Aaron Bower’s report is in, so I’ll call it a day. Thanks for reading and some healthy ‘United’ debate.
And here’s how we’re looking now:
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 20 | 26 | 48 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 20 | 9 | 42 |
| 3 | Man City | 19 | 26 | 41 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 19 | 4 | 33 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 20 | 4 | 31 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 19 | 11 | 30 |
| 7 | Sunderland | 19 | 2 | 29 |
| 8 | Brighton | 20 | 3 | 28 |
| 9 | Everton | 19 | 0 | 28 |
| 10 | Brentford | 19 | 2 | 27 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 19 | 1 | 27 |
| 12 | Fulham | 19 | -1 | 27 |
| 13 | Tottenham Hotspur | 19 | 4 | 26 |
| 14 | Newcastle | 19 | 2 | 26 |
| 15 | AFC Bournemouth | 20 | -7 | 23 |
| 16 | Leeds | 20 | -7 | 22 |
| 17 | Nottm Forest | 20 | -14 | 18 |
| 18 | West Ham | 20 | -20 | 14 |
| 19 | Burnley | 20 | -19 | 12 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 20 | -26 | 6 |
On the ‘United’ debate, here’s Onno Giller:
In response to Ben Watson, my theory is that all the clubs listed are the only clubs of note in their city, while Manchester has City and United, and the derby is always ‘City vs United’. I can understand the frustration, yet I have also not hear any Birmingham fan’s complain about City being called City…
One-one sounds about right there. Leeds stretch their unbeaten run in the league to seven games while Manchester United move to fifth place.
FULL-TIME: Leeds 1-1 Manchester United
Cunha is back to block DCL’s cross and that’s the final act of a hard-fought affair.
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90+3 min: The two sides take turns to attack, the game wide open. We finally breathe when Stach sends a long-range hit over.
90+1 min: The handball appeal is denied but Leeds have a corner … a game of headers breaks out inside the Manchester United area before Piroe’s shot is blocked.
90 min: The lively Gnonto has a cross blocked by Cunha … Leeds appeal for a handball.
89 min: Farke wants the three points, not just another draw in this impressive unbeaten run.
88 min: Gnonto cuts through the Manchester United midfield with a pass to Stach, who drives and plays to Piroe … a first-time curling effort searches for the top left corner and very nearly finds it. Just over. Better from Leeds.
87 min: Aaronson, the Leeds goalscorer, makes way for Piroe.
85 min: Dalot wins the ball back as Manchester United wheel it around … Leeds have lost a bit of edge since scoring.
83 min: Jeremy Boyce writes in:
Quarter of an hour to go in a Leeds - ManU match and only one yellow card so far ? Roy Keane must be going apoplectic somewhere
The game hasn’t lacked fire but the players have stayed disciplined. Neil Warnock would approve.
81 min: Again, Sesko and Zirkzee combine with Dorgu before Cunha whips in a shot from the edge of the area … that clips the outside of the post!
79 min: Sesko feeds Dorgu out on the right … the centre-forward is dropping deep to combine well with Zirkzee. Leeds make changes, bringing on Tanaka and Gnonto.
76 min: Zirkzee, starting to conduct this game, overhits his ball forward for the chasing Sesko. The visitors are the ones in control at the moment.
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74 min: Another chance. Manchester United are suddenly playing some lovely stuff, with Zirkzee at the centre of it; he drifts left and plays a stinging ball across goal. Sesko’s snap effort travels wide.
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73 min: (Manchester) United play out nicely from the back, all the way to Sesko … before Dorgu misplaces a ball into the area.
70 min: Okafor tries an overhead kick … and is denied by Lammens, diving to his left for an excellent save. Again, the opportunity came from a long throw.
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69 min: Zirzkee came on for Yoro, by the way. It seems Dorgu has retreated to right wing-back.
Zirkzee slips in Cunha inside the area … and he rolls in a tidy finish from the right-hand side, helped by Lucas Perri not closing the angle down. A chaotic close beckons.
GOAL! Leeds 1-1 Manchester United (Cunha 65)
Joshua Zirkzee is on for Manchester United … and he creates the equaliser!
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The ball breaks forward for Leeds, with Heaven running back to try and clear up … but the relentless Aaronson drives forward, too, through that left channel. He collects inside the area and delivers a lovely, calm finish into the bottom right corner. Beautifully done.
GOAL! Leeds 1-0 Manchester United (Aaronson 62)
We have lift-off.
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61 min: Ben Watson asks:
Any reason why Leeds United are ‘Leeds” and Manchester United are ‘United’?
It’s the sort of thing that drives fans of other ‘Uniteds’ (Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds (!) Rotheram (!!)) mad, but wanted to check there was something more to it than simple ‘big-club’ bias?
