Twenty-four days after their last match played at Bournemouth (2-2), Manchester United (3rd) returned to Premier League action with the reception of Leeds United (15th) to close this 32nd day. A meeting which did not go as planned for Michael Carrick’s Red Devils, beaten by Daniel Farke’s flock (1-2). Organized in 4-2-3-1 with the Amad-Fernandes-Cunha trio to support Sesko, the Mancuniens had a very eventful start to the match against the very aggressive Peacoks who did not take long before opening the score. After a cross from Bogle, poorly cleared by Yoro, Noah Okafor appeared behind the French defender to score (5th, 0-1). Dominated in the impact and uninspired offensively, the Red Devils were unable to find the solution against a well-organized opposing block.
Worse still, Leeds took advantage of their highlight to make the break: already a scorer, Okafor scored twice with a shot deflected by Yoro (29th, 1-1), plunging Manchester United a little further into doubt. A few minutes later, Leeds came very close to the coup de grace, but Calvert-Lewin’s header went wide (40th) while Tanaka’s header was saved on the goal line from Senne Lammens (45th). The visitors, who could have been reduced to ten after a dangerous tackle by James Justin on Matheus Cunha (39th), returned to the locker room after a successful first 45 minutes.
First home defeat for United under Carrick
Seeing his team in great difficulty, Carrick quickly made adjustments with the arrivals of Dalot and Mbeumo, in order to breathe new life into a Manchester United lacking ideas. The turning point, however, came in the 56th minute, when Lisandro Martínez was sent off after a gesture deemed dangerous on Calvert-Lewin, a hair pulling, leaving the Red Devils playing ten against eleven for more than half an hour.
Reduced to numerical inferiority, the Mancuniens nevertheless managed to reorganize themselves and be more enterprising. In the 69th minute, Bruno Fernandes found Casemiro perfectly from a corner, whose header completely restarted the match (69th, 1-2). Carried by this momentum, the locals pushed until the end and created several hot situations: Darlow intervened in front of Mbeumo (80th), Sesko saw his head pushed back at close range (85th), then Casemiro was very close to the equalizer before a rescue on his line from Calvert-Lewin (86th). Despite this intense end to the match, Manchester United were unable to snatch a draw and conceded their first defeat at home since the arrival of Carrick. The Red Devils remain third in the table with the same number of points as Villa. Leeds breathe new life into the race to remain and win their first match in 45 years at Old Trafford.
