Manchester United provided the perfect reaction to Erik ten Hag’s dismissal on Wednesday evening as they progressed to the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
Guided by former icon Ruud van Nistelrooy in his first outing as interim manager, the Red Devils thrashed a second-string Leicester City side 5-2 at Old Trafford. It was a joyous evening for the United faithful as they witnessed a strong performance from their team ahead of the seemingly imminent arrival of Ruben Amorim as the club’s next permanent head coach.
United, who will travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the last eight, have had few evenings of bliss over the past few months and will be keen to keep the good times rolling when they welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford at the weekend.
Here are four things we learned from United‘s mauling of Leicester.
Recent weeks have proven frustrating for a myriad of reasons but one chief concern has been United’s profligacy. The Red Devils were creating chances under Erik ten Hag, as evidenced by their 2.34 xG tally at West Ham United on Sunday, but were failing to convert in the decisive moments.
That was certainly not an issue at Old Trafford on Wednesday. While they were aided by a lifeless Leicester defence and the odd slice of fortune, United were far more ruthless in the final third under Van Nistelrooy, producing several goals that the legendary Dutch forward would have been proud of scoring himself.
23 shots, nine on target, four big chances created and an xG of 2.95 tells the story.
Casemiro’s days may still be numbered at United but the experienced Brazilian offered a strong impression of his younger self on Wednesday. While also screening the back four effectively with some excellent defensive interventions, it was his attacking contributions that caught the eye.
The midfielder has never been shy of chipping in with goals since moving to Man Utd, although he has never scored one as sweet as his first on Wednesday. Collecting the ball from 30 yards, the South American fired an inch-perfect drive into the far top corner to stun the Old Trafford crowd.
A scrappier second highlighted his influence from deliveries into the box, with Casemiro’s brace perhaps sending a message to Amorim ahead of his appointment.
Alejandro Garnacho has often been the livewire for United this season and the Argentine was influential against the Foxes. The fleet-footed winger was a constant menace down the left-hand side and got on the scoresheet with a composed finish to double United’s lead in the first half.
By contrast, it was a much quieter evening for Marcus Rashford. The England international shone in the previous round against Barnsley – as did Garnacho – but failed to make the most of some promising moments here. On a night where United scored five, he failed to register a single goal contribution.
After a dream debut in which he scored the winning goal on the opening day of the Premier League season, Joshua Zirkzee has underwhelmed for his new club. A couple of assists in recent matches should have boosted his confidence for Leicester’s visit as he aimed to add to his debut strike, but the Dutchman was a passenger throughout.
He enjoyed just two touches in the Leicester box on a night where Steve Cooper’s side surrendered a flurry of chances and he was hardly involved in United’s link-up play in the final third. He’s firmly second in the pecking order behind Rasmus Hojlund.
