Ruud van Nistelrooy slammed an “unthinkable and unacceptable” blunder after Harry Maguire scored a controversial winner as Manchester United scraped into the FA Cup fifth round.
Maguire was in a clear offside position before heading home Bruno Fernandes’s 93rd-minute free-kick as United came from behind to beat Leicester 2-1 at Old Trafford.
With VAR not in use until the next round of the competition to ensure the technology is available at all stadia, Maguire’s goal was allowed to stand, with referee Michael Salisbury and his officials Matthew Wilkes and Marc Perry failing to spot Maguire was offside.
“We are not defeated in Fergie time, we are defeated in offside time,” Van Nistelrooy said after the former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was seen celebrating in the stands.
“It was not a matter of VAR. VAR you have in a couple centimetres, a couple of inches, this was half a metre [offside]. That was a hard one to take because the team deserves to draw in the end. Then extra-time, stay in the game, you never know what happens.
“One, you can’t turn it back so we have to live with it. Two, we are all humans and make mistakes but at this level, that’s not good enough.
“That’s it and for me, that’s enough, to be sad about it. We’re gutted when you prepare the whole week for this game and put in a performance like that and it’s been decided on a clear and obvious mistake … that’s unthinkable and unacceptable at this level. Decisions like these in our level are hard to swallow.”
United were behind to Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s goal before Alejandro Garnacho’s introduction at half-time turned the game. Joshua Zirkzee equalised before Maguire’s contentious winner,
Ruben Amorim, the United head coach, admitted his side had got lucky. “We need a lot of things that are nothing to do with luck, that have to do with quality of the work – we need to improve every detail of the game, energy, my work with them has to be so much better,” he said.
“But sometimes you need a little bit of luck and today we had. It’s not luck because with VAR it was not a goal and I think it’s important to have it because it’s fair. It’s really hard to lose one game in the last minute with an offside play, but sometimes we deserve a little bit of luck.
“We had to believe until the end but this game has nothing to do with the time of Fergie. I think the performance, we have to do so much better with the ball, without the ball.”
Roy Keane claimed United “got out of jail” and slammed the failure to spot Maguire was offside. “They rode their luck,” the former United captain said. “The linesman has to see it [Maguire being offside]. United got out of jail tonight.
“Sometimes the big clubs get criticism of decisions going for them and that was an example of that. Such another bad decision. You have to get those big decisions right and that is a shocking mistake.”
Garnacho inspires United revival with superb cameo
Marcus Rashford may have left for Aston Villa and Antony was packed off to Real Betis but, whatever frustration Manchester United fans feel about the lack of replacements for that pair in the winter window, they will also know it could have been a whole lot worse.
Alejandro Garnacho’s future was uncertain for weeks as Napoli and Chelsea both tested United’s resolve over their young Argentina winger and one could only have imagined the reaction had the club actually cashed in their chips.
There are very few players in this United squad who gets bums off seats and talk to the club’s storied history of flying wingers prepared to attack their full-back and enthral and excite.
Garnacho does all those things and, while he is far from the finished product at 20 and has already fallen foul of his manager Ruben Amorim at times, it is hard to believe this one-paced, pedestrian United side would be better off by selling such a burgeoning talent.
There is certainly some doubt about whether they would have got back into this game, let alone gone on to win it, but for the introduction of Garnacho from the bench at half-time. Harry Maguire was in a clear offside position before heading home Bruno Fernandes’s free-kick to win the game deep into stoppage time, a huge slice of a good fortune for United who should be grateful VAR is not operational until the next round of the FA Cup. Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Leicester City manager, was right to be furious about it and Roy Keane had a point when he said United “got out of jail”.
No one, though, should downplay the impact of Garnacho, who played an integral role in the equaliser scored by another substitute, Joshua Zirkzee, and whose willingness to run at – and in behind – Leicester’s defence ensured the second half was played to an entirely different soundtrack from the first.
United were going nowhere fast before Garnacho’s arrival turned the game on its head and gave his side the urgency, pace and impetus they had been so badly lacking, following a listless first period in which they found themselves behind for the seventh time in the last eight home games and were booed off.
Dropped for the Manchester derby alongside Rashford in mid-December, Garnacho has responded to Amorim’s call to arms since in a way the head coach evidently felt the England striker failed to do. It must be slightly chilling for all United supporters to think Garnacho could have gone had Chelsea or Napoli’s offers reached an acceptable level.
