5 talking points as maguire spares man utd blushes with last-gasp leicester goal

MANCHESTER UNITED 2-1 LEICESTER CITY: HARRY MAGUIRE HEADED HOME THE WINNER AGAINST HIS FORMER SIDE TO COMPLETE A RESCUE MISSION FOR THE RED DEVILS AS THEY ADVANCED INTO THE FIFTH ROUND OF

THE FA CUP 21:56, 07 Feb 2025Updated 22:05, 07 Feb 2025 Manchester United narrowly avoided an FA Cup upset as they made hard work of seeing off Leicester City in the fourth round - thanks to

former Fox Harry Maguire. The holders produced a poor first-half showing and found themselves trailing as Bobby De Cordova-Reid's close range header put the Foxes, led by Ruud van

Nistelrooy, ahead. Leicester have only won two games on the road all season but were look to take advantage of a United side that continue to struggle. Ruben Amorim's decision to

introduce Alejandro Garnacho at half-time proved an inspired choice and he was instrumental in Joshua Zirkzee's equaliser. The Dutchman - who scored the winning penalty when the Red

Devils knocked out Arsenal last month - got the Red Devils level with twenty minutes remaining. United took until the second of three added minutes to finally win the game as Maguire headed

home from a Bruno Fernandes free-kick - despite looking to be offside with no VAR to deny the hosts. Here's the talking points from an eventful night in Manchester. READ MORE: Man Utd

star tipped to retire despite making eight appearances under Ruben AmorimREAD MORE: Chelsea 'start £83m transfer talks’ after Jadon Sancho influence pays dividends 1. ANOTHER RESCUE ACT

Too often this term United have been reactive - not pro-active - and that proved to be the case once again on Friday night. Rewind a few weeks to the Southampton win. The Saints, without an

away win all year, were leading until the final stages before eventually losing 3-1. It was a case of United papering over the cracks, saving themselves from some seriously unwanted

headlines. And that was the case on Friday night as the Red Devils managed to avoid an FA Cup exit to a team in the Premier League's relegation zone. They may be into the fifth round of

the FA Cup, but the showing at Old Trafford, not for the first time, underwhelmed and provided us asking more questions than answers. 2. GARNACHO UNDERLINES HIS WORTH To think they were

open to his sale last month. Garnacho has seen his form and attitude questioned in the past, but without him United would almost certainly be digesting a shock exit from the FA Cup. He was

introduced at half-time, deployed in the wing-back role he's still getting used to. Amorim admitted recently the Argentine was getting more comfortable in the role and Garnacho bought

pace and a directness that the United attack was seriously lacking. Only a stunning block stopped him scoring. He was instrumental in the equaliser and whilst he may not be part of the

future long-term, he's certainly one of their brightest lights right now. 3. THE STRUGGLES OF THE FA CUP HOLDER In the last 15 years only once have the winners of the FA Cup gone and

won it again 12 months later. Arsenal lifted the trophy in 2014 and followed it up with another success the following season. But otherwise teams who claim the trophy at Wembley have been

unable to back it. Manchester City came close back in May but it was this United side who stunned them and ended their hopes of winning the competition again. The Red Devils are aiming to

buck the trend this term, but have already faced a scare. 4. DORGU'S DEBUT CUT SHORT Patrick Dorgu was the only major arrival in the January transfer window, coming in from Leece for

£25million. The Dane is a natural wing-back, which was something sorely missing from the United squad as they attempt to make a success of Amorim's 3-4-3 system. Dorgu was thrown

straight in for his debut and his pace was quickly evident, but he was part of a United team who were labelled "shocking" in the opening 45 minutes by Roy Keane. Clearly Amorim had

seen enough and hooked his new arrival at the interval, bringing on Garnacho, which wasn't a glowing reflection of his first outing. 5. VAN NISTELROOY'S RETURN Van Nistelrooy was

synonymous with red whilst he was in England. He was prolific during his five years in Manchester and went from assistant coach to interim boss. Van Nistelrooy enjoyed a short stint in

charge before Amorim arrived. During that brief period he twice came up against the Foxes - winning both times. He helped secure a 5-2 win against Leicester in the Carabao Cup, which was his

first game. He backed than up a fortnight later with a 3-0 win. Now his loyalties are with the team in blue and, in fixtures involving Leicester and United, he was looking to record his

third victory in a matter of months, but was eventually undone. Article continues below _JOIN OUR NEW WHATSAPP COMMUNITY AND RECEIVE YOUR DAILY DOSE OF MIRROR FOOTBALL CONTENT. WE ALSO TREAT

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