The Premier League returned tonight as Leicester City visited Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Leicester Player Ratings From Defeat At Old Trafford
The long 89-day wait for league football came to an end with a scintillating encounter in which Manchester United ground out a 2-1 victory. Paul Pogba gave the hosts an early lead from the penalty spot. Luke Shaw added a late second goal before Jamie Vardy’s header in added time made it a nervy end for the hosts.
James Maddison and Ben Chilwell shone for Leicester while Daniel Amartey won’t remember tonight very fondly.
Here are my ratings for the Leicester players that took to the pitch tonight:
Kasper Schmeichel – 6/10
Schmeichel wasn’t a busy man tonight. There wasn’t much he could have done about the coolly dispatched penalty by Pogba early on. He dealt with most balls into the box well. His distribution was decent but nothing like what we know he can offer in the department. He was beaten from a tight angle by Shaw late on.
Daniel Amartey (63 mins) – 3/10
Amartey would have been pleased to see his number on the fourth official’s board shortly after the hour mark. His night started with a needless handball that led to the penalty that allowed Paul Pogba open the scoring. A lot of Man United’s attacks came down his side in the first half and he struggled to cope. He was poor in possession and never looked comfortable. He offered very little going forward.
Wes Morgan – 5/10
Morgan didn’t have much of a presence in the game. He wasn’t required to defend much but he was disappointing when he did have to. He was lucky not to be punished for a defensive error on 78 minutes. His passing was sloppy throughout the night.
Harry Maguire – 7/10
Maguire showcased all the aspects of his game that attracted interest from United in the first place. He was confident in possession and stepped out of defence well all night. He was solid defensively and won most battles in which he was involved. There was nothing he could have done for either goal.
Ben Chilwell – 7/10
Chilwell was the main point of Leicester’s attack in the first half. He bombed up the wing impressively and caused Darmian problems. His influence declined in the second half, especially after the introduction of Ghezzal. His defensive performance was faultless, although he didn’t have much to do.
Wilfred Ndidi – 6/10
Ndidi was heavily involved in the game. His passing was inconsistent as he gave the ball away on a number of occasions. He also made a few needless fouls that would have angered Claude Puel. All in all, he did a decent job of controlling the game.
Adrien Silva (80 mins) – 7/10
Leicester controlled much of the game from midfield and Silva played a part in that. He portrayed an excellent range of passing. His long diagonal balls to Chilwell stretched United a lot in the first half.
Ricardo Pereira – 7/10
It was a fantastic debut for the Portuguese defender. He played much of the game out of position as Puel put him on the right wing. The debutant linked up well with Maddison at times after a slow start to the game. He was pushed back into position when Rachid Ghezzal replaced Amartey and was caught out for Shaw’s goal. His dangerous delivery late on led to Leicester’s consolation goal.
James Maddison (63 mins) – 8/10
As far as Premier League debuts go, it was an outstanding performance from Maddison. He always looked confident on the ball. The former Norwich midfielder controlled it well, played some beautiful little passes through the middle of United’s midfield. He came closest to scoring for Leicester but was only denied by David de Gea’s outstretched right arm. His set-piece deliveries were on point throughout the night.
Demarai Gray – 6/10
Gray was outstanding in the first half. He troubled Darmian throughout the opening 45. The winger made great runs in off the left flank and worked hard to press the United defence and trackback on occasion. He faded away in the second half.
Kelechi Iheanacho – 5/10
Iheanacho was invisible for much of the game. He struggled to make an impact as a lone striker for the opening hour. Vardy was brought on beside him for the last 30 minutes but it didn’t help the Nigerian much. He failed to hold the ball up multiple times. The few times he made good runs, he couldn’t control the ball and wasted potential chances.
Rachid Ghezzal (subbed on – 63 mins) – 7/10
Ghezzal made a decent impact on the game. There was a change of emphasis for Leicester after his introduction as they began attacking down the right. He was superb in possession and worked hard when he came on.
Jamie Vardy (subbed on – 63 mins) – 7/10
It was a typical Vardy performance when he came on. He pressed the United defence whenever they had possession. He missed a good opportunity shortly before he scored Leicester’s consolation goal.
Vicente Iborra (subbed on 80 mins) – n/a
Iborra had little effect on the game, playing just 10 minutes.
Overall, it was a good performance from Leicester. There were a few standout performers who will be disappointed to be on the losing side, debutant Maddison included.
Next up for Leicester, they welcome Wolves to the King Power Stadium next Saturday.
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