Manchester United 1-2 Leeds United: Noah Okafor’s stunning double gave Leeds all three points and Manchester United had Lisandro Martinez sent off.
Leeds celebrate their win against Man United (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Leeds took a big step towards remaining in the top flight by overwhelming their arch-rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford. Two superb goals from Noah Okafor ensured Leeds won their first league title here since 1981.
The rare win also helped Daniel Farke’s side move six points clear of the drop zone, putting a damper on United’s hopes of a top-three finish.
Casemiro pulled one back for the hosts, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Michael Carrick from suffering his second defeat since taking over as caretaker manager.
United were booed at half-time and full-time – it was a humiliating night for Carrick, who ended the game with 10 men after Lisandro Martinez was shown a straight red card for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair.
read more: Leeds surprise 10-man Man United with big blow to Michael Carrick – 5 talking pointsread more: Gary Neville gives honest verdict as Lisandro Martinez gets sent off for hair pull
It’s been quite a while since United’s last league game on March 20th that a team of astronauts have been around the moon and back.
This struck me as ironic given United’s form has been out of this world since Carrick took over on an interim basis. Since he came to the rescue, no team has won more points in the Premier League than United (23).
United have now won seven of their 10 games, putting them in a prime position to qualify for the Champions League.
But Carrick, without the injured Kobie Mainu, suspending Harry Maguire and opting to leave out Brian Mbeumo, knew Leeds would pose a tough test.
The Yorkshire team didn’t need any extra motivation when facing their toughest rivals. However, Daniel Farke’s side were on the verge of relegation and knew that every point was important to their chances of survival.
There was more at stake on this occasion than just bragging rights.
Martinez pulled Calvert-Lewin’s hair and sent off (Image: AP)
And Leeds should have taken the lead within two minutes when Dominic Calvert-Lewin connected with a great cross from Gabriel Gudamundsson, but somehow he was unable to beat Senne Ramens from close range.
But the mistake was quickly forgotten as Leeds scored with their second attack of the game.
United were unable to deal with a cross from Jayden Bogle and the ball fell to Okafor, who took his first shot to beat Lamence. Stunned, United had to react.
However, Diallo’s control betrayed him and left the Leeds goal at the mercy of Amad Diallo and Benjamin Sesco as they fired straight at Karl Darlow. Leeds had something to defend but continued to attack.
United’s failure to clear their lines paid off in the 29th minute, when Okafor fired a diagonal volley that hit Lenny Yolo and into the bottom corner, doubling his team’s advantage.
Leeds were in dreamland, while United were stuck in a nightmare. Farke’s men could smell the blood as Carrick found himself trailing by two goals for the first time since taking charge in January.
Noah Okafor scored twice for Leeds at Old Trafford (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Matheus Cunha fired a shot just over the crossbar, but United were sloppy and disorganized, lacking the influence of Maguire at the back and Maynou in the middle.
And Leeds missed a great chance to make it 3-0 and completely destroy United. Martinez somehow slipped in to stop Aoi Tanaka just when it looked like the goal was certain. United were booed at half-time, but Carrick refused to make any changes.
And Sesco almost pulled one back for United, but his looping shot went wide of his own line and was headed home by James Justin.
And United’s miserable night got worse when Martinez was shown a straight red card for pulling Calvert-Lewin’s hair after a scuffle in midfield. United are in a deep hole.
Leeds looked to be in pain, but Calvert-Lewin’s header went just wide. The traveling fans were loving every minute, mocking United’s flops with chants of “Ole” while the visitors dominated possession.
That stopped when Casemiro scored for a frenetic finish. But on a disappointing night for bottom-three Tottenham, Leeds crossed the line to move within six points of the drop zone.
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