Manchester United’s wait for a second Premier League win goes on after Dominic Calvert-Lewin cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener at Elland Road, and the Man Utd winless run goes on. Michael Carrick’s side, who spoke before the game about embracing the Leeds rivalry, led at the break and showed more structure than in recent weeks, but they faded after the interval and left Leeds with a 1-1 draw.
Mbeumo scores after a Tielemans cross
Carrick started with a 3-4-3 shape, with Bruno Fernandes used as the nominal central forward and Youri Tielemans in a more advanced role. Lisandro Martinez was selected days after criticising the club’s recruitment, and he was cheered by the travelling fans and booed by the home crowd.
The Man Utd winless run was already on United’s minds as the first half went on.
United’s best spell produced the opener in the 36th minute. Tielemans put in a low cross and Mbeumo ran in behind James Justin to tap home, after he had missed a close-range header earlier in the half. Nico Elvedi’s header from a Leeds free-kick forced a save from Senne Lammens, who otherwise had a solid first half. It left the Man Utd winless run alive at the break.
Why the Man Utd winless run continues
Martinez was replaced by Noussair Mazraoui at half-time, and Leeds equalised six minutes after the restart. Mazraoui headed Jayden Bogle’s cross behind for a corner, Tarik Muharemovic flicked it on and Calvert-Lewin outmuscled Mbeumo to finish. United had little answer from there. Mason Mount replaced Carlos Baleba after 72 minutes and Matheus Cunha came on for Tielemans in the 84th minute, but the visitors created little, and Mazraoui had to make a block in injury time to keep the point.
The Man Utd winless run now stretches back to August.
The Guardian described United’s performance as lacking rhythm and control, while Sky Sports said Carrick’s side showed character but not enough quality to claim a second league win. On Sky, Jamie Carragher said that going to Leeds and performing the way United did was a decent result in isolation. Those changes did not end the Man Utd winless run.
What next for Carrick and United
The Man Utd winless run in the league has to end soon, and the next test comes in the Champions League. United travel to Como on Wednesday, as the Guardian reports, after a week that also included defeat at Atletico Madrid. Carrick needs the lessons from a draw that offered some encouragement but no points to turn into a victory.
Lead image: Elland Road, South Stand (archive photo, 2007). Photo: David Ingham, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped and resized.
Match details from BBC Sport, The Guardian and Sky Sports. Another draw would add pressure before Como.
For the Leeds view of the game, see LUFCNews’ match report.
