[Sport] Leicester escape defeat by Manchester United to maintain the Premier League title

[HiTLeR]

 

Leicester City escaped defeat at home to coincide with the opening day of the Christmas gift boxes (Boxing Day) and scored a thrilling draw against Manchester United 2/2 on Saturday in the fifteenth stage of the English Premier League.

 

Marcus Rashford opened the scoring for Manchester United in the 23rd minute, then Harvey Barnes equalized for Leicester City in the 31st minute.

In the second half, Manchester United advanced again with a goal scored by Bruno Fernandes in the 79th minute, then star Jimmy Vardy equalized for Leicester City in the 85th minute.

 

Leicester City maintained its second position, raising its tally to 28 points, and Manchester United raised its tally to 27 points in third place.

Defending champions Liverpool have an opportunity to consolidate their position at the top of their game, scheduled for Sunday against West Bromwich Albion.

Manchester United almost opened the scoring in the second minute of the match, as Bruno Fernandez sent a typical high cross in front of goal, which Marcus Rashford met with a header shot, but the ball passed directly over the bar.

 

Leicester responded with a scoring opportunity in the third minute, as James Justin sent a cross into the penalty area, which was met by Jimmy Fardy with a direct shot with his foot, but the ball passed over the bar.

 

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea made a fatal mistake in the seventh minute that almost resulted in shaking the net, but the defense cooperated with him in saving the situation.

 

Jimmy Vardy received a long ball in the ninth minute and started in the absence of defensive oversight, then shot the ball next to the post, while the referee also indicated the presence of offside.

 

Leicester City gradually strengthened its possession advantage and intensified its offensive pressure, but faced severe defensive caution from Manchester's side.

In the 23rd minute, Leicester City's defense failed to deal properly with the ball from a corner kick and it reached Bruno Fernandez, who directed it to Rashford to house the last in the net brilliantly announcing Manchester United's 1-0 lead.

 

Leicester City revealed his attempts in search of a tie, which he succeeded in already in the 31st minute, as Manchester United committed a defensive gag, to extract James Madison the ball and passed it to Harvey Barnes, who dodged the defense and then hit a sudden strong ball with his left foot from outside the penalty area and found its way inside De Gea net declared a tie for Leicester 1/1.

 

And Bruno Fernandez almost added the second goal of Manchester United in the 37th minute, as he received a high ball that was kicked by Luke Shaw from a free kick and headed it, but it passed directly over the bar.

 

The two teams continued to exchange offensive attempts in the remaining minutes of the first half, but without sufficient danger to either of the two goals, to end the game in a 1-1 draw.

 

The situation was not much different in the second half, as it started with a fast rhythm of play, and Leicester City showed a real desire to score, but Manchester United intensified its focus on defensive insurance with the provision of attempts, especially through counter-attacks.

 

Leicester City got a free kick from a dangerous point in the 52nd minute, when Fred tried to return the ball to goalkeeper De Gea, but it hit Eric Bailey.

James Madison took the free kick and hit a dangerous ball, but it hit Brashford and went out to a corner that was not used.

 

In the 54th minute, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United coach, paid Paul Pogba instead of Scott Maktominay.

Rashford almost added the second goal of Manchester United in the 60th minute, as Leicester committed a defensive gag and Rashford received a long pass and went into the penalty area and then shot hard, but goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel blocked the ball brilliantly.

 

Leicester shook the net in the 61st minute, when Anthony Martial received a longitudinal run towards the goal and then fired the ball into the net, but the referee did not count it as an offside goal, and resorted to the video assistant referee (FAR) system to ensure the correctness of the decision.

 

In the 66th minute, the Manchester coach paid the player Axel Townzebe instead of Victor Lindelof.

Another missed opportunity for Manchester United in the 70th minute, as Luke Shaw sent a high ball from a free kick, which was met by Harry Maguire with a header shot, but it passed over the bar.

 

In the 75th minute, Solskjaer pushed veteran star Edinson Cavani instead of Anthony Martial.

Cavani succeeded in creating the goal of 2/1 for Manchester United in the 79th minute, as he passed a wonderful long pass to Bruno Fernandez, who aimed the ball accurately into the net.

 

In the 85th minute, Leicester City equalized through star Jimmy Vardy, where he received a cross inside the penalty area from substitute Iosi Perez and skillfully directed the ball into the net, declaring Leicester City 2/2 tied, and the remaining minutes did not result in a new result despite the continued efforts of the two teams, to end Confrontation draw.