Leicestershire

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist at Old Trafford

Image source, Getty Images

For over an hour, this looked on course to be a win for Ruud van Nistelrooy on his Old Trafford return, as well as a morale-boosting result to aid them in their Premier League survival fight.

The Foxes had battled well, were the better side in the first half and good value for their 1-0 goal lead as the game headed towards the final 20 minutes.

Even after Joshua Zirkzee's equaliser their performance earned them the opportunity to take the game to extra time, but it was not to be with Harry Maguire's stoppage-time winner, despite the defender appearing well offside.

But after a poor performance against Everton in their previous game, Leicester fans can take heart from this display and the battling qualities their players showed.

They will be needed as they look to pull themselves out of the Premier League relegation zone.

Image source, Getty Images

Leicester Fan TV editor Phil Holloway spoke to the When You're Smiling podcast about Friday's FA Cup trip to Old Trafford: "I don't want to say it's a 'free hit', but it is a chance for Ruud [van Nistelrooy] to maybe test out a slightly different starting 11 for the Arsenal game [next Saturday].

"If we lose it. we will say we are concentrating on the Premier League and if we win it gives us something extra to go at. It's a bit of a win-win.

"The Everton match, we need to put that behind us. Players not coming up to fans after the game, that needs to stop. We need to see a two-way thing between the club and fans.

"We need to get on the same page before the Arsenal game. The players can make that happen if they put in a performance against Manchester United. They don't have to win, but they need to leave it out on the pitch for us."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sound