Without Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United was dealt a further setback in its bid to secure Champions League qualification for next season by drawing with Leicester 1-1 at home in the English Premier League on Saturday.

Ronaldo, who helped Portugal qualify for the World Cup on Tuesday, missed the game at Old Trafford with flu-like symptoms and United missed the cutting edge of its top scorer.

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United ended up needing a rare goal from Fred to get a point, the defensive midfielder scoring in the 66th — three minutes after Kelechi Iheanacho broke the deadlock for Leicester with a diving header.

United looks increasingly unlikely to salvage a place in the Champions League from the wreckage of a season in which the team is already out of every cup competition.

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Sitting in sixth place, United is four points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal, which occupies the final Champions League qualification spot. Arsenal also has two games in hand, the first of which comes at Crystal Palace on Monday.

Ninth-placed Leicester has another European competition on its mind — the third-tier Europa Conference League, where the team has advanced to the quarterfinals and will play PSV Eindhoven on Thursday.

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The league might not be the priority but Brendan Rodgers still fielded a strong lineup at Old Trafford and Leicester caused United lots of problems.

Iheanacho’s goal was a wonderful team effort, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall regaining possession with a fine covering tackle, James Maddison providing a pinpoint cross with his left foot, and Iheanacho producing a diving header past David De Gea.

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United’s response was immediate, with Fred ramming home a rebound after Kasper Schmeichel could only parry the ball out from Bruno Fernandes’ shot.

Maddison later had a goal ruled out by VAR for an earlier foul by Iheanacho, an incident that Rodgers appeared to complain about to the officials at fulltime.