Manchester United scraped into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a controversial 2-1 victory over Leicester City at Old Trafford. Harry Maguire’s stoppage-time header, which appeared to be offside, secured the win for United after they had fallen behind to a first-half goal from Kelechi Iheanacho.
The victory was a much-needed boost for manager Ruben Amorim, who has faced criticism for United’s recent performances. However, the unconvincing nature of the win and the reliance on a controversial late goal will do little to alleviate concerns about the team’s form.
United struggled to create chances for much of the match, with Leicester City dominating the first half and taking a deserved lead through Iheanacho’s close-range finish. The introduction of substitutes Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee in the second half sparked an improvement, with Zirkzee equalizing from a Garnacho cross.
The winning goal came in controversial circumstances. A free-kick was awarded to United after the ball appeared to brush James Justin’s elbow, and Maguire headed home from the resulting cross. Replays showed that Maguire was offside, but with no VAR in operation until the next round, the goal stood.
Despite acknowledging the offside, Amorim expressed his relief at securing the victory.
“With VAR it was not a goal, and I think it’s important to have because it’s fair,” Amorim said. “It’s really hard to lose one game in the last minute with an offside play, but sometimes we deserve a little bit of luck.”
Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy was furious with the decision to allow Maguire’s goal, highlighting the lack of VAR in the early rounds of the FA Cup.
“VAR you have in a couple of centimeters, a couple of inches; this was half a meter, clear in line,” Van Nistelrooy said. “That was a hard one to take because the team deserves to draw in the end.”
Despite the win, United’s performance highlighted their ongoing struggles. They lacked creativity and were vulnerable in defense, with Leicester City creating several chances to score.
Amorim has acknowledged the need for improvement and has warned of a “messy” end to the season. United face a tough test in their next two Premier League matches against Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, and their performances in those games will be crucial in determining their final league position.
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