Substitutes Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini struck to maintain
Manchester United's 100 percent start to the Premier League season in a
2-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday.
Manchester
United's Marcus Rashford (L) vies with Swansea City's Alfie Mawson
during their match in Swansea, south Wales on August 19 (AFP) ubstitutes Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini struck to maintain Manchester United's 100 percent start to the Premier League season in a 2-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday.
Rashford,
dropped to the bench to make way for Anthony Martial, turned in Henrikh
Mkhitaryan's corner in the 70th minute, less than three minutes after
coming on.
Fellaini added a late second
from Jesse Lingard's cross-shot to send Jose Mourinho's side back to the
top of the table after Huddersfield Town briefly overtook them by
drawing with Southampton earlier in the day.
But
it looked as if they would be denied when Kasper Schmeichel made a
superb penalty save from Romelu Lukaku early in the second half.
The Leicester goalkeeper, son of former United great Peter Schmeichel, dived to his right to push away Lukaku's kick.
The
home side began full of confidence, threatening in the opening minute
as Leicester captain Wes Morgan blocked a shot from Mkhitaryan after
good build-up play down the United right.
Craig
Shakespeare's side had to work hard to withstand that early pressure,
with Morgan at full stretch in central defence alongside new England
squad member Harry Maguire.
United, though, continued to press, with Juan Mata unlucky to have a goal ruled out for a marginal offside in the 18th minute.
Paul
Pogba's cross was cleared unconvincingly by Maguire and Lukaku turned
on the edge of the area to hit a shot that Mata followed up to sweep in
after Schmeichel had parried.
Assistant
referee Constantine Hatzidakis raised his flag, but Mata looked to have
been level with the Leicester back line as Lukaku let fly.
Fired by that perceived injustice, United went close twice in quick succession.
Mahrez menaces
First
Pogba half-volleyed Martial's outswinging cross just wide at the far
post and then Schmeichel dived athletically to his right to paw away a
bending Mata shot.
(AFP)
Shinji
Okazaki had a half-chance for Leicester at the other end, with David de
Gea gathering his low shot from Jamie Vardy's knock-down.
But United continued to look the more dangerous side, with Pogba hitting a fierce 30-yard shot that flew just wide.
Schmeichel
was alert to gather Martial's snapshot from 20 yards, before beating
away a Pogba effort and then watching another drive from the France
midfielder whizz by his right-hand post.
Having
been well protected by his defenders in the first half, Schmeichel was
inspired to keep the game goalless when United were awarded a penalty in
the seventh minute of the second half.
Leicester's
former United right-back Danny Simpson was adjudged to have handled
Martial's driven cross from the left, but Schmeichel flung himself to
his right to push away Lukaku's spot-kick.
That
gave the visitors the confidence to be a little more adventurous, with
winger Riyad Mahrez cutting in from the right and driving a ball to the
near post that De Gea kicked away.
Mahrez,
repeatedly linked with a move away from Leicester, began to carry more
of a threat, scuffing one shot wide and then breaking onto a pass by
substitute Demarai Gray to deliver a dangerous cross.
But
20 minutes from the end, Rashford diverted in Mkhitaryan's right-wing
corner on the volley, with Schmeichel only able to push it into the roof
of the net.
Victory was secured in the
82nd minute as Fellaini diverted in fellow substitute Lingard's cross,
despite replays suggesting he had been offside.
The
visitors almost pulled one back in stoppage time, but De Gea reacted
well to turn away Andy King's close-range shot. Lukaku then blazed over
at the other end.
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