Bruno Fernandes marked his 250th Manchester United appearance by playing a starring role as Ruud van Nistelrooy signed off his stint in interim charge with a 3-0 Premier League win over Leicester.
Fernandes scored the opener and claimed a second – which went down as a Victor Kristiansen own goal – before setting up Alejandro Garnacho for an excellent third as United completed a third win in four games since Erik ten Hag was sacked.
It provides a positive platform for new head coach Ruben Amorim to fly into England on Monday, although it will be a couple of days before the Sporting boss gets his visa so he can officially start work.
United are still to confirm the precise nature of Amorim’s backroom team and whether Van Nistelrooy will be part of it.
However, the home fans serenaded Van Nistelrooy at the final whistle and the Dutchman can be pleased with the return of three wins and a draw from four games, even if United remain in the bottom half of the table.
Leicester will feel hard done by.
Fernandes’ opener was United’s first shot on target. The home side’s second came after a period of intense Leicester pressure, during which Wilfred Ndidi wasted a glorious chance to level when he beat the offside trap but hit his shot straight at Andre Onana when he only had the United keeper to beat.
After that it was a case of damage limitation for the visitors, who suffered their heaviest league defeat of the season.
Van Nistelrooy leaves United in best shape of season
Before the game United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe presented Fernandes with a framed shirt to mark his milestone appearance.
Prior to Ten Hag’s dismissal, the Portuguese had not been playing well, a point he made immediately after the Carabao Cup victory over Leicester on 30 October, when he revealed he had apologised to his former boss for letting him down.
Fernandes’ opener, a well-struck, low shot from the edge of the penalty area after Amad Diallo had provided the final pass, was Fernandes’ fourth goal in as many games.
The United skipper clearly felt he should get the second as well as he pointed to his thigh as he ran away to celebrate.
Fernandes missed Noussair Mazraoui’s cross with his head but the ball bounced down on to his leg and from there into Kristiansen and then the Leicester goal.
United had doubled their previous number of first-half goals across the entire Premier League campaign, but there wasn’t the same jubilation from Van Nistelrooy as the goals his side scored in the cup win over Leicester had triggered.
That has been replaced by a steely determination to do a good job for the club he “loves”, as he stated in his programme notes.
Van Nistelrooy enjoyed United’s third, though. On as a second-half substitute for the ineffective Marcus Rashford, Garnacho had already wasted one opportunity when he slipped as he tried to cut inside a Leicester defender inside the penalty area.
But when Fernandes threaded a pass to the left corner of the box, this time Garnacho kept his balance when he stepped on to his right foot and curled his seventh goal of the season into the corner.
United’s fans made their feelings about the exiting interim boss clear. He will always be a hero in these parts for the 150 goals he scored in five seasons as a player with the club.
What Amorim makes of his inheritance remains to be seen, but when he takes charge for the first time at Ipswich on 24 November, he will have Van Nistelrooy to thank for United at least being in their best form of the season so far.
Leicester threaten but can’t score
This could have been such a different day for Leicester.
The absence of veteran striker Jamie Vardy with a back injury was a clear blow for Steve Cooper, whose side lacked a cutting edge to finish the opportunities they did create.
Aside from Ndidi’s miss, a speculative attempt from Abdul Fatawu to beat Onana from inside his own half came to nothing when he slipped on a sodden surface as he went to make contact with his shot.
Harry Winks tried his luck from the edge of the area but couldn’t beat Onana, who also produced a low save by his post to turn away Jordan Ayew’s second-half effort, which might just have crept in.
By the end, Leicester had five shots on target compared to United’s three. It is Cooper’s bad luck that all of them ended up in the Leicester goal.
