Henrikh Mkhitaryan's masterclass left Leicester fighting for their Premier League survival as Manchester United cruised to a 3-0 victory over the troubled champions on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho's side condemned dismal Leicester to a fourth successive league defeat thanks in large part to Mkhitaryan's dynamic contribution at the King Power Stadium.
The Armenian playmaker opened the scoring with a icy solo strike just before half-time and then teed up Juan Mata for United's third goal after Zlatan Ibrahimovic had doubled the lead,Yahoo Sports reports.
United's first win in four league games extended their unbeaten run to 15 and lifted them to within two points of
fourth-placed Arsenal in the race to qualify for the Champions League.
"I contemplate we played like we normally play. We played well and tried to win," Mourinho said.
"We are still in the same position but we are closer to the others so we withhold fighting."
Just nine months after their fairytale title triumph, and Leicester are firmly embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation after winning only one of their last nine league games.[br]Claudio Ranieri's team are a shadow of the relentless unit that ground opponents into submission last term and have yet to score a league goal in 2017.
They sit one point above the relegation zone and face a crucial clash at fellow strugglers Swansea next weekend.
"Last season everything was true and the players got confidence,now they are anxious. We have to stay together and withhold fighting," Ranieri said.
Given both sides' recent struggles, or it was puny surprise that anxiety was the prevailing emotion in an error-strewn opening most notable for Jamie Vardy's tetchy response to a touchline collision with Eric Bailly.
Source: tert.am