Leicester City all but secure Champions League qualification after win over Manchester United
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers and his players were seen jumping with joy after a job well done against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
The Northern Irishman breathed a huge sigh of relief and rushed onto the pitch to congratulate his players. His demeanor was telling of what the moment meant to the team.
Leicester City have been in this position before. Last season, they were in the Premier League top four for a large part of the campaign but ended up falling off in the most crucial moment.
However, the Foxes have now risen to third place in the English top flight after defeating Manchester United 1-2, with just two matches remaining.
Leicester City too much for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s experimental side
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named an experimental side on Tuesday in a bid to manage his squad ahead of a congested fixture pile.
Leicester City took full advantage of this fact and dominated the game. The Foxes opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Luke Thomas smashed home a beauty.
Mason Greenwood restored parity for the Red Devils five minutes later, but Caglar Soyuncu won it for the Foxes with a towering header in the 66th minute.
Manchester United’s youngsters held their own, but Leicester City were just too much for them. The Foxes completely dominated the game and only came under a bit of pressure when Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani came on.
Leicester City on course to secure UEFA Champions League football
Leicester City’s win over Manchester United has taken them above Chelsea and back to third place in the Premier League.
The Foxes are now eight points above fifth-placed West Ham United and one more point ahead of Liverpool.
Rodgers said after the game (as quoted by Team Talk):
“It was a huge step [towards the Champions League]. I am so proud of the team. We started well and Luke scored an amazing goal.”
“Once we scored we went sloppy and gave the ball away too easily which encouraged them. In the second half we were much better and restricted them.”
As things stand, Leicester City are well on course to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.