Roy Keane was particularly scathing of two Manchester United players' performances after they were beaten 2-1 by Leeds in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Monday night
Roy Keane on Monday Night Football
Roy Keane gave a scathing review of Manchester United(Image: Sky Sports)
View 2 Images
Roy Keane slammed Manchester United's "non-existent" midfield after they were stunned by relegation-threatened Leeds at Old Trafford. Noah Okafor two goals saw Leeds snatch a 2-1 win at Old Trafford in United's first game for 24 days.
The Leeds forward scored twice in the first 29 minutes in a rapid start for Daniel Farke's side, who could've led by more at half-time. Lisandro Martinez was then sent off for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin's hair to leave United with 10 men as they chased the game.
Casemiro pulled one goal back with a back-post header from Bruno Fernandes' cross, but it wasn't enough for United, who lost at home in the league to their rivals for the first time since 1981. It was just their second loss in 11 games under Michael Carrick's management, but Keane was scathing in his assessment.
"They'll be disappointed," he said on Sky Sports. "They've had a lot of momentum over the last few months, [there's been] a lot of praise for the manager. There's obviously been concerns going into the game that they haven't played for a number of weeks. But the manager, Carrick, said that shouldn't be a problem, they've had a training camp.
"But it was the way that they started the game - you start the game that slowly and it's hard to recover. And they didn't in the first half. And what you've got to do in this game - we saw Man City do it in the second half yesterday - you've got to run!
"They weren't sprinting, United. And the bit at the end was too little too late. It's a big setback for them. Midfield? Non-existent, the two of them, particularly in the first half, no energy, no quality. Leeds were out of the blocks quickly and it was a fantastic result for Leeds."
Carrick was forced to replace the injured Kobbie Mainoo with Manuel Ugarte, who played alongside Casemiro at the base of United's midfield. They started poorly as Leeds flew out of the blocks, but Carrick chose to highlight referee Paul Tierney's decisions when he spoke after the game.
Noah Okafor of Leeds United celebrates
Noah Okafor netted twice for Leeds at Old Trafford(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
The United boss felt Leny Yoro was fouled by Calvert-Lewin before Okafor's first goal and that Martinez shouldn't have been sent off for his clash with the Leeds striker. "We didn't start the game particularly well. We conceded, which came after Leny Yoro got a forearm smash in the back of his head," he said.
"They didn't decide to overturn that, which was a big moment in the game. We didn't quite have the rhythm, we didn't click. We had some moments but it wasn't there for large parts of the half.
"I thought the boys stayed positive and fought for everything in the second half, after a shocking decision to send Licha [Martinez] off. That's two games in a row we've had those decisions go against us, but that one was one of the worst I've seen."
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
Content Image