Ruud van Nistelrooy enjoyed a memorable opening game as interim Manchester United manager as his side ran out 5-2 winners over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup.
The former Red Devils striker was placed in temporary charge of the first team 48 hours earlier after Erik ten Hag was dismissed in the wake of the 2-1 Premier League defeat to West Ham.
With a deal progressing to bring in Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag’s permanent replacement, Van Nistelrooy’s spell as the main man in the dugout is likely to be reasonably brief. He certainly made the most of this cup fixture as United eased into the quarterfinals with the sort of effective attacking performance that Ten Hag would have wished to see earlier in the season.
Casemiro scored a sensational long-range opener before Alejandro Garnacho finished with aplomb from Diogo Dalot’s cross, putting United in control in the opening half-hour of a lively Old Trafford.
Bilal El Khannouss fired in a low strike to halve the deficit, but the hosts responded with two goals in the space of three minutes, captain Bruno Fernandes seeing a free-kick deflect past Danny Ward before Casemiro got his second off a rebound after his header struck the frame of the goal.
Ruud van Nistelrooy definitely enjoyed his first game as Manchester United’s interim manager 🤩
His team registered a 5-2 win over Leicester City to progress in the Carabao Cup 👏 pic.twitter.com/xK1ACjGVs5
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 30, 2024
United have made a habit of turning comfortable leads into nervy ones and, sure enough, centre-back Conor Coady got Leicester’s second in first-half stoppage time after some poor defending from a free-kick.
The Foxes sensed a possible comeback but effectively killed their own hopes of a turnaround just before the hour mark. Caleb Okoli’s poor backpass was pounced on by Fernandes, who produced a composed yet pointed finish after skipping around Ward.
The result sends United into the quarterfinals and keeps alive their hopes of winning another domestic trophy, having claimed this and the FA Cup during Ten Hag’s tenure. Whether Van Nistelrooy remains on staff until the next round remains to be seen, but he will always look back on this evening fondly.
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Man United vs. Leicester City final score
| Fulltime | Goalscorers | |
| Man United | 5 | Casemiro 15′, 39′, Garnacho 28′, Fernandes 36′, 59’ |
| Leicester City | 2 | El Khannouss 33′, Coady 45+3 |
Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester
Referee: Andrew Madley
Confirmed lineups:
Man United (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Altay Bayindir (GK) — 22. Diogo Dalot, 2. Victor Lindelof, 4. Matthijs de Ligt, 6. Lisandro Martinez — 25. Manuel Ugarte, 18. Casemiro — 17. Alejandro Garnacho, 8. Bruno Fernandes, 10. Marcus Rashford — 11. Joshua Zirkzee
Leicester City (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Danny Ward (GK) — 2. James Justin, 4. Conor Coady, 5. Caleb Okoli, 33. Luke Thomas — 22. Oliver Skipp, 24. Boubakary Soumare — 14. Bobby De Cordova-Reid, 11. Bilal El Khannouss, 35. Kasey McAteer — 18. Jordan Ayew
MORE: All the latest Man Utd news | Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings
Man United vs. Leicester City stats
| Man United | Stat | Leicester City |
| 23 | Shots | 16 |
| 9 | Shots on target | 7 |
| 2.95 | Expected goals | 0.99 |
| 57% | Possession | 43% |
| 560 | Passes | 431 |
| 5 | Corners | 3 |
| 8 | Fouls | 5 |
| 0 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 3 | Offsides | 1 |
Man United vs. Leicester City goals, key highlights
59 mins: Fernandes gets United’s fifth! That could settle the contest. It was a terrific, composed finish after an awful defensive mix-up from Leicester.
45+3 mins: Conor Coady gets a goal back right on the stroke of halftime, converting from close ranger United failed to clear a free-kick. Is there life in this cup tie?
39 mins: Casemiro scores again! His glancing header comes off one post, then the other, but it falls kindly to him and he blasts in the rebound.
36 mins: United lead by two again thanks to Bruno Fernandes! His free-kick takes a big deflection and leaves Danny Ward with no chance.
33 min: Bilal El Khannouss fires back a goal for Leicester! It’s a superb low finish after Altay Bayindir had only half cleared the danger.
