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Solskjaer’s selection gamble blows up in his face

Europa League is United’s sole avenue for silverware after comprehensive defeat to superb Leicester outfit

Leicester City's Youri Tielemans celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Manchester United. Photo: Ian Walton/PA Wire Expand
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Leicester City's Youri Tielemans celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Manchester United. Photo: Ian Walton/PA Wire

Leicester City's Youri Tielemans celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Manchester United. Photo: Ian Walton/PA Wire

Scott McTominay

Scott McTominay

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Leicester City's Youri Tielemans celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Manchester United. Photo: Ian Walton/PA Wire

Jason Burt

Leicester City 3, Manchester United 1

Memo to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Manchester United are not good enough to rest players against one of the Premier League’s best teams.

Leicester City were quicker, slicker, better and deservedly reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1982, where they will face Southampton.

Another memo to the United manager: neither is it a good idea to suggest trophies are not a measure of progress and can be an “ego thing”, as he did last week. After all, what kind of message does that send out, especially when fielding a weakened line-up?

For United, it is the Europa League or bust if they are to win a first piece of silverware under Solskjaer, whose gamble in making five changes, claiming the tie away to AC Milan last Thursday had taken a lot out of his players, spectacularly failed to pay off.

For that there should be a reckoning with United also badly at fault for all the goals they conceded and expensive fringe players such as Donny van de Beek failing to take their chance. It meant United’s run of 29 domestic away games without defeat, stretching back 14 months, ended abruptly.

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Not that their problems should overshadow Leicester’s excellent performance, marshalled by manager Brendan Rodgers. They were without James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and James Justin but had the best goalkeeper, the best defenders, the best midfielders and the best strikers.

It was as comprehensive a victory as that sounds and it was only when Solskjaer made a little bit of history after 64 minutes with a quadruple substitution – with five changes allowed in this competition – that it became more of a contest. But even after that it was Leicester who scored again through the outstanding Kelechi Iheanacho, who now has five goals in his past two games.

United could not turn to Marcus Rashford, who was ruled out through injury, and maybe something has to give in this taxing season but their fans will be infuriated by key players being rested before an international break.

Is the FA Cup so inconsequential to Solskjaer, who lamented the lack of energy, the lack of a “spark” but added he would play the same team again?

Before the semi-final against Southampton there will be plenty of talk about the traumatic 9-0 defeat Leicester inflicted on them last season. It is a different campaign, a different competition, but Leicester – who have never won the FA Cup – will emphatically go into it as favourites.

United’s woes were summed up by the opening goal, and things rarely improved after that. Wrong said Fred – and Leicester were in front.

The United midfielder was not the only one at fault, although it was largely down to him, when he collected Harry Maguire’s pass just outside his own penalty area after the ball was rolled to the defender by Dean Henderson.

It was a mistake by Maguire given Fred was under pressure from Youri Tielemans but it was an even worse error by Fred to under-hit his pass back to Henderson with Iheanacho intercepting, rounding the stranded goalkeeper and tapping the ball into the net. It was just so ponderous.

Fred had already messed up, again losing the ball close to his own goal, only to be saved when Jamie Vardy elected to shoot – with Maguire blocking – instead of passing to Iheanacho or Ayoze Perez, who were either side of him. Before that Maguire had inadvertently sent a low cross from Vardy back to the striker, who drew a smart parry from Henderson.

Fred, Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Nemanja Matic, Anthony Martial . . . they all struggled and yet, out of nothing, United equalised.

Paul Pogba did well to turn Wesley Fofana down the left, Donny van de Beek also did well to cleverly dummy his cut-back and Mason Greenwood did even better to sweep a powerful low shot past Kasper Schmeichel to claim his first goal in 16 appearances.

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Would that change the momentum? Not at all. Leicester resumed control as United lacked any cohesion. That was summed up when the home side regained the lead as Tielemans exchanged passes with Iheanacho, ran from 40 yards out with Fred failing to make a challenge and Matic labouring.

Oddly, Lindelof stood off and then turned his back and Tielemans had time and space to easily pick his spot and beat Henderson’s dive to find the corner of the net.

It looked like Vardy would settle the game. Leicester broke with Iheanacho releasing his strike partner, who simply slipped the ball past Maguire. It left Vardy clear on goal and on the touchline Rodgers raised his arms in celebration – only for the shot to be pulled narrowly wide, slamming into the advertising hoardings.

Solskjaer had seen enough and made his wholesale changes with the momentum finally switching.

On came Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw and Edinson Cavani and United were on top, although it proved fleeting.

Marc Albrighton took a free-kick out on the Leicester left with McTominay, inexplicably, failing to mark Iheanacho. At the far post he simply headed the ball high into the net from close-range.

The response came late with Schmeichel superbly tipping over Fernandes’ fierce free-kick that was set to dip under the cross-bar and then holding on to Martial’s header. But, in the end, the victory was comfortable enough for Leicester with United contributing to their own undoing in so many ways. 

FA CUP SEMI-FINALS

Leicester City v Southampton

Chelsea v Manchester City

Ties to be played at Wembley on April 17/18

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