Rasmus Hojlund ended his 21-game goal drought as Manchester United won at struggling Leicester City to push the Foxes closer to the drop.

Rasmus Hojlund ended his 21-game goal drought as Manchester United won at struggling Leicester City to push the Foxes closer to the drop.

The Danish striker had not scored since 12 December, but seized on poor defending to claim the 28th-minute opener, before Alejandro Garnacho added a second after the break – his first goal in 24 appearances.

The impressive Bruno Fernandes, who assisted two goals, added a 90th-minute third to underline United’s dominance.

Victory, though, was tainted by a potential serious injury to defender Ayden Heaven, who was carried off in the 51st minute in just his second career start, after falling awkwardly.

The result changed little in United’s troubled Premier League season, lifting them from 15th to 13th, but it maintained their momentum after Thursday’s thumping of Real Sociedad to reach the Europa League quarter finals.

Leicester, however, look doomed to an instant return to the Championship after a 13th defeat in 14 games kept them second bottom and nine points from safety.

The Foxes become the first team in top-flight history to lose seven successive home games without scoring, having now not found the net in the league at the King Power Stadium since 8 December.

Apart from late efforts from Facundo Buonanotte and Jamie Vardy, they rarely looked like ending their own drought and could have fallen behind before Hojlund’s strike when Christian Eriksen’s curling effort hit the post.

Hojlund got his goal, ending a wait of more than 22 hours, with a confident low finish. Fernandes’ pass caught out Boubakary Soumare, while Wout Faes dithered for the United striker to find the bottom corner.

There was relief too for Garnacho. Having earlier had a goal disallowed for offside, the Argentine made it 2-0 in the 67th minute when he pounced on more wretched defending.

Fernandes swept in a third from the edge of the area as United cruised to victory, while Leicester, managed by former Red Devils striker and interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, were booed off.

‘From the dogs of war to doggy daycare’ read the banner at the King Power Stadium.

It referenced the huge flag Leicester unfurled before their Champions League last-16 second-leg victory over Sevilla in 2017 that sent them into the quarter-finals.

It was another jab at the club’s hierarchy and the way the fans view how it is being run under director of football Jon Rudkin and chief executive Susan Whelan.

Rudkin, in particular, has been a target for the ire of supporters this season as the faltering Foxes look certain to make a swift return to the Championship.

They showed little fight once they fell behind to Hojlund’s strike, the slack defending a sorry picture of their season.

Garnacho’s effort was the 1000th Leicester have conceded in their 679th Premier League game – the first side to do so in under 700 games.

Apart from the banner there was little dissent from the terraces, suggesting even the fans are finding it hard to mount the stomach for a fight.

There is nothing redeeming to suggest Leicester can repeat their great escape of 2015, which paved the way for their remarkable Premier League title triumph.

Van Nistelrooy has still avoided calls for his sacking amid their dreadful run of results and performances. That is mainly because fans have focused their attention on a hierarchy they feel ruined their chance of a brighter future after that 2016 title and 2021 FA Cup success.

Dutchman Van Nistelrooy put on a show of defiance as he said: “We can’t and we won’t give up – we will fight ’til the end.

“As I said, mathematically until it’s impossible, we keep going. We want to show that we can score goals, that we can get a clean sheet at this level and pick up points.”

Defender Heaven’s injury overshadowed what was a routine United win – and a promising start to his career with the Old Trafford club.

The teenager was making just his second career start after a move from Arsenal last month and showed composure and confidence, albeit against a feeble Foxes frontline.

United boss Ruben Amorim said “it is hard for us to know” when asked about Heaven’s condition, but the youngster is set to join fellow defenders Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro, Jonny Evans in the treatment room, while Harry Maguire missed a return to his former club through injury.

Amorim, serenaded by the travelling fans once they went ahead, will be hoping his defensive worries improve with a last-eight Europa League tie against Lyon on the horizon. That will be their focus after a turbulent campaign.

Amorim said the improvements of the last two weeks is simply down to time, with the head coach having joined in November, but they need to be the shoots of recovery to end the season on a high.

The same will apply to Hojlund too and he said: “Us strikers have to get the goals. It’s very important and I know the pressure and everything that comes with being a Man Utd player.

“It’s normal to get criticised. I’m just trying to improve all the time and want to keep getting better and better. I’m still a very young player, I just need to keep working on my game.”