EPL 2016/17: Manchester United 4-1 Leicester City - 5 talking points
Manchester United inflicted a heavy defeat on Premier League champions Leicester City, as a whirlwind first-half performance was sufficient to claim all three points at Old Trafford. Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba were all on target for Manchester United in a first half which saw them score thrice in the space of 5 minutes.
Despite substitute Demarai Gray’s brilliant goal in the second half, the result was beyond doubt once the half-time whistle was blown.
The defeat meant that Claudio Ranieri’s side have now lost as many games this season (three) as they lost in the entirety of their fairytale Premier League winning season last time around.
We discuss the talking points from a memorable game for Manchester United fans at Old Trafford:
#1 Wayne Rooney’s exclusion United’s blessing in disguise?
Following a series of poor performances, it was no surprise to see Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney dropped from the starting line-up against the champions.
His disastrous 90 minutes against League One’s Northampton in the EFL Cup was the tipping point of Jose Mourinho’s patience, as many had anticipated. His absence meant that Juan Mata was able to start in his favourite Number 10 role behind the striker.
That move worked perfectly, as Mata constantly found gaps in the Foxes’ defence with his vision and, had the freedom to hover around the penalty area to conjure up an unlikely goal-scoring opportunity. He even helped himself to a goal (United’s second), thumping home with his left foot following a move which commenced with a wonderful chip pass by Paul Pogba.
Judging from the manner in which United trounced Leicester in the first half, Rooney may well fear that he may be neglected from first team affairs in the coming weeks of United’s campaign.
Mourinho – who has never been afraid to make the ‘big’ calls – might just have hit the nail on the head with a similarly massive call of dropping the club captain.