Leicester City vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Jamie Vardy set a Premier League scoring record as Leicester City played to a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Saturday at the King Power Stadium.
Just three years removed from playing for Fleetwood Town in non-league football, Vardy scored in his 11th consecutive Barclays Premier League match—a record. His strike put Leicester ahead in the 24th minute, but Manchester United fought back with Bastian Schweinsteiger's goal on the stroke of halftime.
The draw left Leicester—who had entered the weekend in sole possession of first place—level on points with league leaders Manchester City. United, meanwhile, fell to third.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Jamie Vardy
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The man of the moment. The man who can't stop scoring goals.
When Leicester broke forward on the counter in the 24th minute following a Manchester United corner, only one outcome felt possible. So when goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel started the move with a long throw to Christian Fuchs, all eyes were on Vardy.
Fuchs freed Vardy with a pass behind the defense, and Vardy took a touch before finishing coolly past David De Gea for the opener.
With that, the 28-year-old had found the back of the net for the 11th straight Premier League match, beating Ruud van Nistelrooy's record. Not bad for a player who as recently as 2012 featured for Fleetwood Town in the Conference Premier.
And before that? Halifax Town and Stocksbridge Park Steels. Needless to say, it's been an amazing ascent for the player, who gives aspiring footballers at all levels hope that they can cut it at the top.
As for Vardy, he appeared as focused as ever on football, telling BBC Sport:
"I’ve just been taking each game as it comes. The record was not in my mind, it would have affected my performance and the team’s, and that’s the last thing I wanted to do.
I can think about it when I am home but as soon as I cross the white line all I should be concentrating on is my football. That’s what I have been doing and exactly what I will continue to do.
"
Up next, the Leicester City striker can equal England's top-flight record of 12, which Sheffield United's Jimmy Dunne set in 1931-32, in the old First Division (h/t Paul Carr of ESPN).
Whether or not he scores again this campaign, Vardy has already set a Leicester record for goals in a Premier League season, as noted by STATS Football.
Loser: Wayne Rooney
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It's probably unfair, considering everything Wayne Rooney has done for club and country. But with Rooney and Jamie Vardy on the same pitch, it was almost impossible not to compare the two.
No doubt that Rooney will be remembered as the (far) better player, but on this day, he was far inferior. His withdrawal in the 68th minute, with the game tied at 1-1 and the result very much in doubt, spoke volumes.
Rooney is no longer the force he once was for Manchester United and England. His touch and movement were poor, and on this day, he looked a shadow of his former self.
"Wayne Rooney was limping and that is why I changed him," United manager Louis van Gaal said, per BBC Sport. "I already wanted to change one of the strikers because they were not always running in behind. There were some times when if we were quick we had space to do that but we didn't so that is why I wanted to bring Memphis in."
Perhaps an injury was the reason, but Van Gaal's words ring hollow. At the time he was withdrawn, Rooney had taken no shots, created no chances and completed no take-ons or crosses, per Squawka.
Those stats add up to one conclusion: Rooney was poor on the day and deserved to be substituted, as Rob Dawson noted at the Manchester Evening News:
"(Rooney) got a kick in the side in the second half but even before then he was having a bad day. It would have looked ridiculous if Memphis Depay had come on for any one else. It's a shame because he started well against PSV Eindhoven in midweek. But not even those special privileges could save him this time. He deserved to be substituted whether he was injured or not.
"
Class is permanent, as the saying goes. But at some point, Rooney's continued poor performances have to be down to more than just bad form.
Winner: Leicester as Entertainers
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Jamie Vardy garners all the headlines, and admittedly, he is the one man who's most responsible for this. But it's a fine team record nonetheless: After scoring on Saturday, Leicester remained the only Premier League side to have scored in every game this season, according to STATS Football.
The Foxes have built a reputation as entertainers this season, and it's deserved. As Opta Joe noted before kick-off, Leicester's 13 previous Premier League games had produced a combined 48 goals, or 3.69 per match.
This contest produced just two goals, but with Vardy's finish, Leicester showed why they just might be the top flight's most exciting counterattacking team.
Loser: United's Style
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Bastian Schweinsteiger's goal ensured that Manchester United fought back for a draw that kept them within one point of the league leaders, but something remains wrong with the Old Trafford side.
Perhaps it's unfair to criticize United for playing a boring style. Louis van Gaal's side may lack flair, but they remain firmly in the title race.
But when Jamie Vardy scored his goal following a blistering counter, the reaction from former United defender Rio Ferdinand was telling.
"(Manchester United) used to counter attack like that...." Ferdinand tweeted. "with pace & clinical...."
Ferdinand's frustration was easy to understand. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils always played exciting, attacking football. Too often under Van Gaal, it's lengthy but sterile possession.
"Question for Man Utd fans....can they seriously challenge for the title playing like that?" tweeted BBC Sport's Phil McNulty. "Are they now just a joyless, functional side?"
The rest of the season will reveal all, but for now, the answer to the latter is a resounding "yes."
Winner: Goals, Goals, Goals
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Leicester and Manchester United scored "only" two goals, but on this day, that was an anomaly.
Saturday's Premier League fixtures produced an eye-watering 25 goals. According to Opta Joe, that's a record through six games in a single weekend.
Such a stat underlines how exciting the Premier League is, and it promises further drama for the rest of the weekend.
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