Harry Maguire scored a stoppage-time equaliser for Leicester City to restrict Manchester United to a 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Jamie Vardy gave Leicester a 27th-minute lead before Juan Mata scored either side of half time.
The Spaniard previously only had one goal to his name all season, but came to the party in style with two inch-perfect finishes to set United up for a third straight league win.
However, Leicester did not give up, even after substitute Daniel Amartey was sent off for two yellow cards, and Maguire rescued them a point with the last kick of the game.
Kasper Schmeichel kept United at bay early on with good saves from Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba sighters.
United were caught out by a classic Leicester sucker-punch for the opening goal as Riyad Mahrez teed up Vardy for his 50th Premier League goal.
Chris Smalling was isolated one-on-one with Mahrez from a long punt forward, and the Algerian waited for the run of Vardy who finished confidently into the bottom corner.
The Red Devils equalised five minutes before the break as Mata picked out the bottom corner with a controlled finish from Lingard’s layoff.
United went straight up the other end and missed a golden opening of their home as Anthony Martial shot over the crossbar from Romelu Lukaku’s through-ball.
Martial was lively all game and played a role in United’s second by winning a free kick from which Mata squeezed a 20-yard shot underneath the crossbar, out of reach of Schmeichel despite it being fairly central.
The visitors should have killed the game off through either Lingard or Rashford, who both rounded Schmeichel when through one-on-one, only for the former to strike the post when faced with an open goal and the latter to stumble to the floor under the Dane’s fair challenge.
Leicester’s comeback task was made harder by Amartey, on his first Premier League appearance since the opening weekend, picking up two bookings for cynical tackles within 17 minutes of replacing Danny Simpson.
The stage was set for the dramatic conclusion when Smalling picked up an injury in the final few minutes, but was forced to carry on with Jose Mourinho having made all three of his substitutions.
From Albrighton’s inviting 94th-minute delivery, Maguire got a run on the limping England international at the back post and finished side-footed across De Gea to send Leicester fans wild with Christmas cheer.
A point apiece leaves United 13 behind league leaders Manchester City and Leicester consolidated in eighth.
Trending
- 577 blind candidates to sit for 2024 UTME, those with five O Level credits to get refund
- JAMB orders arrest of parents found near CBT centres during UTME
- NPA secures $700m facility from Citibank to rehabilitate Apapa, Tin-Can ports
- CSOs to EFCC, others: Don’t desecrate the courts while fighting corruption
- Why we’ve not paid stipends of Niger Delta ex-militants – Amnesty Office
- Eko DisCo reiterates commitment to improved service delivery
- Transcorp Hotels sells Calabar subsidiary
- FA, Premier League agree to scrap FA Cup replays