Manchester United left it late to progress through to the fifth round of the FA Cup with Harry Maguire’s last-gasp winner proving to be the difference against Leicester City at Old Trafford on Friday.
It was yet another slow start from the Red Devils with the players content playing the ball sidewards and backwards in the first-half.
Ruben Amorim’s inexplicable decision to start Patrick Dorgu on the right and Diogo Dalot again on the left slowed the team’s attacking build-up.
And playing Kobbie Mainoo as the left-sided attacking midfielder meant there was nobody to exploit the spaces out wide. The head coach fixed it in the second half as he brought on Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee.
Poor first half, Garnacho changed the game
Both combined as United restored parity after the Foxes had taken the lead in the first half. The Argentine was one of the bright sparks on an otherwise dull day as he kept taking the Leicester defenders on, which created doubts in their minds.
Something the match winner alluded to after the game. Speaking to ITV, the Englishman said, “It was a great finish to the game. The second half we played a lot better.
“The first half was nowhere near good enough, we played at a slow tempo and we didn’t really get going. We probably deserved to be behind at half-time.
🗣️ “We know there’s talent in the team but we’re not showing it.”
Harry Maguire speaks with Gabriel Clarke after his match-winning header ⚽️#MUFC | @EmiratesFACup | @gabrielclarke05 pic.twitter.com/iLTl5BhErM
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 7, 2025
“In the second half, the pace was higher, we dominated and I really felt like we were going to score that goal. He (Garnacho) made a big impact. He always does that when he comes off the bench, so credit to him, he’s ready, he’s focused.”
Why United start games slowly
When probed further regarding the team’s dismal form at home and why they seem to always start games slowly, Maguire added that it is an issue that needs to be solved if the team are to end the season well.
“I don’t know. We can’t put our finger on it. We know there’s talent in the team and we’re not showing it. There’s no doubt about that.
It’s a bit about confidence. Our record at Old Trafford has been really poor. We lose that bit of belief and it shows. It comes across as our body language being a bit down and lethargic but we need to engage to bring it back and we’ll do that.”
Hopefully, a last-gasp win in Fergie time, even if it was a dubious one, will give the team confidence moving forwards.
Feature image Gareth Copley via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
