Stats and style prove Leicester deserved to beat Man United

A lot of the play was between the defence and deep midfielders, but there was always a safety net option to pass into. After a fairly reserved first-half, Rodgers instructed the team to place themselves closer to the United goal, and thus squeezed the pitch to ensure more control.

After conceding, directly after scoring, LCFC dominated the game by placing Mendy as a sweeping collector of clearances — denying transitions and circulating the ball to restart attacks. The recovery pace in defence, with players like Fofana and James Justin (back in the side after long periods out with injuries), enabled these high defensive lines, as long passes or transitions that beat the original setup wouldn’t bypass the quick recoveries of the defence.

Inside the attacks, there was a couple of good chances, but mainly a lot of sustained pressure. Without a remarkable save by David De Gea from a Fofana header, and a few rushed shots on the United goal, an unquestionable lead for City to hold onto would have transpired. There was of course the disallowed James Maddison goal, although it was a foul from Kelechi Iheanacho in the build-up, without his unfair challenge, the Nigerian wouldn’t have found the space to pass into Maddison.