Manchester United will spend Christmas an eye-watering 13 points behind runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City after Harry Maguire secured Leicester a last-gasp draw.
Already reeling from their shock midweek Carabao Cup exit at Bristol City, the need for Jose Mourinho's men to get back to winning ways was heightened by Pep Guardiola's team racking up a 17th successive league win earlier in the day.
Juan Mata's brace looked to have done just that as United responded to Jamie Vardy's 50th Premier League goal, only for Maguire to strike at the death as 10-man Leicester secured a late 2-2 draw.
See below for how the match unfolded live.
5) Demarai Gray in the hole
Vardy, Mahrez, Gray and Marc Albrighton are surely Leicester’s best offensive and biggest threats. Both Claudio Ranieri and Craig Shakespeare failed to regularly accommodate the quarter altogether in the same side.
But perhaps Puel has found the answer playing Gray behind Vardy with Albrighton and Mahrez on their usual positions on the flanks.
It certainly worked against United as Gray often had lots of space to accelerate into ahead of him and was arguably City’s biggest dangerman.
4) Puel's gamble almost backfires
Foxes boss Claude Puel upset the locals making seven changes for their home EFL Cup quarter-final on Tuesday night to Man City.
In the end the hosts lost on penalties but the double substitution to bring on star duo Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez in the 57th minute showed what Leicester were missing against Pep Guardiola’s men.
Puel was defiant over his changes and insisted it was necessary to keep his men fresh but the Frenchman had never beaten Mourinho in five previous attempts and is still waiting.
3) Pogba gets the armband
Paul Pogba was captain tonight in the absence of Antonio Valencia as he, Victor Lindelof and Anthony Martial were the only three to retain their places from the Bristol City defeat.
Pogba had a spring in his step as he skipped around Vicente Iborra before crashing in a low left-foot shot after just seven minutes.
The midfielder never appears short of confidence as he illustrated before the break trying his luck from halfway with Schmeichel off his line.
He didn’t seem the most vocal captain but he was always available for the ball.
The £89million man seemed alert too – despite claims he recently slept through training and staff had to go to his house to wake him.
2) Mata makes his mark as Lukaku turns provider
Romelu Lukaku’s red-hot early season scoring form has cooled and the Belgian didn’t look like scoring here.
But Spanish midfielder Juan Mata showed his clinical qualities with a brace to double his tally for the season.
First Mata struck a low shot from Jesse Lingard’s lay-off to level before the break.
Then he put United ahead with a fine curling left-foot free-kick but Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel will feel he should have saved it.
Lukaku’s most telling contributions were a clever pass to find Martial unmarked in the box but the Frenchman shot over.
Lukaku was also unlucky not to get an assist for putting Lingard clear only for the star to hit the post.
James Nursey's 5 talking points - 1) 50 not out for Vardy
Jamie Vardy likes scoring against Manchester United – or any top six side for that matter.
He famously set a new Premier League record when he scored for the 11th successive game two seasons ago when United came to town.
This evening his first half finish broke the deadlock after good play from Wilfred Ndidi and Riyad Mahrez.
It was his 21st goal in 40 games against top six teams and he celebrated with glee.
Given his Non-League background it is an impressive statistic he is clearly proud of.
MATA'S STUNNING SECOND
MATA'S EQUALISER
VARDY'S OPENER IN PICS
Man United XI to face Leicester
Leicester XI to face Man United
Festive Foxes
Mourinho reveals what is under his Christmas tree
Jose Mourinho has taken to Instagram to reveal the presents he has received this Christmas.
The Manchester United boss uploaded a snap of his Christmas tree, which appears to be in his hotel room, with several gifts neatly placed underneath.
Zegna, adidas and Jaguar gift bags can all be spotted in the picture, as well as a suit bag.
The 54-year-old captioned on the photo: “Gifts arriving from my partners, Zegna, adidas, Jaguar. New @zegnaofficial jacket for the games over the Christmas. #ad.”
Mourinho and Man United’s stars were also seen boarding a jet ahead of Saturday night’s clash against Leicester.
However, Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian have not travelled.
