Manchester United, not Leicester City, will play in the next season’s Champions League after edging past their rivals for a top-four finish with a Bruno Fernandes penalty and – after Jonny Evans’ straight red card – Jesse Lingard’s first goal of the season.
For Solskjaer, this was vital. United finish third, returning to European football’s elite club competition at the first time of asking and they can plan their summer accordingly, with at least an additional £45m in their pocket to spend on the likes of Jadon Sancho.
The Norwegian deserves immense credit for guiding United to this position. A top-four finish appeared unthinkable in the autumn, unlikely at the turn of the year but it is a reality now thanks to the 14-game unbeaten league run which he – and the arrival of Fernandes in January – inspired.
Leicester were 14 points clear of United on New Year’s Day, and considered title contenders by many not long before that, until this run of four wins in 17 games pulled them back down to earth.
If you had offered Rodgers fifth-place and Europa League football back in August, he and Leicester’s supporters would have readily accepted. This is still a year of commendable progress at the King Power, but when viewed in black and white, it is also an extraordinary collapse.
Even with the stands empty, you could sense anxiety around the King Power during a tense, goalless first half. Leicester – noisily cheered on by an apprehensive band of club directors – edged the opening 45 minutes and may have led at the break if not for Kelechi Iheanacho’s indecision.
Twice Iheanacho spearheaded a charge through United’s lines, twice he dithered on the ball and twice the opportunity went begging. The first time around, he should have squared to Jamie Vardy rather than scuffing a shot into De Gea’s hands. For the second, he took too long to square to Youri Tielemans and the Belgian’s slow daisy-cutter ran wide of the post.
Leicester could at least be confident of more chances coming their way, given United’s ponderous defending and disjointed play up front. Solskjaer’s side only came to life at the close of the half. When James Justin misjudged a Paul Pogba cross, Marcus Rashford had time to take a touch inside the box but should have done better than clearing the crossbar.
Vardy hit the same crossbar in the second half, shortly after Rodgers elected to replace Iheanacho with Ayoze Perez. Vardy’s flick-on header from a free-kick struck the woodwork and began a sustained spell of Leicester pressure, with Tielemans striking low and wide of De Gea’s right-hand post.
United had lost all momentum, though Solskjaer’s side have found a knack of scoring out of nothing during their resurgence, and often from the spot. Their 14th penalty of the Premier League season – more than any club has ever won in a single campaign – would prove decisive.
It came when Mason Greenwood robbed Hamza Choudhury, allowing Fernandes to slip Anthony Martial through one-on-one. In sheer desperation, both Jonny Evans and Wes Morgan brought Martial down from behind and – though Paul Tierney, the VAR, made sure – there was no doubt it was a foul.
Fernandes had suffered one of his most erratic showings in a United shirt up until that point, but the inch-perfect pass to slip Martial through was matched by a composed penalty. Schmeichel did his best to distract him but still dived the wrong way as the Portuguese maintained his 100 per cent record from the spot.
Leicester went in search of an equaliser but Wes Morgan found only thin air, failing to connect with a volley in the centre of the box. It would be their best chance of a comeback and all hope expired once Evans was sent off for a late, nasty tackle that caught substitute Scott McTominay’s toe. Evans had already been cautioned for his role in the penalty but this was a straight red.
And in stoppage time even Schmeichel lost his composure, allowing himself to be robbed of possession by Lingard, who rounded to finish into an empty net. It was not only his first league goal of the season, but also since Solskjaer’s first game in charge as caretaker against Cardiff in December 2018.
There was great hope then about what Solskjaer’s vision of United could become and, now back in the Champions League, they are beginning to realise it.