“That is not important,” Amorim said when asked how close Garnacho came to leaving. “We want players like Garnacho, he is really important. He changed the game with the runs behind. You can feel the opponent is getting tired, adjusting with a lot of difficulties, not in the first half but in the second half to stop Garnacho one-against-one. We’re very happy with him and I think he helped a lot to change the game.”
Garnacho’s omission against Manchester City had followed a show of dissent towards Amorim but the head coach slowly seems to be warming to the youngster. “He doesn’t need a big change. We are talking about the standards, just to train well, receive the information, understand we want to help him.
“We want to play in a different system, but it’s not complicated. He changed everything, he trains really well, he stayed on the bench five games in a row and every time he came on the pitch he was a different guy receiving the information and playing, so it’s simple things, it’s not a big thing. You can see it, I think he’s improving.”
United were woeful for 45 minutes, a chorus of boos greeting the half-time whistle. “Marcus Rashford, he left cos you’re s---” and “How s--- must you be, we’re winning away” came the chants from the Leicester fans. Amorim bemoaned the lack of energy and how poor his side were in and out of possession. The ball seemed to go backwards more than it did forwards and Van Nistelrooy – who spent a fortnight in interim charge at Old Trafford after Erik ten Hag’s sacking – could not have imagined how easy it would be for his team.
Leicester may be low on confidence themselves but took encouragement from United’s reluctance to attack and found themselves in front a few minutes before the interval. Manuel Ugarte was dispossessed by Boubakary Soumaré attempting to shield the ball. Bilal El Khannouss broke down the left and his pull back picked out Wilfred Ndidi near the penalty spot. His shot was saved by André Onana but the ball popped up directly in front of Bobby De Cordova-Reid to head home. He could not miss.
Amorim handed a debut to Patrick Dorgu but put the left-back in a right-wing-back role and Diogo Dalot, a right-back, on the left. Amorim believes it opens up different angles on the pitch but at the moment it just looks like a lot of square pegs in round holes. A £29.2 million signing from Lecce, Dorgu did little wrong but was dispensed at half-time as Amorim switched Amad Diallo to right-wing-back and asked Garnacho to start running at Leicester. It was just the tonic United needed. Suddenly Van Nistelrooy’s side found themselves on the back foot. The equaliser stemmed from another Garnacho run, the Argentine beating De Cordova-Reid to fire in another cross. Rasmus Hojlund’s flick was saved but the ball fell kindly to Zirkzee, who tapped home four minutes after coming on amid chants of “attack, attack, attack” from a frustrated Stretford End. Hojlund was furious when Garnacho failed to square the ball for a simple finish after electing to shoot after again cutting Leicester open.
United’s winner may have been very fortuitous but Garnacho is making his own luck at the moment.
10:25 PM GMT
Thanks and goodnight
That’s all for tonight. Manchester United live to fight another day but, as Ruben Amorim said, it wasn’t exactly a triumphant evening at Old Trafford.
Thanks for your company, goodnight.
10:21 PM GMT
Ruud van Nistelrooy: ‘It’s hard to swallow’
We weren’t defeated in Fergie Time; we were defeated in… offside time. VAR isn’t necessary to spot it – it was half a metre and [the assistant] was clearly in line. It’s a hard one to take because the team deserved to go to extra-time.
It was a very good team performance. We started really well and deserved to be 1-0 up at half-time. We knew there would be pressure in the second half but there weren’t that many chances and we deserved to go to extra-time and maybe penalties. Decisions like this... at our level it’s hard to swallow.
10:18 PM GMT
Ruben Amorin: ‘This was not a good day’
This game has nothing to do with Fergie Time. We have to do so much better – with the ball, without the ball. We didn’t have any energy in the beginning. In the second half we played a little bit better, with a little more speed and winning more second balls, and we managed to turn things around. It was a good result not a good performance.
[Why are the performances so poor?] It’s everything, and the coach is the first person who is responsible. It’s the small things, it’s the big things, it’s everything.
In this moment we are struggling at home. But we have to cope with that and we will try to show it in the next game.