Just reflex, I suppose. I’ll remind myself to get the Manchester in there.
60 min: “RefCam is disturbing,” writes Joe Pearson, with no further explanation provided. Fair enough.
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58 min: Again, the game feels lively, just as it did in the first half, but we’re struggling for clear-cut chances. United are certainly lacking a clinical touch, missing Bruno Fernandes’ ability to conjure something magical in a fiery game.
55 min: Okafor and Yoro continue to race against one another out on Leeds’ left … their duel leads to a corner, one that swings in to test Lammens. He tips it away for another Leeds corner.
53 min: Cunha ventures down the left before his low ball in is blocked. Shaw plays to Casemiro, who delivers a teasing ball with the outside of his boot … Sesko fluffs his header inside the area, but he was offside anyway.
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51 min: Gudmundsson laces a strike from a tight angle and Lammens is down to make a fine save … Manchester United break forward but the strike from Ugarte is well wide.
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50 min: Yoro cleans up a long ball that threatened to break perfectly for Aaronson. Time for another long throw.
49 min: There’s still sunshine in Leeds, taking up plenty of Manchester United’s right wing.
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47 min: Okafor does Yoro for pace out on the Leeds left – it produces a long-throw opportunity. Gudmundsson’s launch into the area is dangerous, the ball bouncing, but Manchester United escape.
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46 min: Heaven heads away a Justin cross into the area as Leeds begin the half on the front foot.
And we’re back. Both sides are unchanged.
Karen Asad writes in:
There was serious talk around Calvert-Lewin joining United on free transfer in the summer. I personally thought it was good business, give his prem exprience. Yet there was a backlash and it never happened.
Now I’m thinking, considering the said backlash, had he joined United, the sheer amount of media narrative surrounding his injury record would not give him the slightest chance of reaching his current form. Now there lies the problem of Man UTD; so much talk and attention is seeping the professional sport out of the team.
Ruben Amorim will be pretty pleased with how his side have gone there, keeping up with the chaotic energy of the hosts. The issue remains his bench and how the teenagers will cope when they’re required in the cauldron later on.
HALF-TIME: Leeds 0-0 Manchester United
An old-world, all-action half … but one low on chances.
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45 min: Calvert-Lewin continues to be a nuisance whenever the ball is in the air … but it’s Manchester United who break forward as Dorgu fires from outside the area … his low, stinging shot travels wide.
44 min: Martínez hoofs the ball away as Manchester United resist at the back.
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43 min: Martínez continues to drift forward and pose a threat inside that left channel for Manchester United. Shaw keeps up with Justin as Leeds win a corner on the right.
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40 min: Shaw will deliver a corner for the visitors … it’s deep and finds Casemiro, whose header is flicked on by Yoro … Perri leaps to tip over the bar! Another fine corner comes in, with Cunha’s volley going over. Manchester United showcase their threat from set pieces.
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39 min: Dalot has been lively for Manchester United on the right and builds the move forward, though Dorgu’s left-footed cross is cut out.
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35 min: Calvert-Lewin leaps in the area, gets a head on it … and clips the far post! It was a delicious ball from the right, and the man in form delivers the first serious threat to the Manchester United goal.
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34 min: Dorgu is a few hours late with a sliding challenge on Calvert-Lewin. It’s an easy decision for Jarred Gillett: yellow card.
33 min: Bijol cuts out a long ball, one that threatened to leave him in trouble against Sesko.
32 min: Aaronson bursts through the middle for Leeds but drags his shot from the D wide; he was surrounded by red shirts.
31 min: Dalot is everywhere; this time he swings his left foot for a shot inside the area, but the hoof is wild and the ball flies way high.
30 min: Dalot finds space on the right and plays to Dorgu; the former ventures into the area and receives, his cross blocked out for a corner.
29 min: Neither keeper has been tested yet, both defences proving difficult to break down.
28 min: Yoro holds his own against Okafor, who tries to cut in once again but can’t keep control of the ball.
26 min: Yoro v Okafor is an interesting battle out on Leeds’ left, where most of their attacks are coming from.
24 min: The visitors have matched Leeds’ physicality so far … Heaven tackles Justin inside the area. It was a touch wild from the Manchester United defender but he got the ball clean.
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22 min: Manchester United have a corner with Cunha, the type of player for this sort of game, to deliver. In comes the inswinger but a foul on Lucas Perri ends the venture forward.
20 min: Shaw pulls off an excellent defensive header at the far post, inside the six-yard box, after a dangerous ball in from Gudmundsson.
19 min: Manchester United finally string together a few passes … but Casemiro can’t nail his dinked ball over to Shaw on the left.
