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NEW ERA, NEW PARTY: Man United stars brightly shine as Bruno and Casemiro dominate with FOUR goals against Leicester to help Ruud van Nistelrooy gets off to a flier.TĐ
IF Erik ten Hag was watching in Amsterdam he must have been wondering if this was indeed the same Manchester United team.
Why does this always happen?
Manchester United made a positive start to life after Erik ten Hag
The Red Devils scored four goals in a chaotic first half
Ruud van Nistelrooy took interim charge as talks continue with Ruben Amorim
Casemiro whipped a sensational opener into the top corner
The old boss goes, his assistant takes over and the team transforms overnight.
It makes you wonder what Ruud van Nistelrooy was doing on the training ground in the first place.
The regular boos heard here became cheers and smiles replaced frowns and shaking heads.
Alejandro Garnacho tucked home Man Utd’s second of the evening
Bilal El Khannouss pulled one back for Leicester
Fernandes’ deflected free-kick made it 3-1 moments later
Casemiro netted his second of the night and Man Utd’s fourth
It was reminiscent of.. well when they played Barnsley in the last round and won 7-0 but not much else in recent memory.
Even Casemiro shone brightly.
With two goals and an assist he had the home crowd buzzing at the break even if familiar failings at the other end kept Leicester just about in it at 4-2.
It is fair to say the Brazilian has not pulled up any trees since coming here but with his first strike he nearly uprooted the goal.
Diogo Dalot fired it to the far post and Garnacho slammed it into the roof of the net.
Back came Leicester in the 33rd minute as stand in goalkeeper Altay Nayinidr’s weak punch was fired back past him by El Khannouss.
The goals were flying in and just three minutes later Bruno Fernandes free kick was deflected in off James Justin’s head.
Onto the 39th minute and Casemiro on target again as this time he followed up his own header which hit both posts to net the rebound.
What was going on here, this isn’t normal United, dominating a game.
Ah wait, in first half injury time a ball into the box skimmed off Casemiro’s header bounced off Dalot and was turned in by Conor Coady.
Conor Coady pulled another one back for Leicester before half-time
Fernandes bagged his second of the evening
Game still on, given this was United.
Back came the teams for the second half and the roar of ‘Ruuuuuuud’ went out around the ground as the interim boss reappeared.
Leicester had been given a lift with that goal and rallied from the restart.
Any brief hope they had of a fight back was then extinguished with Caleb Okoli’s sloppy back pass just short of the hour.
Captain Fernandes was on to it, rounded the keeper and fired it home from close range.
He reacted with a defiant punch of the air.
Even he has received criticism for his statistics, but it is clear that he sincerely loves about the team.
For Sunday’s visit to Chelsea, which had been intimidating, Van Nistelrooy will be in control once more.
But they will approach it with a renewed sense of confidence.
Ruben Amorim, the new manager, will see this in Lisbon and know that he has something at least to work with.
On the night before Halloween, the ‘Theatre of Screams’ headlines were not needed.