I cannot focus on saving the season by winning a cup. That’s not the way I see football, that’s not the way I see Manchester United. It’s everything: it’s the performance, it’s the result. The final is at the end of the season - I don’t care about that. I care about this moment and at this moment our performances are clearly not good enough.
We move forward to the next stage. We have a week to prepare for our next game, but today was not a good day.
10:04 PM GMT
Maguire’s offside winner
A reminder that there is no VAR until the fifth round of the FA Cup, which is why the decisive goal was allowed to stand.
10:03 PM GMT
Harry Maguire’s reaction
Great finish to the game. The second half we played a lot better. The first half was nowhere near good enough – our tempo was too slow and we didn’t really get going. But we dominated the game in the second half. It really like we were gonna get the winner and thankfully I put it in the back of the net.
[Alejandro Garnacho] made a big impact; he always does that when he comes off the bench. Credit to him: he’s ready, he’s focussed. Josh also came on and had a big impact in the game.
We can’t put our finger on why we’re not playing to the best of our ability. We know there’s talent in the team, there’s no doubt about that. Confidence is a factor – our record at Old Trafford has been really poor. Our body language is maybe a bit down and lethargic. We need to win games to change it and we’ll do that.
This competition is huge for us. We’re the holders and we have a big responsibility to perform well. We’ll look forward to the next round now.
09:59 PM GMT
Bitter pill
09:55 PM GMT
FT: Man Utd 2 Leicester City 1
Manchester United move into the fifth round after a dramatic win at Old Trafford. Leicester were the better team for the first 65 minutes and led through Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s instinct header. The substitute Alejandro Garnacho energised United, creating the equaliser for Joshua Zirkzee and earning the free-kick that led to Harry Maguire’s winner.
In the previous round Maguire was furious that there was no VAR to overturn a penalty that was given against him at the Emirates. This time he benefitted from it; replays showed he was offside when he headed the decisive goal past Mads Hermansen.
09:51 PM GMT
Goal!
90+3 min: Man Utd 2 Leicester City 1 (Maguire) No matter what state they’re in, Manchester United always know how to score late winners! Garnacho, the player of the match by a mile, won a free-kick on the left that was taken by Fernandes. He drove an excellent angled ball beyond the far post, where Maguire arrived to plant an accomplished header back across Hermansen.
Replays show that Maguire was offside, but there’s no VAR so the goal stands.
09:48 PM GMT
90 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
Three minutes of added time before we go to extra time.
09:47 PM GMT
87 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
Garnacho does well on the left but then crosses too close to Hermansen. Leicester can’t get out of their half.
09:42 PM GMT
84 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
Ugarte is booked for a ridiculous two-footed jump towards Winks. He didn’t make contact but it was a potentially dangerous challenge, similar to the one by Lisandro Martinez at Fulham recently.
09:41 PM GMT
83 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
Man Utd continue to push for a winner in normal time. They were dreadful for 65 minutes, in truth, but look the likelier victors now.
09:39 PM GMT
81 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
Leicester substitution Facundo Buonanotte replaces Patson Daka.
09:38 PM GMT
79 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
Man Utd play on even though Daka is down on the far side. Dalot stabs a terrific return pass to Garnacho on the left side of the area, but he takes the wrong option and drags a disguised shot into the side netting. That was a chance.
09:35 PM GMT
76 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
Leicester break dangerously from a Man Utd corner, with the last man Mazraoui making a desperate but ultimately vital lunging tackle on El Khannouss. He would have been through on Onana without that touch from Mazraoui.
09:32 PM GMT
74 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
Amad zips past Coulibaly, gets to the byline and cuts the ball back towards Hojlund at the near post. His first-time shot is well blocked by Justin.
09:32 PM GMT
74 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
A reminder that the match will go extra-time and penalties if necessary.
09:30 PM GMT
72 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
Leicester substitution Kasey McAteer comes on for the goalscorer Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
09:28 PM GMT
70 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1
That earlier near miss from Garnacho changed the mood and now, for the first time, it feels like Leicester are hanging on a bit. Garnacho blasts miles wide after cutting inside the left; even so, he has turned the game since coming on as substitute.
09:26 PM GMT
Goal!
68 min: Man Utd 1 Leicester 1 (Zirkzee) The substitute Joshua Zirkzee equalises for Manchester United! It was made by the influential Garnacho, who beat De Cordova-Reid on the left and screwed a fast cross towards Hojlund at the near post. His flick was blocked but Zirkzee calmly stroked the loose ball into the net.
