Ruud van Nistelrooy might not get another chance to lead Manchester United in a cup competition, so ending his interim managerial stint with a 5-2 victory can be a fond memory for him. Goals from Casemiro (two, including a stunning opener), Bruno Fernandes, and Alejandro Garnacho lifted the spirits after a gloomy period under Erik ten Hag. This win could be a fitting farewell to Ruben Amorim, who might take over as the permanent manager before Chelsea's visit on Sunday.
With United keen on appointing Sporting's head coach as Ten Hag's successor, Van Nistelrooy's tenure could end soon, especially if the negotiations over Amorim's 30-day notice period are resolved quickly. If Sunday comes too soon, Van Nistelrooy will be more than ready to strategize against Enzo Maresca's fifth-placed team.
Van Nistelrooy, dressed in a stylish turtleneck, dark jacket, and trousers, outlined his plan to face Leicester, who were two points and one place below United in the league: "Hopefully, lots of possession and attacks. That's what Man United is about." Joshua Zirkzee, one of three changes, had a chance to do just that but, as is often his flaw, he chose the wrong option, allowing the Foxes to escape.
However, Casemiro's thunderbolt goal had Van Nistelrooy cheering. United's build-up was neat, and Leicester's lack of pressure was a mistake. Through an inside left-channel, Lisandro Martínez found Alejandro Garnacho, who skipped infield and tapped to Bruno Fernandes. The captain let the ball roll, giving Casemiro time to fire past Danny Ward into the top right corner. This broke an oddly calm atmosphere, which soon settled again. Then, a second home goal lifted spirits once more. Casemiro initiated the move, finding Dalot along the right. He shifted his body to face the ball and sliced in a cross that Garnacho smashed in.
Steve Cooper, in his technical area, was booked for protesting that Dalot was offside, and his despair nearly deepened when Fernandes lined up a shot from the edge of the area. But the No 8 opted for a no-look pass and misdirected it. Since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in May 2013, United have often shot themselves in the foot. This did not change under their second Dutch manager of the season: Altay Bayindir flapped at a cross, the ball went to Bilal El Khannouss, and he scored via pinball off the left post.
The prospect of another United collapse lasted six minutes, during which Fernandes and Casemiro scored. El Khannouss tripped over Garnacho, and Fernandes flipped a deflected free-kick past Danny Ward; then Casemiro tapped home the rebound off both Leicester posts after his own header from a Rashford delivery. All was well for United until, in first-half added-time, a Casemiro and Dalot mix-up allowed Conor Coady to score, giving Van Nistelrooy something to ponder at the break.
Despite fielding a second No 6 in Manuel Ugarte, the gaps in the United midfield, a legacy of Ten Hag, remained, and Cooper's unit exploited these in several concerning attacks. Van Nistelrooy, in the technical area, showed obvious disquiet. The worst featured James Justin getting in behind and crossing, a flailing Casemiro blocking, and, at the ensuing corner, the latter heading to safety. More came, often from the boots of the agile El Khannouss, whose smart wing play had United in disarray. Then, a slick United raid through Fernandes-Rashford-Fernandes-Zirkzee-Garnacho ended with a Zirkzee fingertip-warmer for Ward.
And then came United's fifth. A Fernandes-Rashford combo caused Caleb Okoli to freeze, resulting in Fernandes being clean through. A dummy took Ward to ground, and the 30-year-old was never going to miss from inches away. United cruised. Rashford and Martinez were replaced by Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui. Ugarte, United's Red Adair, morphed into a schemer, pivoting and spraying an aerial ball to Fernandes down the left. It was, for United, a rare thing: this type of night.
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