Noah Okafor scored the only goal for Leeds in their long-awaited 2-1 triumph over Manchester United at Old Trafford. This result helped the struggling Premier League team avoid relegation.
Okafor scored twice in the first half because United’s defense was weak. After the break, Lisandro Martinez was sent off for tugging Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair, according to AFP.
United drew one back from Casemiro, but Leeds held on to win for the first time against United since a shocking FA Cup win in 2010 when they were in the third division.
The Yorkshire club was able to enjoy their first win against United in the Premier League since 2002 and its first league triumph at Old Trafford in 45 years.
Daniel Farke’s team moved six points clear of the relegation zone with their first win in seven league games. They have six games left to stay in the top flight after being promoted last season.
Leeds are still fighting to stay alive, but have also made it to the FA Cup semifinals. have will play Chelsea at Wembley on April 26.
Manchester City and Liverpool are United’s biggest rivals, but their fans have hated Leeds fans for decades, and there have been many fights between hooligan groups.
That made it hard for United fans to take the loss, and they booed Michael Carrick’s team at the end of the game.
Since taking over as interim leader in January after Ruben Amorim was fired, Carrick has only lost two of his 11 games.
United is still in third place, seven points clear of Chelsea, who is in sixth place. To qualify for the Champions League, they need to finish in the top five.
Carrick was on vacation in Barbados with his family and former Old Trafford teammate Wayne Rooney when United last played Leeds.
Since Carrick took over, United has been better, although they have only won one of their last four games.
United’s trip to Chelsea on Saturday is another chance to get closer to returning to Europe’s top club tournament for the first time since 2023-24.
Leeds hadn’t scored in their last four league games, but they started the game against United with a bang.
When Jayden Bogle sent a cross to Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the fifth minute, United defender Leny Yoro couldn’t clear it, and Okafor scored from 10 yards out.
United’s defense was terrible in the first half since Harry Maguire was out. Okafor scored again in the 29th minute after additional mistakes by the defense.
United messed up clearing the ball twice in a row, and eventually the ball got to Okafor, whose shot hit Yoro hard and went by Senne Lammens.
After being forced to take a break for 24 days, Carrick’s men were back in action for the first time. They looked rusty.
Lisandro Martinez had to make a last-ditch tackle on the goal line to stop Ao Tanka from scoring a third goal for Leeds after the Japanese midfielder danced around Lammens.
Benjamin Sesko’s shot was cleared off the line soon after the break, and United’s awful night became worse when Martinez got a red card in the 56th minute.
Martinez pulled Calvert-Lewin’s long hair for no reason, and referee Paul Tierney sent him out after looking at the monitor on the field.
Even though they were outnumbered, United cut the lead in the 69th minute when Casemiro met Bruno Fernandes’ cross with a powerful header that went past Karl Darlow from six yards.
Fernandes now has 17 league assists this season, only three short of the record of 20 set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
Calvert-Lewin missed a great chance to score the points when he headed the ball straight at Lammens from close range.
Darlow made a great save on Sesko’s header, while Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte both had shots cleared off the line as Leeds hung on in a crazy finish.
About the Author
