- Leicester opened the scoring through forward Jamie Vardy
- Juan Mata double saw United take the lead at the King Power
- 94th minute Harry Maguire strike saw the Foxes snatch a point from Jose Mourinho’s side
- SEE MORE: Watch: Man United ace Jesse Lingard provides miss of the season contender in Red Devils’ clash against Leicester
Man United concede a 94th minute goal against Leicester at the King Power Stadium this evening, as rivals Man City stretched the gap over the Red Devils to 13 points.
Leicester opened the scoring in the 27th minute, after some smart play from Riyad Mahrez saw Vardy through on goal, as the England international placed the ball past David De Gea to give the home side the lead.
United then had Juan Mata to thank as the Spaniard scored two fine goals, the first a cool finish from just inside the area, with the second being a thing of beauty, as the former Chelsea ace curled a free-kick into te top corner to give Jose Mourinho’s side the lead in the second half.
Leicester then equalised right at the depth, as a long ball into the box was turned home by Maguire, as the away side let slip a match that they really should’ve put to bed a long time before that.
The result, combined with Man City’s 4-0 win over Bournemouth earlier in the day, now means that the Red Devils are now 13 points behind their rivals, a gap that to most seems unassailable.
Man of the Match
Juan Mata would’ve taken all the plaudits tonight had his side won, however the final result should not take away just how good the midfielder was.
Mata first strike was decent, however his second, a 25-yard free-kick, was a thing of beauty, and would’ve been worthy of winning any game of football.
This tweet sums up just how good the Spanish international was this evening.
Juan Mata has been superb tonight ?
— ??idaN (@AidanMUFC_) December 23, 2017
Flop of the Match
Daniel Amartey had an absolute shocker today, as the player’s stupid sending off nearly cost Leicester the chance at gaining any points at all from the match.
The Ghanaian’s needless two bookings saw him sent off in match were he only came on as a substitute in the same half.
This sums up the midfielder’s performance today
Daniel Amartey.Very silly red.Down the tunnel and perhaps into the winter transfer window.
— Godfred Akoto Boafo (@eastsportsman) December 23, 2017
16:09 – Daniel Amartey was only on the pitch for 16 minutes and nine seconds for Leicester City before being given two cautions and sent off. Fleeting.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 23, 2017
Stat of the Match
This from Opta shows just how much of a task United have on their hands if they’re to catch their rivals Man City
13 – Man City will be 13 points clear of Man Utd on Christmas Day – the biggest points gap between first and second place on Dec 25th in English top-flight history. Chasm. pic.twitter.com/oqyg4GEslp
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 23, 2017
Player Ratings
Leicester: Schmeichel 6, Simpson 6, Maguire 7, Morgan 6, Fuchs 6, Ndidi 6, Iborra 6, Mahrez 7, Gray 6, Albrighton 6, Vardy 7 / Subs: Chilwell 6, Okazaki 6, Amartey 3
Man United: De Gea 6, Lindelof 6, Smalling 6, Jones 6, Young 6, Pogba 6, Matic 7, Mata 9, Lingard 7, Martial 6, Lukaku 7 / Subs: Rashford 6, Herrera 6, Mkhitaryan 6
Reaction
Fans were absolutely going in on Jose Mourinho’s side after they threw away three points this evening
Too many inexperienced players in this @ManUtd squad. The squad need man utd caliber of players, @EdWoodwardCEO get us class not class of kids #LEIMUN
— Felix Chika (@navidolenu) December 23, 2017
I'll say it again … no one or nothing can spoil a good weekend like @ManUtd can! The lack of brains in this team is just ridiculous
— Ismaeel Moorad (@iymoorad) December 23, 2017
Poor result for Man United. They could have killed it but they made bad decisions. The players let Mourinho down! #LEIMUN
— JJ. Omojuwa (@Omojuwa) December 23, 2017
I can’t Handel Man United being this poor anymore. Mourinho isn’t good enough as a manager, he is dated and predictable! ??
— James Graham (@itsjamesgraham) December 23, 2017
Another poor performance from @ManUtd. Absolutely gutless. @MarcusRashford, @HenrikhMkh and @AnthonyMartial lazy and wasteful. Yet another two points lost. Give @ManCity the trophy now.
— Paul Rhodes (@paulctrhodes) December 23, 2017