It was a great moment for Jadon Sancho, a player returning from physical and mental wellbeing issues, and one that ended this epic Roses clash honours even. From start to finish, you simply couldn’t take your eyes off it, from a goal within the opening 56 seconds to Sancho’s equaliser at 2-2. Bountiful action.
Having been two goals ahead after Wilfried Gnonto’s early breakthrough and a Raphael Varane own goal straight after half time, managerless Leeds United looked set for a first win of 2023, two days after parting ways with Jesse Marsch. This courageous albeit flawed Leeds team often excite but their precarious league position provides the backstory.
And so ‘Leeds fell apart again’ as the home crowd sang. Manchester United rallied late on and scored through Marcus Rashford, who has now found the back of the net in his last six home league outings, before Sancho struck an equaliser 10 minutes after arriving from the bench.
Sancho was making only a second appearance since October and the smile on Erik ten Hag’s highlighted his thoughts on the identity of the scorer. It wasn’t enough to extend United’s run of 13 home victories on the spin but it was a credible fightback nevertheless.
Leeds’ under-21s coach Michael Skubala had only 24 hours to oversee the team’s preparations but even this cursory introduction provided a good enough insight into a side that befuddle and confuse. They are great in some moments and yet so naive in others.
The hope is for a new permanent manager to be in situ come the weekend — Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola being the current favourite — and the opponents on Sunday are Manchester United again. More of the same will go down nicely.
Story of the game
This was a game that fizzed open and rarely lost its sparkle throughout. It was action-packed with chances galore and a real edge befitting a meeting of these two Roses rivals. The battle between Luke Ayling and Alejandro Garnacho being one particular hard-fought duel.
The United winger was one of three changes to the team that hung on to victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday. Casemiro’s dismissal at the weekend and subsequent three-game suspension meant Marcel Sabitzer was drafted in for his full debut having arrived on loan for the rest of the season from Bayern Munich.
It was a baptism of fire for Sabitzer. Despite Leeds’ poor run, seven defeats in a row, which saw off Marsch, they are a team who do not lack confidence, particularly when in attack. Their intent was evident from the moment referee Simon Hooper first put his whistle to his mouth. Within 56 seconds they were ahead, sending Old Trafford into a hush apart from one corner.
Naturally, the blitzkrieg breakthrough had everything to do with the visitors’ aggressive high press from the kick-off. Tyler Adams harried Bruno Fernandes and the United captain was brushed off the ball by Pascal Struijk. Gnonto played a one-two with Patrick Bamford on the edge of the area before setting himself and drilling a low shot beyond David De Gea for his fourth goal in seven games.
An electric start and Struijk could have doubled Leeds’ advantage had he done better at the back post after an intricate corner routine. Leeds were proving too much for United to handle and Ten Hag’s team couldn’t settle.
However, there was yin to go with the yang for Skubala, who had given Weston McKennie his first start since arriving on loan from Juventus. The stand-in coach saw Luis Sinisterra depart on eight minutes with a hamstring injury and then Struijk was forced off with concussion following a Rashford piledriver to the face.
United tried to steady themselves and went close with Sabitzer slicing a volley over the crossbar and then curling an effort goalbound which Illan Meslier waved away. The home team pushed harder as the half wore on. They pounced on Leeds trying to play out from the back, Fernandes crossed for Garnacho whose swivelled finish rolled wide.
Minutes later the ball broke for the 18-year-old Argentinian, he rounded the advancing goalkeeper and then side-stepped the sliding Ayling but his shot was cleared off the line by Max Wober, who cleaned up the follow up too.
Lisandro Martinez was lucky not to concede a penalty late in the half. He went in hard on Gnonto as the Leeds attacker aimed to shoot, leaving the tyro limping. Then, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, the centre back stepped across substitute Crysencio Summerville but replays showed it was just outside the area.
This lively contest wasn’t going to subside after a brief interval. Both sets of supporters wouldn’t allow it. The noise was intense, as was the play, and Leeds began the second half in a similar manner to the first, striking early in devastating fashion.
A Leeds corner had seemingly been dealt with by United but swiftly three Leeds players swarmed Garnacho. The ball was sent out wide to Gnonto and he played it on to the overlapping Summerville. His pull-back, aimed for Bamford, deflected off Varane and beat the stranded De Gea.
Sensing the game quickly slipping away from his side, Ten Hag made a double change, sending on Facundo Pellistri for his Premier League debut along with Sancho for the ineffective Wout Weghorst, moving Rashford to centre forward. The comeback started in earnest.
Play switched from Sabitzer to the newly-arrived Pellistri and on to Diogo Dalot. The right back hung a cross into the area where Rashford out-jumped Robin Koch to head home his 20th goal of the campaign.
United were now coming on strong and on 70 minutes forged an equaliser. Sancho and Luke Shaw combined down the left with the ball bouncing back to the winger. He dug out a shot that bypassed Meslier and lit up Old Trafford. The Leeds ‘keeper tipped over a Varane header as United searched for a winner but a draw was all they were getting.
Player of the match: Jadon Sancho
His arrival on the hour sparked United’s comeback. He was lively and quickly found his feet in a fast-paced game. Capped his fruitful cameo with his first goal since coming back into the squad following time away to spend time focusing on his physical and mental state. Even in a crowded area, he managed to dig out a shot to give United a share of the points.
