enjoy United’s third goal, though. Garnacho, who had been ineffective as a first-half substitute for Marcus Rashford, had squandered a chance earlier when he slipped trying to cut inside a defender. But when Fernandes threaded a pass to the edge of the box, Garnacho showed composure, curling his seventh goal of the season into the corner of the net.
The Old Trafford crowd made their appreciation of Van Nistelrooy clear, and the Dutchman’s legacy as a player for Manchester United, where he scored 150 goals in five seasons, remains secure. Amorim will inherit a squad that, under Van Nistelrooy, has shown improvement, and when he makes his managerial debut against Ipswich on November 24, he will have the Dutchman’s brief but positive interim spell to thank for putting the team in its best form of the season so far.
Leicester will feel that the result could have been different. The absence of veteran striker Jamie Vardy, who missed the game due to a back injury, left the Foxes lacking the cutting edge needed to finish their chances. In addition to Ndidi’s missed opportunity, there was a speculative long-range effort from Abdul Fatawu that never threatened Onana, as the Leicester man slipped before taking the shot. Harry Winks also tried his luck from distance, but Onana saved easily, and the goalkeeper later denied Jordan Ayew’s low shot in the second half.
Despite Leicester having more shots on target (five compared to United’s three), all of Manchester United’s shots found the back of the net, adding to the Foxes’ frustration. It was a cruel outcome for Leicester, who could not capitalize on their opportunities, while United made the most of theirs to secure a comfortable win.
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