Blind and Darmian came in for criticism following United’s midweek 2-1 League Cup defeat to Championship side Bristol City and look to have been axed as a result.
Mourinho unhappy with United's fixture pile-up
Jose Mourinho has labelled Manchester United’s Premier League rivals as “privileged” and insists his side have been “punished by the calendar.”
The Red Devils site second in the league, 11 points adrift of leaders Manchester City heading into the festive gauntlet of fixtures.
Starting with Leicester away, United face four games in 10 days and Mourinho insists not only are others “privileged” but that United are in the bottom group and most challenged by the calendar.
“We did the simple objective study on that and there is a really big gap between some clubs and other clubs,” Mourinho told reporters.
“There are clearly the ones that are really privileged and there are clearly another group of the ones that are really punished by the decisions of the calendar and there are another group in the middle of it where I would like to be.
“I know I would never be in the top group, but in the middle group we would like to be.”
After tackling the Foxes at the King Power on Saturday evening, United face home games with Burnley and Southampton before a New Year’s Day trip to Goodison Park to face Everton.
United take 15-MINUTE flight to Leicester
After their midweek flight to Bristol was diverted to Cardiff, Jose Mourinho was taking no chances for Manchester United’s trip to Leicester.
Hours before Carabao Cup holders United crashed out of the quarter-finals to Bristol City, the team suffered travel turmoil when their plane had to land in the Welsh capital due to adverse weather conditions.
And although the expected journey time is just 15 minutes from Manchester to Leicester, Mourinho’s men boarded a private chartered jet to make the 69-mile trip to East Midlands Airport on Friday.
United will be looking to close the gap on title rivals Manchester City when they take on the Foxes in Saturday’s late 7.45pm kick-off.
Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick remain out, however.
Manager Mourinho confirmed Valencia is sidelined with a hamstring injury, while appearing to rule midfielders Carrick and Fellaini out of the festive period.
Centre-back Eric Bailly is undergoing surgery on an ankle issue, but Paul Pogba is available for the Premier League once again having returned from his three-match domestic suspension in the Carabao Cup loss at Bristol City.
Lukaku is 'sulking' because he has the hump with bossy Zlatan
Romelu Lukaku is unhappy at Manchester United and feels he’s being undermined by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Summer-buy Lukaku has not celebrated his last two goals for the Old Trafford giants, in this month’s games against Bournemouth and West Brom, and MirrorSport can reveal his discontent with fellow striker Ibrahimovic is a significant factor in his current mood.
The Belgium international assumed the mantle of United’s main frontman, which the Swedish superstar wore last season, when he joined from Everton in July for £75million.
But he feels Ibrahimovic has refused to accept his status as the club’s No 9 since returning last month from a serious knee injury that had kept him out since April.
Lukaku still starts the big games for United, but has complained that Ibrahimovic has tried to take over his central striking role when he has come on as a substitute, telling him to move out wide.
The former Goodison Park star is disgruntled that manager Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff have not pulled up Ibrahimovic, who is famous for having a huge ego, about this behaviour.
Lukaku, 24, feels aggrieved — especially as he showed the older man respect by asking for his blessing to take over the No 9 shirt in July.
Puel sticking with form
Leicester boss Claude Puel will not pick his team based on the price the club has paid for a player, with record signing Islam Slimani struggling for game time.
The Algeria international, a £29million arrival from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2016, has struggled for opportunities this season and has not started a match since the Carabao Cup tie against Leeds on October 24 - Michael Appleton’s final game as caretaker manager.
Slimani has made just three substitute appearances during Puel’s 11-game tenure, amounting to less than 15 minutes of action, and he has not been included in the last five match-day squads.
Leicester host Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday evening and Jamie Vardy is expected to lead the hosts’ attack, with Shinji Okazaki and Kelechi Iheanacho also ahead of Slimani in the pecking order.
“I don’t put my team in place with the price of the player,” said Puel.
“For me, the most important thing is to see the training sessions to give an opportunity but we have a lot of players in the same position and with different profiles.
“We have one or two places in the team and six possibilities so it is difficult for some players to find some game time which can be frustrating and I understand their frustrations.”