United recorded their third consecutive league win, a feat last achieved in April 2021.With a dogged, stubborn if unspectacular performance against Brendan Rogers’ beleaguered Leicester City.
United manager Erik ten Hag was happy with the battling display, commenting,
“We defended with 11 and attacked with 11…the [defence] is the base for winning games. That makes you hard to beat. We have to stick to that and then we will progress [when in possession], where I know we can be better.”
Ten Hag after the win
Jadon Sancho kept a cool head to round Danny Ward and finish tidily after Marcus Rashford’s through-ball on 23 minutes.
United maintained control throughout the rest of the match, with Leicester rarely looking likely to equalise. The closest the bottom-of-the-league side came was with a spectacularly struck 30-yard free kick by James Maddison, which was matched by an acrobatic David de Gea save.
A Thursday night away game against a desperate but potentially dangerous Leicester City side was always going to be more about the result than the performance. Erik ten Hag seemed pleased with his side’s togetherness, fighting spirit and game management; but will know there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Men of the Match – defence on top and no easy way back for Maguire
In what is quickly becoming a headache for out-of-favour captain Harry Maguire; United’s current first-choice centre back pairing of Raphael Varane and new signing Lisandro Martinez looked formidable. Both centre halves would be in with a shout for last night’s ‘Man of the Match’ award.
Varane’s calmness, positioning and stature look to be perfectly complemented by the diminutive Argentine’s tenacity, aggressiveness and determination. We all know Varane can win a header, but contrary to the somewhat knee-jerk opinions proffered by some of football’s more capricious pundits, 5’9” Martinez is also excellent in the air; his aerial duel stats being some of the best in the league.
“Martinez’s proactive defending and aggressiveness suit Varane, [who now] has more surety and can play his natural game. Maguire was often in-between or hesitant, which causes disfunction.”
@Utd_Analytics via Twitter
Full backs Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia also turned in impressive performances again; casting further doubt on Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s prospects in this new-look United squad.
Scott McTominay put in another decent, disciplined defensive performance, anchoring the midfield and distributing the ball well. The extent of his contribution to the season remains to be seen, with the world-class Casemiro; who made another promising cameo last night, building up to full match-fitness. However, performances like last night’s will have pleased the manager.
Sancho starting to click but Rashford needs to show more
A victim of his own astronomical price tag; Jadon Sancho hasn’t yet been that consistent 8-9/10 performer that we saw at Borussia Dortmund. Where his goal involvements peaked at close to 1 per game in the 19/20 and 20/21 seasons.
However, since United’s abject, embarrassing display away at Brentford, he has been at the forefront of United’s mini-revival with a couple of goals and some very promising link-up play. Skilful, quick over short distances and with an eye for goal, United fans are desperate to see him kick on from here and fulfil his potential.
For a club whose success down the years was built on pacy, attacking wing play, the prospect of Sancho and brand-new signing Antony on the same pitch and playing their best football has rightly got United fans excited for the future.
Marcus Rashford, on the other hand, still needs to show more. He turned in yet another mediocre performance and did register the assist for the goal, but his other contributions were limited, and he never really looked like scoring. A Wythenshawe lad and lifelong United fan, Marcus is close to the hearts of most Reds, but at what point does a slump in performance become the new norm?
The return of Anthony Martial is imminent and new signing Antony is sure to be a starter given his huge transfer fee and relationship with the manager. Cristiano Ronaldo, who was a 68th minute substitute for Jadon Sancho and came close with an acrobatic scissor kick, will also be a Red until at least January.
This means that, for Marcus Rashford, the time to deliver and stake your claim for consistent first-team football is now.
It’s not a question of desire, willingness or even ability, and Ten Hag will continue to give him chances, but he does need to turn that corner soon. Come on Marcus!
Bring on the Arsenal
After the dramatic and much-needed win against Liverpool, Stretford Paddock’s Joe McGrath recently said,
“I’d like to United to stay out of the headlines for the next two games. Win them both, no drama, and build confidence ahead of the Arsenal match.”
Joe McGrath via Stretford Paddock
This is exactly what United have done. Two away wins, two clean sheets, no injuries picked up and playing some decent football. On Sunday we welcome an old enemy, Arsenal, to Old Trafford. The Gunners have made a perfect start to the season, with Gabriel Jesus a surprise stand-out. United’s new-look back four will need to continue their rich vein of form for this massive clash, and we’ll probably need to show more going forward to get a result.
However, unlike after the abysmal opening two games of the season, we now know United have a huge performance in them and the ability to manage tight games, and Erik ten Hag will demand nothing less.
If the fans can replicate the atmosphere from the Liverpool game, Antony and Casemiro can be integrated at short notice, and everyone plays to their full potential, maybe – just maybe – we can beat the league leaders and complete what would be a remarkable turnaround after our dreadful start to the season.
Like Erik ten Hag said: they can fucking play good football!