Van Nistelrooy’s pre-match request for entertainment was fully satisfied two days after he was named stand-in when Erik ten Hag was fired.
Casemiro opened the scoring with a spectacular long-range effort, and the Brazilian scored again at halftime after his first header rattled against both posts and he drove it home from eight yards out.
Between those attempts, Leicester full-back James Justin deflected a free kick from captain Bruno Fernandes, and Alejandro Garnacho scored his fifth goal of the season.
The hosts weren’t flawless, as Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady scored goals before halftime due to the resurgence of previous defensive weaknesses. The former England player applied the first-time finish after the ball had struck Diogo Dalot and rebounded invitingly.
However, the hosts always maintained some degree of control in front of Sir Alex Ferguson, who is returning to Old Trafford for the first time since learning that he would no longer be receiving his paid ambassadorial position, and United’s powerbrokers, who want to replace Ten Hag with Sporting manager Ruben Amorim.
On the 59th minute, Fernandes capitalized on Caleb Okoli’s under-hit backpass to add a fifth goal.
In the quarterfinals, United will travel to play Tottenham; the match is scheduled for the week starting December 16.
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