Gary Neville’s first league goal in more than three years sent Manchester United on their way to a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester at Old Trafford in Manchester on Tuesday.
The United stand-in skipper’s 56th-minute strike saw Alex Ferguson’s much-changed side, full of players battling for an FA Cup final place, move to within three points of second-placed Chelsea in the race for an automatic Champions League spot.
But defeat for second-from-bottom Leicester left the Foxes six points adrift of safety with just five games remaining.
”He always scores one goal a year,” joked Ferguson of Neville’s match-winner.
”It was a battle for us, we expected that. We made some changes because it’s important to get players playing ahead of the Cup Final so we’ve got options.
”But you do have to defend very well against Leicester. They do keep you under pressure. Our back four was excellent,” Ferguson told Sky Sports.
Leicester boss Micky Adams said the result summed up his side’s season.
”Our players have shown plenty of effort and commitment. But we weren’t good enough.
”We needed to take our chances: we didn’t. They had one chance and took it. At Old Trafford you’ve got to be cool, calm and collected in the final third of the field.”
On a night when United were far from their best, teenage winger Cristiano Ronaldo sparkled, setting up Neville’s winner and tormenting the Leicester defence.
”In two years’ time he’ll be an outstanding player,” Ferguson said.
Neville added: ”It was an important win for us. We need to get as close as we can to Arsenal to get second place.
”The first half was a really poor performance. A few of us had our boots on the wrong feet.
”But in the second-half we created a lot of chances and Ronaldo was causing them a lot of problems throughout the game.”
Ferguson made four changes to his team, bringing back Nicky Butt, Diego Forlan, David Bellion and Ronaldo, who scored after coming on as a substitute in Saturday’s 2-1 win away to Birmingham.
During a goalless first half, Leicester missed a fine chance to take an early lead when United goalkeeper Roy Carroll kicked the ball straight to captain Muzzy Izzet, just eight yards out.
But Izzet rushed the opportunity and shot so wide the ball went across the face of the box and out for a throw-in on the far side.
United went into the game with club captain Roy Keane having announced his return to Republic of Ireland duty. But the midfielder was missing from the line-up through injury.
Ferguson was forced into a late change when, after Phil Neville injured his ankle in the warm-up, Ryan Giggs was brought on to the substitutes bench.
After their early escape, it took United until the 15th minute to create their first chance as striker Louis Saha volleyed centimetres wide following Gary Neville’s clever lofted pass.
Leicester striker Marcus Bent wasted another good chance just before the break when he headed over the cross bar.
The goal came 11 minutes into the second half with Ronaldo the creator.
He had gone close himself moments earlier when his deflected shot was scrambled away by Walker and cleared from the path of Paul Scholes.
Ronaldo received the ball out in space on the left from a superb pass by Gary Neville and although Leicester cleared his cross-shot the loose ball fell into the path of the onrushing Neville who, from close range, fired in at the near-post.
In the 74th minute Scholes forced Walker to tip the ball over his crossbar with a shot from the edge of the box following Neville’s pass.
And five minute later Ronaldo, carved out a chance for himself, his curling shot from just outside the left-hand edge of the box well turned away for a corner by Walker.
Ronaldo then saw his 85th-minute strike fly just wide of the far post. — Sapa-AFP