PERHAPS the only thing more unexpected than a Leeds victory at Old Trafford was the fact that a man bun played a significant role in a first league win at the Theatre of Dreams for 45 years.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has caused countless defences problems this season with his assured finishing and impressive leading of the line, but it was the England forward's choice of hairstyle which hastened Manchester United's demise.
Thanks to Noah Okafor becoming the first ever Leeds player to score twice in a Premier League game against their trans-Pennine rivals, Daniel Farke's side were already heading six points clear of the relegation zone with a first league win since February when the hosts were forced to pay for the final 35 minutes with 10 men.
Lisandro Martinez earned a straight red card for foolishly pulling Calvert-Lewin's hair in an aerial challenge on half way. It should have resulted in a comfortable finale for the visitors, but conversely, the numerical disadvantage brought the best out of those clad in red as Casemiro's 69th-minute header halved the deficit before Leeds hung on for a crucial result.
Michael Carrick's side were jeered off at the interval after being fortunate to be just two goals in arrears after a truly awful three-quarters of an hour.
Leeds broke their lengthy league goal drought by taking the lead inside five minutes as the sluggish hosts started exactly like you'd expect a side to start after a 24-day hiatus without football.
Carrick's men couldn't say they hadn't been warned. With two minutes on the clock, Gabriel Gudmundsson made strides down the left to send over a low cross to the near post.
The Swede's inviting delivery should have been put into the net by a sliding Calvert Lewin, but the striker's shot from inside the six-yard box was blocked by Senne Lammens.
Leeds weren't so wasteful after a fruitful foray down the right flank by Jayden Bogle resulted in their first Premier League goal for more than seven hours.
The wing-back's well-delivered cross was flicked on by Calvert-Lewin to an unmarked Okafor who calmly sent a crisp first-time volley past Lammens from a dozen yards.
Carrick's midfield partnership of Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro may have been one to take the field due to necessity rather than choice, but not for the first time the South Americans proved they struggle to play together as Leeds dominated.
Bogle refused a clear shooting chance to opt for an ineffectual centre, and when Ethan Ampadu saw another decent chance blocked it looked like the visitors' dominance wouldn't be reflected in the scoreline.
Okafor put that right in the 29th minute by doubling the advantage thanks to more unconvincing defending as the hosts failed to clear the danger following weak headers inside their own area from Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez.
When Brenden Aaronson's flick dropped on the edge to Okafor 18 yards out, the Swiss international's confident low finish found the bottom corner thanks to a deflection off Yoro's chest.
Ao Tanaka should have made it three before the break after intercepting a pass from his own area by the hapless Yoro. The Japan midfielder rounded Lammens in front of a seemingly gaping net, only to be denied by a stunning recovery challenge from Martinez.
Carrick surprisingly decided against making changes but left his players in little doubt as to his displeasure by sending them out early for the second-half.
The Geordie's version of the hair dryer treatment almost paid immediate dividends, Benjamin Sesko getting the better of his Slovenian international team-mate Jaka Bijol to poke an effort goalwards which was half blocked by Karl Darlow before James Justin completed the clearance from under his own crossbar as the ball looped towards the open net.
It soon got worse for the hosts when, after VAR intervention, Martinez was ordered off by referee Paul Tierney for needlessly attempting to alter Calvert Lewin's bound-up barnet.
As often is the case, 10 men proved more effective than 11 as the hosts rallied.
Matheus Cunha's snapshot forced a smart save from Darlow, but the Leeds keeper was powerless to prevent Casemiro's powerful far post header from finding the top corner as the Brazilian met a speculative ball into the box from Bruno Fernandes.
Both sides spurned late chances to add to their tally, most notably Leeds when Calvert Lewin continued his eventful evening by sending an unmarked header from five yards straight at Lammens. Darlow kept out Sesko's point blank effort before the ubiquitous Leeds forward cleared Casemiro's late header off the line. A hair-raising finish, you might say.
MANCHESTESR UNITED (4-2-3-1): Lammens 6; Mazraoui 4 (Dalot 70, 6), Yoro 3, Martinez 2, Shaw 4; Casemiro 7, Ugarte 5; Diallo 4 (Mbeumo 70, 6), Bruno Fernandes 7, Cunha 5; Sesko 6. Sent off: Martinez. Booked: Cunha, Shaw, Fernandes.
LEEDS (3-4-2-1): Darlow 7; Justin 7, Bijol 7, Struijk 7; Bogle 7, Ampadu, Tanaka 7 (Gruev 74, 6), Gudmundsson 7; Aaronson 7 (Longstaff 86, 6), Okafor 8 (Gnonto 74, 6); Calvert-Lewin 7. Booked: Justin, Ampadu.
Referee: Paul Tierney