Hojlund Nets Maiden Goal of 2025 as Manchester United Overcome Struggling Leicester City

Manchester United secured a comfortable 3-0 victory in the Premier League against Leicester City, with full debutant Ayden Heaven playing a key role. The struggling Foxes, under the guidance of former interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, have now endured an alarming seventh consecutive home defeat in the top flight without finding the back of the net.

The match started quietly, with only Jamie Vardy testing Andre Onana early on, but the game soon picked up pace. Christian Eriksen rattled the far post with a clever first-time shot just before Patson Daka made a run toward goal, only to be thwarted by a vital intervention from Heaven.

Bruno Fernandes, increasingly pivotal in Ruben Amorim’s setup, was instrumental in United’s opener in the 28th minute, delivering a precise pass to Rasmus Hojlund. The young forward drove towards goal and finished expertly with his non-dominant foot, marking his first goal of 2025.

United maintained control for the remainder of the first half, although Leicester did show fleeting moments of intent, with Manuel Ugarte making an important interception to deny Wilfred Ndidi, and Daka’s powerful shot being blocked by Heaven.

Sadly for Heaven, who had performed admirably on his full league debut, he was stretchered off shortly after the interval.

With no centre-backs available as substitutes, midfielder Toby Collyer stepped in to replace him. However, the reshuffle did little to dent United’s flow, and they soon extended their lead.

Although Alejandro Garnacho briefly celebrated after finding the net, the joy was short-lived as he was flagged offside prior to scoring from inside the box.

Yet, just ten minutes later, Garnacho made amends by catching Mads Hermansen off-guard with a quick shot from a similar position, registering his first goal since November.

With the match already secured, Fernandes got on the scoresheet with another impressive performance, registering his third goal involvement of the evening and eighth against Leicester this season, curling one in from the edge of the box.

This defeat marks Leicester’s fourth loss against United this season; a rare occurrence in which they have lost to the same opponent four times in a single campaign. They have now suffered 13 defeats in their last 14 Premier League fixtures, placing them nine points adrift of safety in 19th, while the Red Devils rise to 13th, with optimism beginning to build following their recent success in the UEFA Europa League.