USA:
Bilal El Khannouss’ first goal for Leicester City is SPECIAL 😳 pic.twitter.com/ZrLkfQcnMn
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 30, 2024
28 mins: Alejandro Garnacho doubles United’s lead! Diogo Dalot’s low cross from the right is turned emphatically high into the net.
USA:
Ruud’s Red Devils are COOKING 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5nPSoNjhsS
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 30, 2024
UK:
Alejandro Garnacho scores Man United’s second goal 👏 pic.twitter.com/ORnXTWj052
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 30, 2024
15 mins: Casemiro opens the scoring for Manchester United — and in some style. It’s a spectacular, 30-yard curling strike that flies into the top-right corner.
USA:
CASEMIRO HIT THAT FROM MARS 😱
UNBELIEVABLE STRIKE ⚡ pic.twitter.com/Kn4m7qMJHp
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 30, 2024
UK:
WOW WHAT A HIT FROM CASEMIRO! 🤩
Casemiro opens the scoring with a sensational hit from distance as Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates on the touchline 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/ukCC1kiWXH
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 30, 2024
Man United vs. Leicester City kick off time
This Carabao Cup match kicks off in Manchester, UK at 7:45 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Wed, Oct. 30 | 3:45 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Wed, Oct. 30 | 3:45 p.m. ET |
| UK | Wed, Oct. 30 | 7:45 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Thurs, Oct. 31 | 6:45 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Thurs, Oct. 31 | 1:00 a.m. IST |
Man United vs. Leicester City lineups, team news
Van Nistelrooy will probably have been wary of experimenting too much and turns to more experienced heads to lead them through this period of transition.
Altay Bayindir keeps his place in goal after starting in the last round, while Victor Lindelof is alongside Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez starts at left-back, with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia still absent.
Casemiro partners Manuel Ugarte in midfield, while Joshua Zirkzee gets the nod up front over Rasmus Hojlund.
Mason Mount could target Sunday’s league meeting with his old club for a potential return. Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo are still sidelined, along with Leny Yoro and Antony.
Man United starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Bayindir (GK) — Dalot, Lindelof, De Ligt, Martinez — Ugarte, Casemiro — Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford — Zirkzee
Man United subs: Heaton, Amass, Evans, Mazraoui, Fitzgerald, J. Fletcher, Amad Diallo, Hojlund, Wheatley
Injured: Antony, Mainoo, Maguire, Malacia, Mount, Shaw, Yoro
Suspended: None
Leicester mix up their starting XI after a poor second-half performance against Forest, with a few back-up players given a chance to impress.
Conor Coady, Boubakary Soumare and Jordan Ayew come in, along with Morocco star Bilal El Khannouss, who was a sub last Friday.
Danny Ward is in goal, with Kasey McAteer also starting.
Leicester City starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Ward (GK) — Justin, Coady, Okoli, Thomas — Skipp, Soumare — De Cordova-Reid, McAteer, El Khannouss— Ayew
Leicester City subs: Iversen, Ricardo, Vestergaard, Ndidi, Winks, Mavididi, Edouard, Buonanotte, Alves
Injured: Vestergaard, Choudhury, Daka
Suspended: None
Man United vs. Leicester City live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch this Carabao Cup match in some of the world’s major regions:
United States:
TV channel: CBS Sports Network
Live stream: Paramount+
This game is available for live TV broadcast in the United States on CBS Sports Network. Streaming options are available on Paramount+.
Canada:
- TV channel: —
- Live stream: DAZN
DAZN is the home of Carabao Cup action for fans in Canada.
Australia:
- TV channel: —
- Live stream: beIN Sports Connect
Fans in Australia can stream this match via beIN Sports Connect if they have a subscription.
India:
- TV channel: —
- Live stream: —
Unfortunately, this match is not expected to be shown by an official broadcaster in India.
However, if this match is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favourite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
WATCH FROM ANYWHERE: Sign up for NordVPN (30-day moneyback guarantee)
UK:
- TV channel: Sky Sports+
- Live stream: Sky Go, NOW TV
This game is available for live TV broadcast on Sky Sports+. Streaming options are available on Sky Go and NOW TV.