On Sunday we were back at the Leigh Sports Village to see Manchester United take on Leicester City in what we hoped would be an entertaining game of football due to Leicester trying to hold onto their unbeaten run and United trying to bounce back from their last league game where Arsenal secured a late draw. In all honesty though we came away from the game a little disappointed, the game felt scrappy and the freezing weather didn't help the cause as the game finished in a 1-1 draw. 

A good result for Leicester as they remain unbeaten but the draw meant United have dropped 2 more valuable points as we know just how tight it can be at the top of the table from the start of the season to the final day.

United went into the game having made a few changes which saw the likes of Galton & Toone dropped to the bench and before the kick off you couldn't help but wondering if that was done with Wednesday nights Champions League second leg in mind. United started the game quite well with a good chance in the opening minutes when Parris played the ball to Garcia but there was a little too much on the ball and Leicester were able to reset from the 'keeper and push for an attack of their own. Possibly the worst part of the game came in the 6th minute when United's George went into to defend the ball but ended up going down with a scream of pain, we were sat at the opposite end of the stadium and heard the scream which when you know a player has a history of knee injuries gets you worrying. After a lengthy stoppage George was helped off the pitch by the physios but it didn't look good, it has since been confirmed that she has in fact suffered an ACL injury, not what United wanted this season and especially not so early on in the game.

With George going off injured Skinner was forced into an early change and we saw Riviere enter the game. The change didn't seem to effect United too much as they continued to pile the pressure on Leicester who were looking really unsettled at the back with the strong press from United, Leicester ended up kicking the ball out of play or giving the ball straight back to United. Leicester did end up having a chance of their own in the 19th minute when they caught United against the run of play they just couldn't make the final connection and they were back to defending.

United were soon back on the front foot with possession and a great bit of link up play between Blundell, Miyazawa & Malard saw the ball find its way through to Parris who got the shot off which was easily saved by the Leicester 'keeper. Parris found herself through on goal not long after however, this time it was sent behind for a corner. Zelem was next up to take a shot but again the Leicester 'keeper had this covered as she parried the ball away. The pressure really was on Leicester with shot after shot coming from United but for some reason United just couldn't find the back of the net no matter how hard they tried. Miyawaza definitely had the best chance of the half when he shot ended up rattling the underside of the crossbar, we don't think anyone understood how it didn't actually go in the goal, Garcia tried to get on the rebound but the ball ended up over the bar.

The game really was scrappy from both sides throughout the first half and there were moments where you couldn't help but feel that Leicester were playing the referee a bit with come tactic time wasting, players just seemed to be dropping for the sake of it and the referee let it go on for far too long which got the crowd riled up. Throughout the whole of the first half it seemed as though the referee was all for Leicester as all decisions seemed to be going in their favour and nothing in United's.

Leicester started the second half with a triple change in the hopes of changing the direction of the game and it worked in the early stages of the second period as the first chance went Leicester's way but Riviere managed to get the ball cleared away. They were certainly putting the pressure on United as it took them a while to settle back down and get back into the game. United eventually started to grow back into the game and it seemed that this time the referee had found his cards as there were two quick yellow cards given to Leicester players one for kicking the ball away and one for a challenge on Parris in a position that lead to a chance for United but Zelem's free kick found its way over the crossbar.

Skinner obviously saw that something needed to change as he brought Williams, Galton & Toone into the game. The changes didn't have an instant impact as he may have hoped though as not long after the substitutions United gave away a free kick in a dangerous position which Leicester capitalized on and the ball in found an unmarked Whelan who found the back of the net to give Leicester a 60th minute lead. Earps was absolutely furious with the goal as Whelan should definitely have been marked, but should the free kick have been given in the first place? We aren't too sure as there wasn't much in the challenge in the first place but either way United's defence should have been much better. No doubt Earps was also furious due to this goal meaning that her 100th appearance wasn't ending with a clean sheet like she would have hoped.

United knew they needed to get themselves back into the game quickly but things just weren't going their way until Galton's chance was turned behind for a corner. In the 67th minute United drew the scoreline level as a brilliant corner found Le Tissier who found the back of the net, finally United managed to convert one of their chances and the scoreline was at 1-1.

The goal certainly fired up the crowd but it was Leicester who followed up the United goal with an attack of their own which saw a big save from Earps. The game was more or less end to end at this point with both teams trying to find a winner. We even saw Evans come on for United to make her debut and replace earlier substitute Riviere who seemed to be suffering with cramp. Galton's introduction to the game seemed to help United out a bit as she was putting some great balls into the box, one in the second half saw Parris through on goal but what looked like a nasty challenge from our end saw Parris and two Leicester players on the floor for a period of time. Once that stoppage was over it was a case of trying to get momentum back into the game and United got another chance but Blundell's shot was straight at the 'keeper. You would have thought United would really pile the pressure on Leicester as they had the majority of possession however, there was no really urgency to attack and they spent more time passing the ball backwards and playing each other into trouble. There were 7 minutes added onto the second half and United left it until the end of those 7 minutes to really start to attack once more, there were a run of late corners and a late free kick in a good position but before anyone could get on the end of it the flag was up for offside and United's last chance of the game had gone with them having to settle for a 1-1 draw.

The whole game was a physical one from both sides and that is what won United the ball back plenty of times however, they just had no end product for the majority of the game, the scoreline could have been totally different if they had actually taken their chances like they usually would. You really can't take away from Leicester's performance either, they really held their own against United and put them to the test, something which hasn't happened so much in previous seasons. It is going to be interesting to see how long Leicester can keep up with these performances for as they are a whole new team to watch.

The game was certainly not the best to watch but a point is a point at the end of the day. Next up United are back in Champions League action against PSG before a return to the WSL at the weekend against Everton.