Leicester vs Manchester United result: Player ratings as Foxes come from behind twice in Premier League draw

Second- and third-placed sides shared the points in their Boxing Day encounter

Andrew Gamble
Saturday 26 December 2020 10:03 EST
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Paul Pogba vies for the ball against Leicester
Paul Pogba vies for the ball against Leicester (Manchester United via Getty Imag)

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Jamie Vardy seemingly equalised late before his finish was ruled an Axel Tuanzebe own goal to ensure Leicester and Manchester United shared the points in a 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Boxing Day.

Marcus Rashford opened the scoring with a calm finish into the corner, but his goal was cancelled out by a fine Harvey Barnes strike before half time.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, Bruno Fernandes’ clever movement allowed him to sneak the ball past Kasper Schmeichel, who had brilliantly denied Rashford a second.

Vardy, who had been quiet all game, showed off his brilliant movement as he forced Tuanzebe’s own goal.

READ MORE: All Premier League fixtures this weekend

The draw means Leicester stay above United in the Premier League by a single point, with the Red Devils now four points adrift of table-topping Liverpool.  

Leicester

Kasper Schmeichel – 7. Schmeichel could do nothing about Rashford’s goal, where the English forward found the corner when in acres of space. He made a cracking save to deny the striker in the second half.

James Justin – 6. The right back got forward well, and was unlucky for Fernandes’ pass to sneak between him and Fofana.

Wesley Fofana – 8. The young defender showed off his incredible pace to deny James on a counter early in the second half.

Jonny Evans – 7. Evans deserves a lot of credit for Leicester’s solid showing at the back.

Timothy Castagne – 6. Anonymous at times, but dealt with James effectively.  

Marc Albrighton – 6. The winger worked tirelessly down the right-hand side, but some of his crosses left Leicester’s forwards wanting.

Wilfred Ndidi – 7. He played some nice passes throughout and acted as the more solid pivot in midfield, allowing the likes of Maddison and Tielemans to get forward.

Youri Tielemans – 8. The Belgian was the most commanding midfield on the pitch for much of the game, running the show for the Foxes.

James Maddison – 6. The midfielder wasn’t given the opportunity to show his class outside of a free kick.  

Harvey Barnes – 8. Brilliant strike from the young winger, banging in his seventh goal of the season from distance to equalise.  

Jamie Vardy – 7. It was almost a day to forget for the English forward, who struggled to make an impact against United’s backline – until the Tuanzebe own goal, for which  his movement was clever.

Substitutes:

Ayoze Perez – 6.  

Manchester United

David de Gea – 5. The Spaniard struggled at times and his error nearly led to a goal, but he could do little about Barnes’ equaliser.

Victor Lindelof – 6. Filled in well and was always going to have his hands full against Barnes, but was withdrawn following a back injury.

Eric Bailly – 7. Jamie Vardy was completely anonymous aside from an early offside miss, and that can only be a symbol of United’s impressive defending of him.

Harry Maguire – 7. Similarly to Bailly, he dealt with Vardy’s threat incredibly well by dropping off and shutting him down.

Luke Shaw – 6. The full back was solid and got forward willingly, but it wasn’t a significant performance.

Fred – 8. The Brazilian made a crucial intervention after a De Gea error, and was United’s most reliable midfielder. He made another interception to deny Vardy an assist.

Scott McTominay – 6. The Scot worked tirelessly but ultimately came up second-best against Tielemans in the midfield battle, and he should have closed Barnes down before his strike.

Bruno Fernandes – 9. The Portuguese midfielder is a brilliant attacker, and beautifully assisted Rashford whether he meant to or not. He is quite dirty and sloppily conceded possession for the Leicester goal, but his class in possession cannot be understated and he brilliantly took his opportunity.

Daniel James – 4. The winger was wasteful in possession and consistently looks out of his depth for Manchester United.  

Marcus Rashford – 7. Absolutely should have scored when played in by Fernandes early, but he made amends soon after with a composed finish into the corner. Perhaps he should have scored in the second half.

Anthony Martial – 6. The French forward missed several early chances before his influence faded. Unlucky to be offside for his goal.

Substitutes:  

Paul Pogba – 6.

Axel Tuanzebe – 5.  

Edinson Cavani – 6. 

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