Leeds United held off 10-man Man Utd to take a huge step towards Premier League safety.
Gary Neville believes Leeds United’s historic win at Manchester United has taken them a long way towards Premier League safety.
Leeds produced a mammoth performance across the pitch to beat Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford on Monday night. Noah Okafor’s brace gave the Whites a two-goal lead at half-time, with the only frustration being a hatful of missed chances to pull out of sight before the break.
Manchester United were reduced to 10 men after half-time when Lisandro Martinez was punished for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair, following a VAR review. But they pulled one back through Casemiro who was free at the back post to head home a Bruno Fernandes cross.
Leeds managed the game relatively well from that point, keeping possession and defending well. There were a few scares, particularly when Calvert-Lewin was made to clear efforts off the line, but Daniel Farke’s side held on to claim a huge three points in what was their first league win at Old Trafford since 1981.
“It's a monumental night for Leeds United,” he told Sky Sports immediately after full-time. “Farke will have been nervous about the fact that Leeds were going perilously close to relegation.
“I think this victory goes a long way to securing their Premier League status. They fully deserved it over the course of the 90 minutes. They were the better team.”
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Leeds had gone two months without a Premier League win before Monday and slipped a little closer to relegation trouble following West Ham’s Friday-night win over Wolves. They were without two key players in Anton Stach and Joe Rodon but came flying out the blocks at Old Trafford.
Calvert-Lewin missed a glorious chance to score inside two minutes before Okafor got the job done shortly after. Leeds continued to cause huge problems for their hosts throughout the 90 minutes but slowed things down when necessary.
“Leeds have been a breath of fresh air in the Premier League this year,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher added. “But how Leeds performed in the first half will send a shiver down the spines of everyone else in that relegation battle. They absolutely bossed Man Utd.”
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