18 min: No one appears capable of holding on to the ball.
17 min: Alas, TNT have lost sound as Ayden Heaven, right up on DCL, takes down the former Everton forward inside the Leeds half.
15 min: Luke Shaw nutmegs Aaronson but goes down … he doesn’t get a free-kick for his efforts.
14 min: Okafor pulls off a fancy flick on the edge of the area but Leeds’ advance breaks down due to the offside flag.
13 min: The offside flag goes up against Dorgu as he chases a long ball from Martínez.
11 min: It’s an old-fashioned game this, long balls, plenty of hassle and adrenaline. Not a lot of chilled-out passing at the back.
9 min: Leeds move it quickly down the left before Okafor cuts in, finds Aaaronson, who plays to Calvert-Lewin inside the area – he pokes at the ball but blasts over.
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7 min: Time for another Dalot throw … he goes back to Martínez who retreats to Lammens. The long ball goes to Casemiro, who heads to Cunha … a fierce volley from outside the area finds the net! But the flag was up for offside. What a hit, though.
6 min: The main act at present is Gudmundsson launching throws from the Leeds left. Dalot launches a long one himself from the right for the visitors, with Ugarte heading over the bar.
4 min: It’s a scrappy opening as Leeds press with proper intent, Calvert-Lewin leading it.
2 min: Leeds power down the left, win an early throw that goes long, but Manchester United stay resolute. Dorgu appears to be his side’s right-sided No 10.
Peeeeeeep!
Manchester United kick things off, and overload down the right as Lammens goes long. Here’s to a thriller.
Here we go. The players are out of the tunnel and Elland Road is rocking in the sunshine.
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Some pre-match reading: Louise Taylor on the resurgence of DCL.
The last time Leeds beat Manchester United? Sixteen years and one day ago. Not in the Premier League but in the FA Cup, when Jermaine Beckford’s goal at Old Trafford delivered a massive upset. What a lovely finish:
Here’s how we’re looking:
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 20 | 26 | 48 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 20 | 9 | 42 |
| 3 | Man City | 19 | 26 | 41 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 19 | 4 | 33 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 19 | 11 | 30 |
| 6 | Man Utd | 19 | 4 | 30 |
| 7 | Sunderland | 19 | 2 | 29 |
| 8 | Brighton | 20 | 3 | 28 |
| 9 | Everton | 19 | 0 | 28 |
| 10 | Brentford | 19 | 2 | 27 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 19 | 1 | 27 |
| 12 | Fulham | 19 | -1 | 27 |
| 13 | Tottenham Hotspur | 19 | 4 | 26 |
| 14 | Newcastle | 19 | 2 | 26 |
| 15 | AFC Bournemouth | 20 | -7 | 23 |
| 16 | Leeds | 19 | -7 | 21 |
| 17 | Nottm Forest | 20 | -14 | 18 |
| 18 | West Ham | 20 | -20 | 14 |
| 19 | Burnley | 20 | -19 | 12 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 20 | -26 | 6 |
Patrick Dorgu as one of Amorim’s No 10s? Funky if so. Joshua Zirkzee’s reward for a goal against Wolves is a place on a very inexperienced bench. Leeds, on the other hand, welcome Calvert-Lewin back to the starting XI. Noah Okafor starts, too.
The teams
Leeds: Lucas Perri, Bornauw, Bijol, Struijk, Justin, Aaronson, Gruev, Stach, Gudmundsson, Calvert-Lewin, Okafor
Subs: Darlow, Longstaff, Piroe, Nmecha, Harrison, Tanaka, Byram, Gnonto, Chambers
Manchester United: Lammens, Yoro, Heaven, Martínez, Dalot, Casemiro, Ugarte, Shaw, Dorgu, Cunha, Sesko
Subs: Bayindir, Zirkzee, Malacia, Fredricson, Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher, Lacey, Mantato, Kukonki.
Preamble
The last time this pedigree fixture took place, in February 2023, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were Manchester United’s goalscorers in a 2-0 victory. Erik ten Hag was enjoying his debut campaign in England while Leeds had just parted ways with Jesse Marsch and were on their way to relegation. It feels long, long ago.
Today, it’s the hosts who have form. Daniel Farke’s side went unbeaten in the league through December, and they’ve put on some serious entertainment at Elland Road: clashes with Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Liverpool resulted in 15 goals, with Leeds picking up seven points along the way. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has rediscovered the form that made him an England international.
Manchester United? Well, there’s always a crisis of sorts lurking close by. Ruben Amorim went under interrogation on Friday, the injury list is long, and they could only muster a point at home against Wolves last time out. And yet victory today would take them to fourth place. It’s been a funny old season. Kick-off’s at 12.30pm GMT.
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