Manchester United vs. Leicester: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Leicester City must put the champagne on ice and hold off with the balloons and streamers; their 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday fell short of the requirements needed to lift the Premier League trophy on the day.
Anthony Martial put the Red Devils ahead inside 10 minutes with a real wallop of a strike at the far post, but Wes Morgan pegged them back soon after with a forceful header from a Danny Drinkwater set piece.
"[It was] very tough," Morgan told Sky Sports' live broadcast after the game. "United dominated possession, we had to dig in, [be] resilient. do a lot of defending. It’s a point; it’s a step in the right direction."
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Antonio Valencia, Manchester United
1 of 5
After spending March trying to get back to full fitness and coming off the bench for Manchester United, April saw Antonio Valencia graduate back to a first-team starting role.
Now, as we begin May, it's possible to say he's in strong form, and against Leicester City he was again a buccaneering, impressive presence from right-back. He got forward often, troubled Christian Fuchs, provided the cross for the goal and did not shirk his defensive duties.
Loser: Danny Simpson, Leicester City
2 of 5
Danny Simpson had a rough day.
Early on, he got his wires completely crossed, marking the wrong man in the box and leaving Anthony Martial free at the far post to smash home for a 1-0 deficit.
Later he produced a poor pass that was intercepted by Jesse Lingard and sent him through on goal, with Simpson doing just enough—and dicing with death in the process—to recover and prevent him the chance to shoot.
As the second half wore on, it became clear Martial had him on toast, with the Frenchman surging past him time and time again.
Winner: Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester City
3 of 5
It takes something special to upstage David de Gea at Old Trafford, but Kasper Schmeichel managed just that. His performance on Sunday was very good.
There was little he could do for the goal, with Anthony Martial smashing home at the far post free of markers, but from that point on, the Dane morphed into an unbeatable wall. He made several good stops, palmed shots well clear of danger and showed just how good a sweeper 'keeper he is, surging out of his box to clear up some danger on two or three occasions.
Deep into stoppage time in the second half was when Schmeichel produced his best moment, racing out to cut out a Martial cross, pulling up to avoid committing a red-card offence and then getting up swiftly to hammer it clear.
Loser: Marcos Rojo, Manchester United
4 of 5
Manchester United fans might well be close to the end of their tether with Marcos Rojo and for good reason—he’s proved himself suspect defensively time and again and continues to cost the club goals.
Against Leicester City he was paired against Wes Morgan at set pieces and lost nearly every battle, allowing the Jamaican to get in and power home the equaliser in the first half. He also blocked off Riyad Mahrez in the box soon after and can thank his lucky stars referee Michael Oliver did not point to the spot.
"Rojo can't defend. At all," tweeted freelance writer Liam Canning at half-time. Harsh, but hardly without substance.
"I felt I had the better of Marcos [Rojo] today," Morgan told Sky Sports’ live broadcast after the game. Understatement of the century?
Winner: Michael Carrick, Manchester United
5 of 5
The perennially underrated/overrated Michael Carrick put in a good/bad performance Sunday—depending on who you speak to. As far as we’re concerned, Manchester United were dominant in midfield for portions, and he was a big part as to why.
Silky in possession, the Englishman moved the ball forward cleanly and precisely, working surprisingly well alongside Wayne Rooney. On paper, he and Rooney should have been overrun by N’Golo Kante and Daniel Drinkwater, but they weren't.
Follow Sam at Facebook.com/SamTigheBR and @stighefootball