09:24 PM GMT
65 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
Off the line by Okoli! What a clearance this is from Caleb Okoli, who is celebrating as if he’s roofed one from 25 yards. Garnacho scurried through on goal and sidefooted a shot that took a big deflection off the sliding Faes before looping over Hermansen. It looked certain to go in until Okoli got back and shinned the ball onto his own crossbar. It bounced the right side of the line for Leicester and the referee confirmed that the ball hadn’t crossed the line.
09:22 PM GMT
64 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
Man Utd substitution Joshua Zirkzee comes on for Kobbie Mainoo, who had a disappointing game at No10.
09:18 PM GMT
60 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
Leicester, who have been in freefall in the Premier League, look so comfortable in this game. Their keeper Mads Hermansen still hasn’t had a save to make.
09:16 PM GMT
58 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
Double substitution for Leicester Harry Winks and the new signing Woyo Coulibaly come on for Luke Thomas and Wilfred Ndidi.
09:14 PM GMT
56 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
Garnacho escapes down the left and screws a cross that is cut out, as is Fernandes’s follow-up cross.
09:11 PM GMT
53 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
Man Utd take a quick free-kick on the right to release Mainoo in the area. His cross is headed away and Mazraoui shoots well wide from distance.
09:11 PM GMT
52 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
Mazraoui is penalised for a foul throw, which feels like an apt symbol of United’s performance so far.
09:09 PM GMT
50 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
El Khannouss, the one player on the field with a bit of swagger, runs at a backpedalling defence but shoots well wide from 25 yards.
09:07 PM GMT
49 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
Expected Goals isn’t an exact science and varies from source to source. But according to one popular website, Man Utd’s xG is 0.04. It’s bewildering how bad they are.
09:05 PM GMT
47 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
Hojlund beats Faes with a fine dummy, rumbles into the area and forces a low cross that is kicked away. That was better from United.
09:03 PM GMT
46 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1
The second half is under way.
09:03 PM GMT
Half-time substitution
Manchester United are bringing on Alejandro Garnacho for Patrick Dorgu, who had a decent debut. Amad Diallo will move to right wing-back.
08:55 PM GMT
Roy Keane’s verdict on Man Utd
Shocking. Really, really poor... they’re boring. You feel like you want to go into the dressing-room and remind the players what the game’s about: ‘There’s a goal at that end, you have to try to put the ball in it.’ It’s as if they’re not aware of it.
Nowhere near good enough. There’s no energy; no energy in the stadium. Everyone’s waiting for something to happen. I look at it from a United point of view and think, ‘My goodness, is this what it’s come to?’
I bet Leicester can’t believe how easy it is. United aren’t even doing the basics right.
08:48 PM GMT
HT: Man Utd 0 Leicester City 1
The half-time whistle brings a chorus of boos from the home fans. Manchester United have been wretched, and Roy Keane’s analysis will be far more entertaining than the first half. Leicester defended well and took the lead just before half-time through Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
08:42 PM GMT
Goal!
42 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 1 (De Cordova-Reid) Leicester lead at Old Trafford! Ugarte lost the ball in a dangerous area to Soumare, who pushed it down the left to El Khannouss. He beat his man and cut the ball back sharply to the onrushing Ndidi, whose shot was saved by Onana with his legs - but the ball bounced up and was headed in from close range by De Cordova-Reid.
08:38 PM GMT
38 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Dorgu, who has been one of the livelier attacking players, runs Thomas down the right to win a corner. An inswinger is spilled by Hermansen, under pressure and possibly fouled by Maguire, but he is able to recover anyway.
08:34 PM GMT
34 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Jordan Ayew’s effort in the sixth minute remains the only shot on target at either end.
08:33 PM GMT
32 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
A beautiful inswinging corner from Thomas is headed away at the far post by Mazraoui. That was crying out for somebody to come flying in to head it past Onana.
08:32 PM GMT
31 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Thomas’s excellent cross is headed behind by Mazraoui. Leicester need to realise that they have a serious chance tonight because there’s been nothing to fear from Man Utd in the first half-hour.
