'Cannot happen' - national media make brutal Man United point after Leicester City win
Manchester United squeezed past Leicester City 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday evening.
Ruben Amorim's team found themselves a goal down at half-time after Bobby De Cordova-Reid's finish put the Reds 1-0 down into the break. But Joshua Zirkzee netted the equaliser with around 20 minutes left to play before Harry Maguire scored from what appeared to be an offside position to send United through.
Amorim's side will discover their fifth round opponents on Monday evening when the draw is made at 7:10pm UK time. Below is what some of the national media had to say about Friday's match and United's performance against the Foxes...
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'Here was his own tale of FA Cup romance'
Jamie Jackson of The Guardian wrote: "Harry Maguire: from up for sale two summers ago to redemption completed via a 93rd-minute nodded winner. If the defender was clearly offside when meeting Bruno Fernandes’s spiralling free-kick from the left he certainly did not care as here was his own tale of FA Cup romance.
"Before the rush of Maguire’s intervention, Joshua Zirkzee’s 67th-minute equaliser appeared the lifeline United needed to keep a shaky FA Cup defence alive.
"Having bested Leicester 8-2 on aggregate in two previous meetings with their visitors, United were what they are constantly under Ruben Amorim: disjointed. Introducing the jet-heeled Alejandro Garnacho at the break transformed home fortunes as he was key in Zirkzee’s strike. But to dice with being eliminated by opponents with 12 points fewer and candidates for relegation cannot happen, as was the case after Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s first-half opener."
'Watched their team swallow punch after punch'
Paul Hirst of The Times wrote: "In another world, Alejandro Garnacho would have spent Friday night watching Manchester United from the comfort of his living room in his plush new house in one of the leafy villages near Chelsea’s training ground in Surrey.
"Chelsea’s interest in the Argentina winger fizzled out towards the end of the winter transfer window, which was good news for Ruben Amorim and the United fans who watched their team swallow punch after punch from Leicester City in the first half of their FA Cup fourth-round tie at Old Trafford.
"With the Chelsea deal having fallen through, Amorim had Garnacho to call on from the bench in the second half of this match, and he responded in stunning fashion, breathing life into a United team that clinched a dramatic win in the third and final minute of stoppage time thanks to Harry Maguire’s header, which stood even though the former Leicester defender was offside when he met Bruno Fernandes’s free kick."
'The holders are clinging onto it by their fingertips'
Chris Wheeler of The Daily Mail wrote: "What is it with Manchester United and the FA Cup? No matter how badly this team plays, how much luck they need, United are somehow finding a way to stay in the old competition.
"Last season, the 13-time winners lifted the cup again on the back of those incredible wins against Coventry City and Liverpool. This time, the holders are clinging onto it by their fingertips after a shootout win over Arsenal in the third round with 10 men and a penalty save in normal time by No.2 goalkeeper Altay Bayindir – and now this.
"For more than an hour at Old Trafford last night, United’s refusal to sign a striker in the transfer window looked like an act of sheer folly."
'Ruben Amorim will take anything he can at present'
Anantaajith Raghuraman and Carl Anka of The Athletic wrote: "Controversial stoppage-time winners in front of the Stretford End? Maybe Manchester United are finding their feet after all.
"This was actually a rather unconvincing victory over a struggling Leicester City team, but Ruben Amorim will take anything he can at present. Harry Maguire, striding onto Bruno Fernandes’ free kick three minutes into stoppage time at the end, was in an offside position as he headed home the hosts’ winning goal. But with VAR not being used in the FA Cup until the fifth round, United’s celebrations went unchecked.
"Amid the respite, there was still concern to be had with much of this performance. The locals’ grumbling discontent at the hosts’ lack of energy through the first half was compounded as United conceded the opening goal for the seventh time in eight home matches as half-time approached."