Manchester United suffered a shocking 2-1 home defeat to relegation-battling Leeds United at Old Trafford, their first league loss to the visitors since 1981. Noah Okafor’s early brace within 29 minutes propelled Daniel Farke’s side to victory in United’s first match in 24 days.
Match Highlights and Red Card Drama
Leeds exploded out of the blocks, dominating the opening half and nearly extending their lead before the break. Lisandro Martinez received a red card for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair as United chased an equalizer, leaving them with 10 men. Casemiro pulled one back with a header from Bruno Fernandes’ cross at the far post, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.
Roy Keane Delivers Blunt Midfield Critique
This result marks only the second loss in 11 matches under manager Michael Carrick. Pundit Roy Keane offered a harsh assessment on Sky Sports, targeting the midfield duo of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte.
“They’ll be disappointed,” Keane stated. “They’ve had a lot of momentum over the last few months, [there’s been] a lot of praise for the manager. There’s obviously been concerns going into the game that they haven’t played for a number of weeks. But the manager, Carrick, said that shouldn’t be a problem, they’ve had a training camp.”
Keane highlighted United’s sluggish start: “But it was the way that they started the game – you start the game that slowly and it’s hard to recover. And they didn’t in the first half. And what you’ve got to do in this game – we saw Man City do it in the second half yesterday – you’ve got to run!”
He described the midfield as “non-existent,” adding: “They weren’t sprinting, United. And the bit at the end was too little too late. It’s a big setback for them. Midfield? Non-existent, the two of them, particularly in the first half, no energy, no quality. Leeds were out of the blocks quickly and it was a fantastic result for Leeds.”
Carrick Points to Referee Decisions
Carrick introduced Ugarte, standing in for the injured Kobbie Mainoo, alongside Casemiro, but the pair struggled early on. Post-match, the manager focused on referee Paul Tierney’s calls.
“We didn’t start the game particularly well. We conceded, which came after Leny Yoro got a forearm smash in the back of his head,” Carrick said. “They didn’t decide to overturn that, which was a big moment in the game. We didn’t quite have the rhythm, we didn’t click. We had some moments but it wasn’t there for large parts of the half.”
He continued: “I thought the boys stayed positive and fought for everything in the second half, after a shocking decision to send Licha [Martinez] off. That’s two games in a row we’ve had those decisions go against us, but that one was one of the worst I’ve seen.”
