Harry Maguire’s luck and Alejandro Garnacho’s skill save Ruben Amorim from more Man Utd misery | OneFootball

For swathes of the last six years, Leicester City could savour the thought of Harry Maguire and Manchester United. Not here, however, and not in injury time. Leicester were left with a sense of injustice, cursing the goal scored by the man they sold for a world-record fee for a centre-back. Maguire’s Old Trafford career has not always proceeded swimmingly, but on a night when they looked like drowning in their own incompetence, he instead turned rescuer.

A 93rd-minute header took the holders into the FA Cup fifth round in dramatic fashion; controversial, too, given that Maguire – and three of his teammates – had looked suspiciously offside when he ran on to Bruno Fernandes’s deep free-kick to plant an emphatic header in. Amid scenes of bedlam, with no VAR to spare Leicester, United’s act of escapology was complete. “We were not defeated in Fergie time, we were defeated in offside time,” said Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy. “This was half a metre, clear in line. It is decided on a clear and obvious mistake, that is unacceptable and unthinkable at this level.”

Ruben Amorim admitted United were lucky. “With VAR it is not a goal and I think it’s important to have because it’s fair,” he said. And Leicester felt the scoreline was not. “That is not what the team deserves,” added Van Nistelrooy.

The end was cruel, but the match was fundamentally altered at half-time. Enter Alejandro Garnacho, a scorer in last season’s final. The Argentinian delivered neither goal against Leicester but he was the catalyst for a comeback, the man who injected excitement into a soporific, sorry display. “He changed the game with the runs behind,” Amorim said. The fact that the Argentinian was only a replacement underlined the way United stumbled and blundered their way through the opening 45 minutes.

“A good result, not a good performance,” said Amorim. His substitutions made a difference, but he got his starting XI badly wrong. There are themes there: United trying to make up for past mistakes, Amorim making an inauspicious beginning to life at Old Trafford.

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Harry Maguire celebrates after scoring Manchester United's winner (AFP via Getty Images)

But redemption can sometimes feel possible. Joshua Zirkzee, who is finding the FA Cup a cathartic competition, scored four minutes after his introduction. The Dutchman had delivered the winning penalty in the shootout against Arsenal, another game that showed United’s resolve. Jeered off against Newcastle, he heard his name sung after equalising.

It stemmed from a surge by Garnacho. After Rasmus Hojlund had a shot blocked by Caleb Okoli, Zirkzee sidefooted in the leveller. Garnacho had almost levelled just before with a burst into the box and a shot that deflected off Wout Faes to loop over Mads Hermansen. It required an astonishing intervention from Caleb Okoli, clearing via the underside of the bar, to preserve Leicester’s lead, albeit only briefly.

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Joshua Zirkzee taps home Manchester United's equaliser (AP)

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Zirkzee celebrates after scoring the leveller (AFP via Getty Images)

Amorim had been forced to summon Garnacho at the break, bringing on a man who has no natural place in his system. The Portuguese’s formation does not allow for wingers, but United were roused by one, by a player with drive to run at defenders, with the speed and skill to evade them. Perhaps Garnacho was affronted by being omitted from such a wretched side. He played with the air of a man with a point to prove. He brought the crowd to life. Old Trafford, notable for boos at half-time, echoed to the sound of “Viva Garnacho”.

Not, sadly for him, viva Patrick Dorgu, the man to make way for Garnacho. It amounted to a dismal, dreadful debut for the Dane. That was not entirely his fault as he was picked out of position, poor and hooked at half-time. If the £30m Dane seemed bought to be the left wing-back United have lacked, Amorim instead decided to deploy a very left-footed player began on the right flank. It was a leftfield decision in one respect, though clearly not in another. “If you see the history of Dorgu in the last team [Lecce] he played a lot on the right,” said Amorim. He promised that Dorgu will play there again but it looked utterly illogical, especially with Diogo Dalot used on the left. After the deployment of Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine against Crystal Palace, it was a second bizarre decision by Amorim in as many games. He handicapped his new recruit.

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It was a tough debut for wing-back Patrick Dorgu (Getty Images)

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Bobby De Cordova-Reid, left, celebrates after putting Leicester in front (Reuters)

As for Mainoo, he was instead anonymous as a No 10. The recalled Hojlund was starved of service until joined by Garnacho and Zirkzee. “We’re not helping our strikers at the moment,” said Amorim. They aren’t helping themselves. “We have to do so much better with the ball, without the ball,” he added. “We lacked energy in the beginning.” United’s struggles at Old Trafford have been an unwanted constant in Amorim’s reign, with only Sean Dyche’s Everton and Southampton beaten in the league. Leicester had conceded in 10.18 seconds last week. United only mustered two shots in the opening half, neither on target.

And Leicester led. Bilal El Khannouss outpaced Leny Yoro with too much ease and cut the ball. Wilfred Ndidi’s shot was saved by Andre Onana. The goalkeeper may have been unfortunate: it fell for Bobby Decordova-Reid to head in. El Khannouss was terrific, his talent suggesting he will represent Leicester’s best hope of avoiding relegation. Van Nistelrooy, who won three times at Old Trafford as United’s caretaker manager, was on course for the best result of his reign at Leicester. He ended, he said, “gutted”. It had been going so well. The visiting fans were sufficiently confident they spent some of the second half chorusing “ole” as they passed the ball around; with Manuel Ugarte awful in midfield, still more of United’s shortcomings were apparent.

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Harry Maguire heads home United's winner (Getty Images)

There was a danger Maguire’s night was remembered for a moment of incompetence when he contrived to pass the ball straight to Amorim. Instead, he ended it sparing Amorim another inquest, extending his chances of winning the FA Cup, the surprise scourge of Leicester.