Manchester United made it three wins and a draw from Ruud van Nistelrooy’s four games in charge as they beat Leicester City 3-0 in the Premier League.
Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring on his 250th game for the club, before his attempted header deflected in off Victor Kristiansen for an own goal to double the advantage. Alejandro Garnacho scored a brilliant third late in the second half to put the icing on the cake.
The win ends Van Nistelrooy’s spell in caretaker charge and he will hand over the reins to Ruben Amorim on Monday with the team in a much brighter place than they were two weeks ago, when Erik ten Hag was sacked. Here are some of the things you might have missed from Old Trafford:
Ruud’s passion
A quick glance at the programme notes would have revealed what Ruud van Nistelrooy thinks of this club and his actions on Sunday only reaffirmed the passion he has for United. Can Ruben Amorim afford to lose that?
He celebrated every goal with enthusiasm once again and when Alejandro Garnacho put the icing on the cake late on he marched several steps out of his technical area, towards the Stretford End, punching both hands in the air.
After the final whistle he walked towards the Stretford End and stood right in front of his adoring fans, applauding them and beating his chest. He was showing that United lives in his heart. There was a wave for all four sides of the ground as he reached the mouth of the tunnel. A goodbye? Maybe.
If it is to be the end of his return to Old Trafford, then it has been a memorable two weeks for Van Nistelrooy and for the fans that never had the chance to say goodbye in 2006.
Amad’s instructions
Van Nistelrooy had United’s right flank right in front of him during the first-half and he showed just how hands-on he can be as a head coach with a barrage of instructions and detail for Diogo Dalot and Amad.
Plenty came the way of the outstanding Amad once again. His assist for Burno Fernandes’ goal was excellent and he was a constant threat to the Leicester City defence, but Van Nistelrooy wanted him holding his width rather than drifting infield when the ball was central.
Amad had a tendency to follow full-back Victor Kristansen inside as the defence narrowed, but Van Nistelrooy regularly shouted at him and pulled him back towards the touchline. He wanted him to stretch the pitch, but also knew he could get the ball in space out there and his neat dribbling was posing a problem to the left-back. It was the sign of a smart coach and one with plenty to offer the game.
Ratcliffe presentation
There wasn’t much of a crowd inside Old Trafford 40 minutes before kick-off when Sir Jim Ratcliffe strode onto the pitch to make a presentation to captain Bruno Fernandes, who was marking his 250th game for the club against the Foxes.
It’s the kind of milestone which sometimes goes unnoticed, but so big has Fernandes’ contribution to the cause been that he deserved a presentation. It was fitting that Ratcliffe made the gesture.
He might only own 27.7% of this club, but he makes the decisions now and he wants value for his money. Fernandes is one of the few signings to have delivered that in recent years, with 83 goals and 72 assists in his 250 appearances. Was there ever any doubt that Fernandes wouldn’t contribute on the day of a milestone appearance? He scored in his 100th and 200th games for the club, as well. He’s a man for the big occasion.