08:29 PM GMT
28 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Kobbie Mainoo showed promise as a No10 against FCSB but tonight he has barely touched the ball in the final third. Ruben Amorim has a scary amount of work to do to turn this team into title contenders. On paper it’s a decent enough team, top six maybe, but on the pitch they look so lifeless.
08:27 PM GMT
26 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Soumare plays a penetrative if slightly overhit angled pass to De Cordova-Reid, who blazes wide from a very tight angle. Wrong option.
08:26 PM GMT
25 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Man Utd are slowly taking control of the game, though ‘slowly’ is the operative word - it really isn’t great.
08:23 PM GMT
22 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Fernandes’s corner is headed away at the near post. United recycle the ball until Amad backheels the ball to Dorgu, who shoots over from 25 yards with his right foot. Those two are starting to link up on the right.
08:22 PM GMT
21 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Dorgu, who is starting to get more involved in the final third, is fouled on the right wing by Thomas.
Fernandes shapes to cross and then squares the ball to Amad, whose shot from 22 yards takes a big deflection and loops over the bar for a corner.
08:18 PM GMT
18 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Thomas misjudges an attempted interception near the halfway line, allowing Dorgu to surge into space on the right. He moves into the area and tries a square ball that is read and cut out by Okoli.
08:17 PM GMT
15 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Man Utd have started poorly in possession – the tempo is too slow and they keep giving the ball away. Apart from that everything is tickedyboo.
08:13 PM GMT
12 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Leicester have had a pretty good start, with Patson Daka looking sharp up front. At the other end the goalkeeper Mads Hermansen’s gloves remain unsullied.
08:10 PM GMT
8 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Patrick Dorgu, a left back by trade, has started in the right wing back position and Diogo Dalot, a right back, is in the left wing back position. Amorim has made no secret of his like for left footers on the right and vice versa - he thinks it opens up different angles on the pitch.
The problem is Dalot has seldom looked comfortable in the left wing back role and Dorgu is playing in a less familiar position. He has filled it before but it’s not his usual position.
Mazraoui, a right back, is on the left of a back three and Bruno Fernandes, ordinarily a No. 10, has been dropped back into a deeper lying role with Mainoo at No 10 alongside Amad. Mainoo impressed there against FCSB.
08:07 PM GMT
6 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Daka makes a good run behind the defence, turns back and tees up Ayew. He hits a smart first-time shot from distance that is patted down by Onana; a comfortable save.
08:06 PM GMT
5 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Nothing much to report thus far. The atmosphere is good; the football has yet to get going.
08:03 PM GMT
2 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
Patrick Dorgu has started on the right, with Diogo Dalot on the left. Ruben Amorim does like to invert his wing-backs at times.
08:01 PM GMT
1 min: Man Utd 0 Leicester 0
United kick off from left to right as we watch. As in the third round, there’s no VAR tonight.
07:51 PM GMT
A reminder of the teams
Man Utd (3-4-2-1) Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Mazraoui; Dalot, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dorgu; Diallo, Hojlund, Mainoo.
Subs: de Ligt, Heaven, Lindelof, Casemiro, Collyer, Eriksen, Garnacho, Zirkzee, Graczyk.
Leicester (4-2-3-1) Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Okoli, Thomas; Ndidi, Soumare; Ayew, El Khannous, De Cordova-Reid; Daka.
Subs: Stolarczyk, Coulibaly, Coady, Winks, Skipp, Buonanotte, McAteer, Mavididi, Monga.
Referee Michael Salisbury.
07:50 PM GMT
Date of birth: 10/07/2009
I suddenly feel very old. The Leicester substitute Jeremy Monga was born less than a month before my twin boys, Oliver and Harry.
07:49 PM GMT
Ruben Amorim’s pre-match thoughts
We want to give the fans a good performance. In the last round against Arsenal we understood the game – every detail, we were really focussed. We have to maintain that focus.
[On Patrick Dorgu] He did very well in training this week and we need wingers. He is left-footed which allows us to switch the wingers if need to. He’ll be a little bit nervous at the start but he’s a talented kid.
[On Kobbie Mainoo playing as a No10] He did very well in the last Europa League game. He can play near the striker without having the extra responsibility of having to recover [as a No8]. I like him one against one near the box so we will try to take advantage of his ability.
Our priority is to improve in the next game, not to focus on a competition. We want to win every trophy but, as I said when I started, the goal is to win the Premier League. Anything else we can enjoy, but it’s not the main goal.
