Manchester United's hopes of returning to the Champions League next season were dealt a fresh blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Leicester at Old Trafford on It might well have been worse for Ralf Rangnick's side but James Maddison was denied a late winner for the visitors after referee Andre Marriner overruled his strike upon VAR review following a foul by Kelechi Iheanacho on Raphael Varane (80)
Iheanacho had given the Foxes the lead when he rose to direct Maddison's cross beyond David de Gea (63) but Fred restored parity with an instinctive finish just three minutes later
Jadon Sancho snatched at a late chance after substitute Marcus Rashford reacted slow to the initial opportunity - summing up the England pair's recent woes - but it would have been scarcely deserved
United will continue their fight for a top-four position, but that looks unlikely on this evidence with the side now three points off Arsenal in that coveted spot having played two games more
 Leicester rose above Aston Villa into ninth and still have the Europa Conference League as a possible source of silverware this season
"As long as it (top four) is possible mathematically, it is possible," Rangnick said afterwards
 "It is our job and duty to do our best to finish of the best on the best possible note
"The picture for me is clear, internally we spoke about it but there is nothing else I can say at this stage
"Leicester had won three of their previous four Premier League games - and there was an early warning for the hosts as within two minutes, Maddison's free-kick was glanced over by Harvey Barnes
After a week of increased speculation surrounding Erik ten Hag's connection to the vacant role at Old Trafford, United lacked an edge to their game as Paul Pogba's tame header from Luke Shaw's cross drew the first save from Kasper Schmeichel midway through the opening period
United had lost two of their previous three games in all competitions, but they ought to have broken the deadlock when Fred intercepted Wesley Fofana's clearance to slip through Bruno Fernandes
 Schmeichel read the Portuguese's intentions to keep out his tame shot courtesy of a trademark star-jump save with his left boot
The last and only time the Foxes secured a top-flight league double over Man Utd was during the 1973/74 season, when United ended up being relegated, but a decent chance to set them on the way to a repeat went begging as Iheanacho responded by scruffily blazing over
United had four central midfielders and two wide players in attack and yet Rashford still couldn't start
 "It's quite incredible," Gary Neville said on commentary
"You'd have thought he'd have got into the team but it's surprising to see him sat in between Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones on the bench
 He should be in this team
 United are absolutely toothless
 It's pathetically slow
"Leicester nearly punished their opponents' sluggishness when Maddison wasn't closed down on the right with his cross met by Barnes once more - in front of the dallying Diogo Dalot - but he flicked his volley wide of the post
That was it from a subdued first half and even the murmurings of discontent from home supporters that greeted Marriner whistle were somewhat muted
 Jamie Redknapp said: "It's been like a testimonial, everyone wants the ball to feet, no one wants to run without it
"United needed a lift but they might have been reduced to 10 men within five minutes of the restart when McTominay scythed down the lively Maddison
 Neville's verdict: "If it had been a red card, I don't think it would've been overturned the other way
 It's not a great challenge and his feet are off the ground
 He's a lucky boy
"Rashford continued to stare from the stands before becoming the lone man warming up - his omission described by Neville as a "killer and a real low for him" given the absence of Edinson Cavani and the ill Cristiano Ronaldo from a "poor team lacking purpose, intent and penetration"
He was summoned on 55 minutes and instantly roused the crowd from their stupor, providing his side with an extra dimension and winning a corner having latched onto Pogba's pass
 But it was Barnes who continued to cause Dalot problems as his driving run inside drew an important block from Harry Maguire on the hour mark
Then came the counter-punch from a former Manchester City striker
 It came from a quick transition after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall regained possession and swiftly shovelled the ball on to Maddison down the left flank
Pogba anticipated he would jink inside onto his right foot, but instead he shuffled it onto his left and speared a pinpoint cross over Varane and onto the head of Iheanacho
 De Gea got a hand to his header but could only pat it into the side-netting of his goal
It was only the second headed goal United had conceded all season after Kortney Hause's winner for Aston Villa here back in September
 Leicester's lead lasted for less than four minutes as Fred marked his 100th Premier League appearance with his fourth goal of the campaign
The Brazilian was alive to the rebound to rifle his close-range finish above Schmeichel's despairing dive after he had initially kept out Fernandes' strike from the edge of the box
United sensed a shift in mood and gear, but instead it was Leicester who ought to have restored their lead through Iheanacho as he ran onto Sancho's slack back pass only to chip the ball over when faced with just De Gea to beat
Rodgers' side smelt a vulnerability seeping back into the hosts and would have led again were it not for the brilliance of De Gea as he clawed away Wesley Fofana's header from another teasing Maddison delivery
Fred's intervention failed to turn the tide with United described by Neville as "terrible" thereafter as Maddison was denied a winner with 10 minutes remaining
 Varane collapsed to the ground having had his right foot swept by Iheanacho, who played on to set up Maddison for a precise finish inside the near post
VAR Michael Oliver called referee Marriner across to his monitor to spare United the unwanted twist, but this was another unconvincing day at the office
 Their DNA remains unclear under Rangnick
Sir Alex Ferguson sat watching on and checking his watch but there would be no "Fergie time" - just a check to see how long before he could depart
 United appear to be a side with few ideas and no ideology
Fernandes called for Manchester United to raise their standards after the disappointing draw
 United were uninspiring without Cristiano Ronaldo, sidelined due to illness, with his fellow Portuguese Fernandes withering in his critique of their display as he called for sharp improvements
"Everyone is disappointed," he told 
 "This result was not the result that we want but there is nothing we can do now
"We have to look ahead to the next game and understand that the standard of this club has to be higher and better, and we know that we are capable of that
"Fernandes, who on Friday signed a new contract that ties him to United until 2026 with the option of a further year, has come under scrutiny following a dip in his own form this season
With Ronaldo and the injured Edinson Cavani absent and Marcus Rashford benched, Fernandes was deployed as a false nine while the returning Paul Pogba played higher up the pitch in a supplementary role
United struggled to create many openings in a first half where their best chance fell to Fernandes, who fluffed his shot, but he had a hand in their equaliser three minutes after going behind
Fernandes' low strike drew a good save from Kasper Schmeichel but the ball headed into the path of Fred, who slotted in the rebound after 66 minutes which ultimately secured a share of the spoils
But Fernandes wants to draw a line under a result that left United three points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal, who have played two games fewer, and is now eyeing next week's trip to Everton
"You have to think (about) winning every game we have going forward," he added
 "But now, (we need to be) thinking about the next one and not rushing too much because we have to think game by game
"Man Utd interim manager "The second half was the better one, we were struggling to find the rhythm in the first half possibly because of the international break
 We gave away a goal on a transitional moment but the reaction after was good and scored a goal
 In the end we are not happy with the result but the second half was OK
"The only one we had was Marcus Rashford
 We knew this morning Cristiano could not play and decided to start Paul Pogba
 After 60 minutes we made the change and had a central striker on the pitch
"It is no secret that he was not full of confidence in the last couple of weeks
 In training he is looking well but it was a question between Paul and Marcus, we went with Paul
"The reaction of our supporters and they are the best in England
 Harry Maguire had a flawless game defensively and offensively
 He prefers to play on the left side but I decided he should play on the right after seeing him for England and as a right-footed player is makes it easy to play
"Leicester boss "I thought we were very good in large spells of the game
 We started well and could have been precise without passing but in the main the positioning and movement was good