Leeds United vs Manchester United Summary
A strong defensive performance from United was unforutnately shrouded with a frustrating attacking display. The first half bore very few chances and little quality and while the second half was better, it was not by much. A totally different game to the one in Manchester and it’s more about how Leeds set up than United. A point at Leeds is a common trend with the big teams as none of the ‘Big Six’ have taken more than a point at Elland Road but means City require no more than two wins to secure the title and following Leicester’s win on Monday, reduces United’s gap to third to five points. Not a great matchday but plenty of time to redeem these dropped points with a crucial semi-final first leg against Roma and then a home game against Liverpool on Sunday. United need to make a statement and win both well.
Leeds United vs Manchester United Player Ratings
Dean Henderson 6.5/10
Quiet game. Cannot remember any big/crucial save he needed to make.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka 8/10
Best player in Red. Defended excellently as normal and marauded down the right wing too. His link up was excellent and dribbled well as he seemed more confident on and off the ball. With Southgate at Elland Road, I think he made a good impression and will have plenty more time to show his worth before the Euros come about.
Victor Lindelof 7.5/10
Solid game and some excellent long balls to Rashford and co. Starting to improve on all areas but will still struggle against big and strong centre-forwards. Something to consider for tomorrow’s game against Edin Dzeko.
Harry Maguire 7.5/10
Another good game. Played with confidence and urgency in his passing and very vocal all match. Missed two chances, one was a difficult one but the other should have been on target.
Luke Shaw 7.5/10
Another great match for Shaw. One issue was the set-pieces were hit or miss and need working on. Other than that he was flawless.
Fred 5/10
Pressed easily and gave the ball away a lot. Did grow into the game but came off as United needed more attackers.
Scott McTominay 6/10
Decent match. A few meaty challenges and decent distribution but did his defensive job well.
Daniel James 4/10
Good in his defensive job but there were at least two times he made the wrong decision in a crucial stage that could have been a goal. Undeinably the right decision to have him on the pitch at the beginning but should have come off earlier than he did.
Bruno Fernandes 4/10
Struggled to get into the game due to the admittedly fine job Kalvin Phillips did in his man-marking job. Had a few moments but could not take them.
Marcus Rashford 6/10
A super freekick forced a good save from Meslier and he was lively but looked a bit fatigued. Came off to be rested I imagine.
Mason Greenwood 5/10
Struggled to get space and that didn’t change when he moved to the wing.
Substitutes:
Paul Pogba 6.5/10
Added a creative spark but to no real effect.
Edinson Cavani 6/10
Some good linkup play but not enough space to operate. Got no decent crosses into him either.
Donny van de Beek N/A
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 6.5/10
The correct setup from the get-go but needed some tweaks as the match continued. I think that after an hour or so Ole easily could have brought on Pogba or Cavani but left it a bit late in my opinion. However, I don’t think unlike some that this is a consistent thing as he usually gets his subs right. I think Ole will be unhappy with the result because there was a severe lack of quality in the final third. However, there are bigger fish to fry in the next ten days as wins in these matches will demonstrate the progress made under Ole and push closer to their first trophy in four years.
