With just over an hour gone of this game, the Stretford End launched into a chant of 'attack, attack, attack attack attack'. Until that point it had been soporific stuff from Manchester United and a dreadful advert for Friday night football in the FA Cup.

The message got through. United had ever-so-slightly turned up the tempo since the break, and they managed to extricate themselves from another sticky situation. The FA Cup remains a possibility this season, but to win anything they will have to play better than this.

There is a certain irony to the fact that the player bringing some spark to this side is one who has been a square peg in a round hole. For the second time in three games, Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench at half-time and brought some energy to a team treading water.

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Garnacho's introduction made a big difference and he again injected pace into United's pedestrian play. A team that looked incapable of creating chances before the break found a better zip to their game with the 20-year-old on the pitch.

He should have scored when sent clear just before United's equaliser but took too long to shoot. His effort deflected off Wout Faes and was cleared off the line by Caleb Okoli. It was a sign of Garnacho's growing influence.

Amorim has said that the winger is starting to get the movements required of a No.10 in this system, but he still does his best work drifting wide to the left, which is clearly his favourite area of the pitch. He set up Amad's goal at Anfield from that position and it was a similar driving run that led to Joshua Zirkzee's equaliser.

Garnacho went down the outside of James Justin and sent in a low cross to Rasmus Hojlund. His shot was blocked but the rebound was a simple finish for Zirkzee.

He had the beating of Justin now and when he brilliantly trapped a crossfield Bruno Fernandes pass he left the Foxes full-back trailing in his wake again. The low cross was into a good area that nobody was attacking.

Garnacho's weakness remains his decision-making. He took on a shot from a poor angle when he should have squared it and then seemed to lose a little confidence in what he was doing. He had done enough to earn the man of the match award in 45 minutes and won the free-kick from which Harry Maguire headed in an injury-time winner.

It was another second-half rescue act for United, and the first half summed up so many of the problems they are facing. They have now scored only once in the first half of their last seven Old Trafford games - and that was a penalty against Brighton. The frustration was bubbling away in the stands against a Leicester City side who were thrashed twice here when they played 4-2-3-1 and attacked with width and pace.

Those days are gone under Amorim. His back three is here to stay but it is making United deathly dull at times. There were unflattering comparisons with the Louis van Gaal era last night. United's two first-half shots were from distance and barely registered on the xG scale.

The build-up play was slow and predictable despite Amorim having a week on the training pitches to develop that cohesiveness. A couple of times passes went backwards when players could have turned and showed some ambition and that kind of approach play is never going to go down well with Old Trafford regulars.

The sight of Patrick Dorgu making his debut on the right, when United have been crying out for a left wing-back, was met with bemusement and summed up the approach. The 20-year-old was bright in his 45-minute outing and linked up well with Amad, but both players on the right of the pitch wanted to come inside, as did both on the left.

There was no width and that allowed Leicester to pack the middle with blue shirts. There was nowhere near enough speed in the build-up play to move them out of position, which is why no chances were created.

Garnacho came on to change that. The winger is starting to get the idea and he has to be a part of United from the start now.