Manchester United 5, Leicester City 2
Rejuvenated Manchester United scored 5 against Leicester City – with braces for Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in a rousing Carabao Cup 4th Round win.
Old Trafford was bouncing with interim boss Ruud Van Nistelrooy in place as Alejandro Garnacho also scored with Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady netting consolations as they could not compete with their hosts despite having good moments in front of goal.
Casemiro was released from his defensive midfield responsibilities to get forward more and he found the opening goal after being granted plenty of space 25 yards from goal.
Alejandro Garnacho cut the ball back to him from the left flank and the Brazilian did the rest with a powerful rising screamer that flew in past Danny Ward – Old Trafford rose and interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy double fist punched the air in delight.
After 28 minutes the lead was doubled with Diogo Dalot breaking forwards and putting in a low cross from which Garnacho rifled the ball into the roof of the net first time from 8 yards out.
Van Nistelrooy urged his team to savour the moment as Old Trafford roared their pleasure as the fast start.
But Leicester hit back after 33 minutes when a punched clearance by Bayinder fell to Bilal El Khannouss who steadied himself and picked his spot at the back post beyond the United keeper’s reach to stun Old Trafford into silence.
But Bruno Fernandes restored United’s 2 goal lead with a 20 yard free kick that took a wicked deflection to wrong foot Danny Ward after 36 minutes before Garnacho’s shot was saved by Ward.
And then Casemiro poached his second of the night from 4 yards out after Leicester failed to clear a cross from Rashford, Casemiro’s shot came back off the post and the Foxes failed to clear the ball before the Brazilian swept it back into the goal from 4 yards out.
Conor Coady scored the second Leicester goal of the night when a Foxes free kick came off both Casemiro and Dalot and the loose ball fell to the Leicester captain to stabbed home their second goal from 6 yards out in first half injury time.
Bruno Fernandes snatched a 5th goal for United when he intercepted a bad back pass by Caleb Okoli, rounded Ward, and slipped the ball into the empty net off Coady who tried to clear it off the line in the 59th minute.
Boubakary Soumare’s shot was parried onto the bar by Altay Bayindir as Leicester tried to reduce the deficit again but the mountain was too steep to climb for the Foxes.
PLAYER RATINGS – Manchester United 5, Leicester City 2
Altay Bayindir: 7. Rare start. Easy saves from Jordan Ayew and Kasey McAteer. Tipped rising shot by Boubakary Soumare onto the bar and also saved from Will Alves but still let down by defence for the two goals he did let in.
Diogo Dalot: 7. Played high up on the right and joined United attacks.
Mathijs de Ligt: 6. Came through tough examination.
Victor Lindelof: 6. Not an easy night but came through.
Lisandro Martinez: 6. Not a favoured role but went about it well.
Manuel Ugarte: 7. Released Casemiro to go forward but needs more time to get used to physicality of Premier League.
Casemiro: 9. Released to go forward, he found a fantastic opening goal from 25 yards out and finished off another chance of his own making which Leicester failed to clear after his own header came back off the post. Pitched in with defensive duties too.
Marcus Rashford: 6. Did a job on the right side. A dangerous cross into the area after Casemiro’s goal. Free kick went into the wall.
Bruno Fernandes: 8. Great free kick went in after a wicked deflection off James Justin and scored an opportunistic goal in the second half to boot.
Alejandro Garnacho: 9. Utter menace down the left. Cut the ball back for Casemiro opener and then smashed in the second into the roof of the net from 8 yards out, blocked shot and went close with another.
Joshua Zirkzee: 6. Looked a bit of a spare part. Wasted a great break when he allowed himself to be crowded out. Had a tame shot saved by Danny Ward and then tired in the second half.
Noussair Mazraoui (on for Lisandro Martinez, 62): 6. On at left back.
Amad Diallo (on for Marcus Rashford, 62): 6. Fabulous overhead kick went wide.
Jonny Evans (on for Mathijs De Ligt, 72): 6. Much of the Leicester fight had gone by the time he came on.
Rasmus Hojlund (on for Alejandro Garnacho, 72): 6. Not much service.
Ethan Wheatley (on for Joshua Zirkzee, 85): no time to mark
GOALS – Manchester United 5, Leicester City 2
Man Utd 1, Leicester City 0: 15. Casemiro smashed in an unstoppable 25 yard stunner after receiving a cut back in space from Alejandro Garnacho.
Man Utd 2, Leicester City 0: 28. Diogo Dalot ran onto a ball over the top from Casemiro, beating the offside trap, and put a cross from the right from which Alejandro Garnacho smashed into the roof of the net from 8 yards out.
Man Utd 2, Leicester City 1: 33. Bilal El Khannouss halved the deficit when he got to a punched corner clearance by Altay Bayindir and rifled a shot in off the back post from 14 yards out.
Man Utd 3, Leicester City 1: 36. Bruno Fernandes restored the two goal lead with a free kick from 20 yards that took a wicked deflection off James Justin to wrong foot Danny Ward.
Man Utd 4, Leicester City 1: 39. Casemiro swept home his own rebound from 4 yards after his header came back off the post from Marcus Rashford’s cross into the box.
Man Utd 4, Leicester City 2: 45+3. Conor Coady reacted first after a free kick deflected off Casemiro and Diogo Dalot to fall at the feet of the Leicester captain who scored from 6 yards out.
Man Utd 5, Leicester City 2: 59. Bruno Fernandes pounced on a poor back pass by Caleb Okoli, rounded Danny Ward, and slid in United’s 5th goal of the game off Conor Coady who tried to block it on the line.
MATCH STATS – Manchester United 5, Leicester City 2
Man Utd: Bayindir, Dalot, de Ligt (Evans 72), Lindelof, Martinez (Mazraoui 62), Ugarte, Casemiro, Rashford (Amad 62), Fernandes (C), Garnacho (Hojlund 72), Zirkzee (Wheatley 85)
Man Utd Subs not used: Heaton, Amass, Fletcher, Fitzgerald
Goals: Casemiro 15, 39; Garnacho 28; Fernandes 36, 59
Leicester City: Ward, Justin, Coady (C), Okoli (Vestergaard 71), Thomas, Soumare, Skipp, McAteer (Mavididi 71), El Khannouss (Alves 72), De Cordova-Reid (Buonanotte 72), Jordan Ayew (Edouard 72)
Leicester City Subs not used: Iversen, Ndidi, Winks, Pereira
Booked: Okoli 20 (foul)
Goals: El Khannouss 33; Coady 45+3
Referee: Andy Madley
Attendance: 73,470