Leicester 0 Man Utd 1: Jadon Sancho’s winner heaps more pressure on rock bottom Foxes and boss Brendan Rodgers
FROM the depths of crisis to fifth in the Premier League in the space of ten days, Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United’s have lift-off.
And after Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford continued to fuel this min-revival, can the United duo now earn a place on the plane to Qatar in November?
Sancho netted for the second time in United’s three-match winning run, after a classy assist from Rashford, as United deepened the air of despair around Leicester and piled further pressure on Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers.
Gareth Southgate had claimed that Sancho and Rashford had a long way to go to force their way back into his World Cup plans, as both suffered an alarming plunge in form last season.
Rashford enjoyed a bright first half here but struggled after the break and may still have a lot more convincing to do but he is a favourite of Southgate, who needs more goalscoring options.
And with £82million Antony newly arrived from Ajax, competition for places in the United forward is about to get stiffer.
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Transfer deadline has now passed without Cristiano Ronaldo getting away from Old Trafford as well.
So Ten Hag has plenty of options and a certain level of optimism is creeping into a team which was humiliated in that horrific first half at Brentford last month.
The transformative victory over Liverpool, when Sancho and Rashford both scored, has now been followed up by back-to-back away wins.
Yet Leicester were poor, they are a team which looks to have had the lifeblood sucked out of them after a miserable transfer window.
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It only takes one window of weakening to see a club plummet down this league, so competitive and ambitious are many of the top flight’s smaller clubs.
Leicester, who have allowed Kasper Schmeichel and Wesley Fofana to leave, have fallen into that trap and one point from five games leave Rodgers in desperate need of a result at Brighton on Sunday.
United face a serious test of their growing confidence when leaders Arsenal arrive at Old Trafford defending a 100 per cent record at the weekend.
But there has been steady progress. This is a team finding its balance and shape after a lengthy period of chaos.
Two victories and two statement signings had already improved the mood significantly at United.
Antony and midfield anchor man Casemiro may have cost the sharp end of £150m but the two Brazilians will add quality to Ten Hag’s squad.
Antony was not signed in time to feature here, while Casemiro started on the bench but there had been a feeling that Ten Hag was getting to grips with his task in those victories over Liverpool and Southampton.
Ronaldo, whose jailbreak had failed, and former Leicester man Harry Maguire, again started on the bench.
And Leicester, who have won both the Premier League and FA Cup more recently than United, had replaced their visitors as the designated crisis club of the week.
But after a frustrating summer, the Foxes had at least managed to get their first outfield signing over the line, with Belgian centre-back Wout Faes arriving from Reims for £15million.
And Youri Tielemans, wanted by Arsenal among others, started here to end any lingering fears that he might head off before the deadline.
It was scruffy to begin with, Christian Eriksen whistling a shot just wide and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s free-kick met with a comfortable save from David De Gea.
But United’s opener, midway through the first half, was sweet in its simplicity.
Diogo Dalot fed Bruno Fernandes down the right and the Portuguese found Rashford, whose cute pass allowed Sancho to round a flailing Danny Ward and slot into an empty net.
Rashford was lively, his movement causing problems for Leicester’s defence, and he almost teed up a second for Sancho, whose shot was blocked.
And Fernandes was here, there and everywhere, dictating the match as he used to in his early days as a United player.
Harvey Barnes curled one just wide of the far post but United were looking the more assured side, the Foxes struggling for rhythm and confidence.
The home support was growing increasingly frustrated and there was isolated booing at the half-time whistle.
There was more positivity around the place early in the second half when a James Maddison free-kick, from almost 30 yards out, was struck with venom but was pushed away from the top corner by De Gea.
It was a mark of Leicester’s improved threat that Ten Hag brought on Casemiro, in place of winger Anthony Elanga, just before the hour mark.
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Maddison, though, was beginning to cause United serious problems and he was wrestled over by Scott McTominay just outside the area but this time his dead-ball effort was charged down.
Ronaldo arrived in place of Sancho midway through the second half and he soon attempted a bicycle kick from an angle, yet duffed his effort wide across goal.