The Verdict on Leeds United's momentous 2-1 win at Old Trafford.
When you wait 45 years to beat your most bitter rivals in the league on their turf the manner of victory matters little but Daniel Farke's Leeds United fully deserved their bit of history - their latest bit of history.
A point would have been a fine result at Old Trafford for a relegation-threatened side sitting just three clear of the drop zone. After all, Manchester United were flying under Michael Carrick. Third in the table and looking to consolidate their Champions League spot, the hosts were playing their first game since March 20 so could either be described as rested or rusty. Leeds, on the evidence of their start and subsequent performance, were ready.
Farke went with a line-up with some intent about it. Ao Tanaka retained his place in central midfield after doing well in the FA Cup and with Brenden Aaronson, Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the side Leeds had some pace, power and plenty of nuisance factor. Still, few would have foreseen anything other than an 11-man defensive shift, the likes of which earned a precious point at Anfield earlier in the season. Men behind the ball, countering when possible but certainly not enjoying much in the way of dominance. Farke obviously had something different in mind.
Leeds should have been ahead inside three minutes, when they created the kind of chance that has been so hard to come by in recent Premier League outings. Tanaka found Okafor, he pushed it out wide to Gabriel Gudmundsson and his cross was perfect for Calvert-Lewin, who slid in five yards out and somehow found Senne Lammens rather than the net.
In other games this season, like against Manchester City at home, the Whites were made to rue golden, squandered opportunities. At Old Trafford they simply set about creating another. With five minutes on the clock they went down the right this time, Jayden Bogle's cross went over the head of Calvert-Lewin but dropped at the feet of Okafor and he swept the ball home. To get anything at this ground Leeds would need to be clinical and Okafor's finish was precisely that. VAR might have taken a look at Calvert-Lewin's challenge in the seconds prior to the goal but if any side in the Premier League is due a break from Stockley Park it is Leeds United.
With the lead, the visitors might have relaxed or simply dropped back into a defensive shell, but that was not their approach. Whenever possible they pressed and clamped down on Manchester United's attempts to play out and between them Ethan Ampadu and Tanaka caused all manner of problems. With the ball there was real bravery, sticking with their passing moves even under pressure. And, crucially, there was no sign of the naivety that has arguably cost this team on occasions this season.
When Bruno Fernandes went down claiming a foul Gudmundsson initially stopped before realising play could and should go on. Leeds attacked the space offered to them, they attacked the box and after a sequence that seemed to last forever the ball dropped yet again to Okafor, this time outside the area. He bravely took on a volley, fortune favoured him with a deflection and Leeds had a two-goal lead inside half an hour at Old Trafford.
With the way the rest of the first half panned out, no one could say the visitors were not worth the scoreline. If anything, they ought to have gone down the tunnel further ahead. There were half chances and promising moments but none more so than Tanaka's big moment. He spotted a chance to step in and nick the ball on the very edge of the box and suddenly had just Lammens to beat. The killer blow was right there, on his boot. Ao did he miss it? Tanaka did indeed beat the keeper, going past him with nifty footwork but was thwarted by the strength of his touch and the appearance on the goal-line of Lisandro Martinez.
A rollercoaster second-half for Leeds United
A response was inevitable from Manchester United and they came close to an early goal in the second half. Benjamin Šeško was played in behind his Slovenian compatriot Jaka Bijol and though Karl Darlow got something on the shot, it looped towards the net. It was James Justin's turn to appear on the goal-line, nodding the ball over the bar to safety.
But Leeds were still presenting a confident front. Bogle streaked away on the counter and was taken out by Luke Shaw, who saw yellow. And then the game changed with a card of another colour. Unseen by referee Paul Tierney, Martinez got his hand on Calvert-Lewin's man bun. He didn't yank it, but it was a pull of sorts - enough to ruffle the striker's preferred hair set-up. VAR felt Tierney should see it again and once he did, he produced a red.
What followed was hair-raising stuff. When Leeds got it right against the 10 men and passed to their spare player, each pass was met with an olé from a jubilant away end. When they didn't get it quite right and rushed it or forced it, they gave the hosts a chance and allowed the game to become end to end. In that kind of spell both sides could have scored. Matheus Cunha got in behind as Leeds fell asleep and drew a big save from Darlow. The keeper then came close to his first assist as a Leeds player, sending Bogle away down the middle only for the defender to be caught and foiled as he reached the area.
If Leeds were to kill the game dead, composure is what would do it. Okafor looked up and saw he was being marked by the yellow-carded Fernandes, blowing past him to put Leeds back on the attack. His pass to Aaronson wasn't quite right, though, and Man United went back down the other way to win corners and put balls in the box. One went right to left, Casemiro popped up completely unspotted and unmarked and his header made it all a bit hairy.
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Farke sent on Ilia Gruev, a man many would have predicted to start this game in a more defensive approach, to replace Tanaka. The manager clearly told his midfield replacement to calm things down and he set about his task well with sensible passes that made the hosts chase around the pitch. But when the chance arose to play on the front foot again, Gruev took it, playing a nice pass in a move that ended in a neat Bogle cross and a Calvert-Lewin header straight at Lammens.
The rest of the chances came at the other end. Darlow came up big, Calvert-Lewin came up bigger with two goal-line stops in a matter of seconds. When seven minutes of time added on were up and Tierney blew his whistle, Leeds came up holding three points.
Twice in eight days Farke's men have accomplished a feat last seen in the 1980s and their celebrations with the travelling Whites felt appropriately significant. If you don't properly enjoy moments like these, you never will. And this Leeds team could soon be celebrating again. The six-point gap between themselves and Spurs before an Elland Road meeting with Wolves feels like a significant opportunity. It's a chance to take the relegation dog fight by the scruff. It's one that calls for more of the bravery seen at Old Trafford where Leeds who dared, won.
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