It was an embarrassing return to action for Manchester United, falling to Leeds United 2–1 at home on Monday in Premier League play, their first match in 24 days.
Leeds had no difficulty making themselves comfortable in Manchester, despite being winless in league play at Old Trafford for 45 years—18 consecutive trips—and winless in their previous four outings this season. Noah Okafor opened Leeds’ scoring in just the fifth minute of play, capitalizing on a cross into the middle of the box. Okafor added a second in the 29th minute, firing a 20-yard volley on his first touch.
United, missing star midfielder Kobbie Mainoo and center back Harry Maguire, looked out of sorts in the first half, unable to breakthrough Leeds’ rhythm, a dire situation only compounded by center back Lisandro Martínez earning a red card in the 56th minute to put them at just 10 men. They regrouped thereafter—somehow playing better with less men—and cushioned what would have been a 2–0 blow with a Casemiro header in the 69th minute; however, they still walked away with no points, an unexpected and disappointing result for the red side of Manchester.
Here are four key takeaways from the Gameweek 32 match.
United’s Complacency in Their Own Box
Leeds hadn’t won at Old Trafford at all since 2010 when they beat United in FA Cup play and had been faltering as of late, earning four points of an available 18 in their last six outings, putting themselves dangerously close to the relegation zone. Unitedc’s lackadaisical defensive attitude on Monday reflected those two facts.
They were complacent in their defensive third, which directly resulted in both of Leeds’ goals and nearly two other finishes for the visitors in the first half.
Leeds’ first real chance came in just the third minute when left back Gabriel Gudmundsson crossed the ball into the six yard box, finding the toe of a sliding Dominic Calvert-Lewin. It was the first of many instances of the Red Devils’ backline looking undisciplined and outworked in their box.
The visitors needed just two more minutes to fully break the ice, taking the lead with the brilliance of Okafor, slotting a shot that ricocheted off of center back Leny Yoro, who was caught distracted during yet another dangerous Leeds’ cross into the box and failed to execute the clearance.
Leeds again capitalized on United’s defensive complacency just over 20 minutes later, when the backline struggled to clear a crossed ball that bounced repeatedly around the 18-yard box before Okafor silenced it with a first-time strike into the net.
The visitors nearly made it 3–0 by the half when midfielder Ao Tanaka broke down the backline and darted past goalkeeper Senne Lammens. It was only the heroics of Martínez that prevented a goal, sliding across the goal mouth to block the shot at the final moment. Martínez quickly turned the villain, though, when he pulled the ponytail of Calvert-Lewin at the hour mark, likely in frustration of their defensive demise, forcing the Red Devils to play with 10 men. It was evident how much the backline missed the size and strength of their stalwart, Maguire.
The Red Devils Sorely Missed Kobbie Mainoo
The Red Devils looked lost without their star midfielder, Mainoo, unable to adapt to Leeds’ dynamic shape or create a sustained rhythm in the center of the pitch.
The 20-year-old Englishman, who has flourished under the tutelage of interim manager Michael Carrick, was entirely absent, suffering a “minor injury” in training. Mainoo clocked 90 minutes in United’s last outing: a 2–2 draw with Bournemouth on March 20, another disappointing result. He also featured in England’s March international window, substituting onto the pitch in the Three Lions’ 1–1 draw with Uruguay on March 27 and starting in England’s 0–1 loss to Japan on March 31.
Manuel Ugarte took Mainoo’s starting position in the midfield, despite falling out of favor recently, and his performance on Monday did nothing to re-earn respect. There is no specific update yet on the state of Mainoo’s injury; however, “it seems small,” according to Carrick.
Casemiro: A Bright Spot
In an otherwise dismal affair, Casemiro was the bright spot.
His clinical finish in the 69th minute—a far post header across the goal frame from Bruno Fernandes’s cross— ignited spirits and put the home side into action for the remaining 20 minutes.
However, he looked decisive in the midfield all game long, with several brilliant connections from deep in the midfield to Amad out wide to start the high offensive press.
It was nevertheless evident that the Brazilian veteran—who will depart Old Trafford after the season—missed Mainoo by his side. Casemiro even recently warned Manchester United to keep faith in Mainoo because he has the ability to be “one of the best eights” for more than a decade.
What Do United Do Now?
Across both Monday’s match and their previous league outing at Bournemouth, United were expected to walk away with six points. They have one.
In terms of Champions League qualification, they are still in a good position, thanks to Chelsea’s 3–0 fall to Manchester City on Sunday. The Red Devils sit third in league standings with 55 points, narrowly ahead of Aston Villa (55) and Liverpool (52); however, the top five Premier League teams earn their way into the top table of the European game, and Chelsea sits sixth with 48 points.
Although United’s ambitions may be temporarily unaffected, the fate of interim manager Carrick may not be. Monday’s result marked the first home defeat of the Carrick era and the team’s firstPremier League defeat at Old Trafford since November. Carrick also experienced the echoing boos of United fans for the first time in his career.
They will look to regroup ahead of Saturday’s match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. hopefully with the return of Mainoo and Maguire.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Takeaways From Man Utd’s Embarrassing Defeat to Leeds.
