Leicester City 2-2 Manchester United: Player Ratings
Harry Maguire’s last-ditch goal denied Manchester United a victory in an entertaining game at the King Power Stadium.
The hosts went ahead when Jamie Vardy finished off a classic Leicester City counter-attack. The lead was canceled out 12 minutes later when Juan Mata tucked in a Lingard layoff at the far post. The Spaniard then put the visitors in front in the second half thanks to a magnificent free-kick from just outside the penalty area.
As Claude Puel’s side were left chasing the game, their task was made even harder when substitute Daniel Amartey was shown a red card for two bookable offences. The hosts, however, were not disheartened and kept fighting until Maguire latched on to Marc Albrighton’s long ball, slotting it into the far corner to spark jubilant celebrations amongst the Foxes supporters.
Here are the player ratings from the encounter:
Leicester City
Kasper Schmeichel – 6
Schmeichel made a flying save in the opening minute of the game. However, his technique for Mata’s free-kick was questionable, as he flapped a hand while diving across when a punch would have sufficed.
Danny Simpson – 6
Simpson was constantly tested by Martial and Young on the left wing, but managed to come out unscathed as no goals were scored from his flank. His night ended early due to injury.
Wes Morgan – 6.5
The skipper put in a typical centre-half’s performance – clearances and tackles aplenty to keep United’s attacking threats frustrated. He marshaled his back four strongly and it was only when the Foxes were chasing the game that the Leicester's defence began to get stretched.
Harry Maguire – 7.5
Maguire had the last laugh, receiving Albrighton’s lofted pass and coolly slotting it into the far corner to earn his side a point. Defensively, he was solid and did not leave any gaps for United to exploit in the penalty area.
Christian Fuchs – 6
Fuchs was unable to inject any quality into his crosses while going forward. At the back, he maintained his position and discipline to keep Lindelof quiet for the majority of the game.
Vicente Iborra – 6
The Spaniard misplaced a couple of passes in midfield to hand possession back to United, but had a good game overall, as he attempted to drive the ball forward when in possession.
Wilfried Ndidi - 6
The defensive midfielder showed desire to run around the middle of the park and win the ball back for his side. He is still vulnerable to committing aggressive fouls and rushing passes under pressure, which the 21-year old will improve as his career progresses.
Riyad Mahrez – 7.5
Mahrez let his fleet-footedness do the talking, cutting in from the right wing and feeding his team-mates on numerous occasions. He displayed excellent composure, waiting for Vardy to arrive in the box before laying the ball on a platter for him to finish.
Demarai Gray – 6.5
Gray’s movement in and around the attacking third gave Matic a few problems. He got more involved in the game after Leicester went behind, as the hosts looked to use his pace to make inroads into the United defence.
Marc Albrighton – 7
Albrighton made useful runs down the left-hand side of the pitch to test makeshift full-back Lindelof. He caught United out with a dinked ball off the last attack of the game, that found Maguire, who controlled the ball well before beating David de Gea to snatch a point for the Foxes.
Jamie Vardy – 7.5
Vardy scored his 50th Premier League goal, thanks to his desire to cover the yards for the Foxes. His work-rate was commendable.
Substitutes:
Daniel Amartey – 4
Amartey’s stint on the pitch lasted roughly 15 minutes, as he was sent off for two bookable offences – for hacking down Martial and Rashford respectively when he was well beaten for pace on the wings.
Shinji Okazaki – 6
The Japanese was introduced as a second striker alongside Vardy with the hopes of getting Leicester back into the game. He made a few nice runs down the middle, but was halted by United’s strong defending.
Ben Chilwell – 5
Chilwell came on in the 81st minute and didn’t have any real impact from left wing – no crosses or key passes of note.