07:40 PM GMT
Man Utd short of back-up keepers
United have their fifth choice goalkeeper, Hubert Graczyk, on the bench with Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton both injured and Elyh Harrison cup tied having played on loan in the competition for Chester earlier this season.
07:37 PM GMT
Ruud van Nistelrooy talks to ITV Sport
The FA Cup was big when I was growing up, so for me it was great to play in it. Winning a final, losing a final – that’s what happens in football.
I had to focus on going into the right dressing-room! It’s tiny, it’s warm, it’s not comfortable... they’ve done that well for the away team. It does feel a bit weird but when you’re managing you just focus on the game.
The challenge is tough. I knew beforehand, as a promoted side, that it would be tough to compete with the sides that were in the league before. We’ve been unlucky with injuries. We have [Wilfred] Ndidi back today which is big for us.
Jamie Vardy is still playing at this level aged 38. Why? Because he prepares every day. That’s the consistency you need. It’s not a button you can switch on; it’s everyday work. That’s what I’ve been stressing to my players.
[On 15-year-old Jeremy Monga] He’s a winger who started the season playing for the under-18s. Then he moved up to the under-21s, where he scored and got a lot of assists. So he started training with the first team and he’s been doing well. Physically he’s very strong and mature and he deserves his opportunity.
07:27 PM GMT
Man Utd show support for injured Martinez
United’s players have a message of support for Lisandro Martinez on the back of their training tops. The Argentina defender ruptured a cruciate against Crystal Palace on Sunday and the back of United’s tops are emblazoned with the words: “Mucha Fuerza Licha” - stay strong Licha.
07:05 PM GMT
Leicester team news
Jeremy Monga, aged 15, is on the Leicester bench. Ruud van Nistelrooy makes four changes to the starting XI that was hammered at Everton.
In Caleb Okoli, Luke Thomas, Wilfred Ndidi, Patson Daka.
Out Jannik Vestergaard, Viktor Kristiansen, Harry Winks, Jamie Vardy.
07:01 PM GMT
Man Utd team news: Dorgu starts
Patrick Dorgu, the left wing-back signed from Lecce last week, makes his Manchester United debut. He replaces the injured Lisandro Martinez in one of two changes from the defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday; the other is Rasmus Hojlund for Alejandro Garnacho.
The hero of the third round, goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, is not in the squad so Andre Onana starts. And Ayden Heaven, the defender signed for Arsenal in the transfer window, is on the bench.
06:55 PM GMT
No replays in fourth round
The tie will be settled one way or another tonight, with extra time and penalties available if necessary. United went the distance at the Emirates in the third round before winning on penalties; Leicester hammered QPR 6-2.
06:51 PM GMT
Third time lucky for Leicester?
This is Leicester’s third visit to Old Trafford this season. The first two came when Van Nistelrooy was caretaker manager at Old Trafford: United won 5-2 in the Carabao Cup and 3-0 in the Premier League.
06:48 PM GMT
Good evening
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Manchester United v Leicester City at Old Trafford. It’s a repeat of the 1963 FA Cup final, won 3-1 by a Man Utd site that only just avoided relegation that season. It’s also a chance for both teams to have a weekend off from their miserable Premier League campaigns.
Ruben Amorim’s side have lost five of their last six home games in the league – and almost lost the sixth to Southampton – while Leicester have dropped into the relegation places during an alarming run of eight defeats in nine matches. Maybe playing in a different competition will free the two teams up.
Amorim will come up against Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was United’s interim manager before he took over. Amorim decided against keeping him as part of the coaching team.
“I have my team and my staff,” said Amorim. “I could have kept Ruud because it was a good thing for me, a popular thing to do. But I will not put Ruud in front of my guys, no matter what.
“To show respect to Ruud I was really clear with him and I explained that I have my team, I will continue the same way and I will not put a guy like Ruud, a legend of this club, in the end of the hierarchy in the staff.”
Van Nistelrooy, who scored goals in industrial quantities for United between 2001 and 2006, will get a great reception on his return. “It is special to go back there,” he said. “That is part of me, it always will be, but my focus will be on my team to get the best out of them. For Leicester, the FA Cup is a great stage to show what we are about.”
Kick off 8pm.
