Manchester United 1 Leicester 0

Gary Neville scored a rare goal to give Manchester United a 1-0 victory over battling Leicester City - and ease the frustration at a lacklustre display against the struggling Foxes.

With Manchester United's chief concern in the league being securing second spot, Leicester's clamour for the points in their relegation battle suggested that they would be nervous as they visited Old Trafford.

However, Mickey Adams's men put in a gritty defensive performance - before their under-strength hosts finally broke the deadlock through an unlikely source.

Cristiano Ronaldo - a rare bright spark in a sea of mediocrity - was provider, lurking menacingly on the far left of the Leicester penalty area and seeing his mis-hit shot deflect off the unfortunate Nikos Dabizas and fall kindly for Neville to lash home gleefully.

Well-organised defending had kept United at bay through the opening 56 minutes - and but for some wasteful finishing Leicester could have opened the scoring against their esteemed hosts.

The game was still in its infancy when Roy Carroll did his best to hand goalkeeping rival Tim Howard a recall by gifting The Foxes a gilt-edged chance.

The Irish goalkeeper was put under pressure by a back pass from John O'Shea, but his kick was unbelievably woeful and beneficiary Muzzy Izzet looked so shocked to be given the opportunity that he fired wastefully back across the six-yard box.

Louis Saha looked lively in the opening exchanges, and he latched onto a clever ball from Gary Neville, controlled on his chest, then fluffed his shot out for a goalkeeper.

Saha was then denied a penalty by referee Mark Halsey who felt that the French striker made a lot of the negligible contact from James Scowcroft.

United were still appealing when Paul Scholes teed up Nicky Butt whose piledriver was denied by a brave diving block from Billy McKinlay.

As the game limped into the break Marcus Bent wasted another good opportunity from Leicester, evading his marker with aplomb but heading Izzet's free-kick beyond the near post when he should have tested Carroll.

The game was desperate for a goal - and inevitably Ronaldo provided it.

The Portuguese winger's deflected shot drew a good reflex save from Ian Walker, and Scholes could not find a clear shot at goal from the follow up.

However, the ball was only half-cleared by Leicester, and Ronaldo was give the chance to shoot again - firing back across the goal.

The youngster's effort was poor in the end, but Dabizas was forced to stop the bobbling effort reaching the lurking Louis Saha and inadvertently handed Neville a straightforward shot into the back of the Leicester goal.

Ronaldo almost grabbed a goal for himself ten minutes from time, but Walker - doing his claims on an England Euro 2004 spot no harm with this confident display - produced a fine diving save to prevent his curling effort creeping in at the far post.

Ronaldo continued to entertain in the final stages, and Leicester's players felt that they could have had a penalty when Izzet was felled in the United box - but the game did not produce any further goals.

For once performances mean nearly as much as points to United, and although Saha and Ronaldo worked hard - Sir Alex Ferguson will feel that some fringe players have played their way out of his cup final selection.

Leicester are in deep trouble, six points from safety, but will feel they acquitted themselves well against a side containing world class players.