And with that, I’m off. Do follow our ongoing liveblogs here:
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And here’s the match report again. Bye!
Here’s Jamie Jackson’s match report from Elland Road:
Manchester United are now 12 points ahead of West Ham in fifth place with only 15 left to play for so a Champions League berth is near to being secured for Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side. This and Harry Maguire handing Fred a colourful roasting (invective was used) with 72 minutes gone are the headlines from a goalless draw that was a tale of each United - Leeds were profligate, too - suffering from malfunctioning radar.
Fred being given a telling off by his captain was a telling sign of the visitors’ frustration: they had enough chances to finish Marcelo Bielsa’s team off but in Dan James, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood had a frontline whose shooting boots lacked potency.
Much more here:
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a chat. He seems pretty chirpy, all things considered:
There’s no guarantees in football, that’s for sure. I thought we played well. Especially second half I thought we dominated. We didn’t give any chances away, but the ball didn’t fall for us in a decent way. You know, when two teams meet you create problems, you solve problems, the opposition give you things to think about. We made them adjust to us and we had to adjust to them, because of course they are a unique team. I’ve seen Leeds so many times run over teams second half, and I thought it was the opposite with us.
Seriously I thought up until the last 18 yards, that’s where the decisions let us down. Of course we’re disappointed we didn’t get three points, but the boys know they put a shift down, they’ve got a lot of respect for the way Leeds play, and this isn’t something we’re going to look back as derailing our season.
Let’s hope the Carabao Cup final has a bit more entertainment for Rob Smyth to describe:
Harry Maguire thinks his team should have won:
I think we created some good chances, enough to score. But we didn’t create enough. We knew how they were going to play. We kept them to a minimum, I felt defensively we were good and solid, but we just couldn’t find the cutting edge. The tempo was there, the intensity was there, it just lacked a little bit of quality and putting the ball in the back of the net. I felt like we had control of the game, without hurting them enough.
It’s a big week. We need to improve on today for sure, we need to be more clinical in the final third. We’ve got to go into it full of confidence, and try to improve on what we did today.
Bore of the roses.
Final score: Leeds United 0-0 Manchester United
90+4 mins: The referee’s assistant raised the board to indicate the chosen amount of stoppage time about 25 seconds early, and the referee now ends the game about 25 seconds early. Either his watch was broken, or he was a bit bored.
Updated
90+2 mins: Manchester are pushing for a goal, in a half-hearted way. Shaw’s corner is poor, and Meslier catches. Meanwhile, the pass of the match award goes to:
Look away now, Luke Ayling 😂
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 25, 2021
That one tickled @Carra23
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90+1 mins: There will be four minutes of stoppage time.
90 mins: Cavani tries to lay the ball back to Greenwood, but his touch is too soft, and allows a defender to throw their foot in the way of the shot.
89 mins: Van der Beek comes on now, replacing Fred.
87 mins: “This game’s been awful hasn’t it, the quality? Jesus,” moans Jamie Carragher on Sky. This is not entirely true - there were approximately four entertaining minutes earlier in this half.
86 mins: Rashford has been displaced off the pitch entirely, with Cavani taking his place.
Updated
83 mins: Rashford is now in the middle, which seems a sensible place for him to be, with Pogba based on the left. Cavani is about to come on, though, which might displace Rashford again.
81 mins: Good work from Greenwood in the area, twisting and turning in search of space, but also good work from Leeds, who have four players around him, somehow avoid fouling him - though Klich comes very close - and end up conceding only a corner, which they clear.
Updated
79 mins: A fine nutmeg from Rashford on Alioski. It achieves nothing, with Struijk coming across to take the ball before the Manchester man can run back onto it, but it must have given him a great deal of pleasure.
76 mins: While Leeds bring Robin Koch on for Roberts.
76 mins: Manchester’s first substitution bring Paul Pogba onto the field, with James departing.
Updated
75 mins: Henderson makes two saves in 30 seconds! The first comes when Bamford plays Klich in on the right, and he cuts onto his left foot but shoots a bit timidly, and Henderson catches. Then Phillips sends a long-ranger at the keeper from 25 yards or so.
74 mins: Leeds are alleging some form of GBH by Wan-Bissaka on Helder Costa:
🔀 After being suplexed by Wan Bissaka and taking an injury to his back, Costa is replaced Klich. 0-0 pic.twitter.com/GPlpcPDxTp
— Leeds United (@LUFC) April 25, 2021
72 mins: Helder Costa goes down in midfield, and after a bit of physio attention he limps gingerly from the field. Klich is his replacement.
70 mins: Bamford dribbles the ball out of play in Leeds’ left-back position, and is so annoyed about it he picks the ball up and boots it into the stands. He, too, is booked.
68 mins: Leeds make the day’s first substitution, bringing Poveda on for Harrison.
67 mins: Maguire thunders into Roberts, the ball long gone, and is booked.
64 mins: The corner is cleared to Rashford, and Alioski stops him breaking by deliberately pushing out his bum. The referee gives him no credit for this enterprising fouling, and books him.
63 mins: Then Leeds go close, as Helder Costa’s deflected shot loops just over the bar!
62 mins: Another great chance! The ball is played down the right for Rashford, who passes infield to James, who is just settling himself before guiding the ball home when Alioski appears from behind and gets a toe to it.
60 mins: Greenwood runs behind Struijk onto the through-ball and sends in a low, hard shot that Meslier saves at the near post. It’s starting to look not inconceivable that somebody might score soon.
56 mins: Chance! Probably the best in the match! Wan-Bissaka does well on the right, taking the ball around Helder Costa like he’s a traffic cone in a training exercise and then passing back for Fernandes, who perhaps distracted by Struijk throwing himself at the ball scuffs his shot and it bobbles wide.
53 mins: Leeds have a spell. Dallas chips the ball to Helder Costa inside the area, whose low cross flies across the face of goal.
49 mins: Greenwood plays a lovely ball through to Fernandes and/or James. James gets it first, but his first touch takes it towards Fernandes. He leaves it to the Portuguese, who leaves it right back again, and instead of Manchester having a player running clean through for a shot on goal Leeds are allowed to intercept.
46 mins: There were two balls on the pitch when Leeds kicked off, so the referee stops play with the ball at the feet of Llorente, runs over, picks the ball off his toe, drops it back onto his toe again, and play continues.
46 mins: Peeeeeep! The teams are back out and already playing!
The one real talking point from that first half is the Luke Shaw handball, which to me falls firmly into the seen-them-given-but-I’d-rather-they-weren’t territory.
🤔 Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/TQxWdDd8xF
— Leeds United (@LUFC) April 25, 2021
Half time: Leeds United 0-0 Manchester United
45+2 mins: A quite determinedly goalless half ends, goalless.
45+1 mins: Maguire pretty much stands still as the corner comes in, and his marker runs away towards the six-yard box, leaving Maguire with a completely free header from 10 yards. It floats over the bar.
45 mins: Save! Rashford’s free-kick is hit at pace and is dipping under the bar, but it’s nowhere near the corner and Meslier manages to get a hand on it.
Updated
44 mins: Struijk brings James down, 25 yards out. Leeds really do seem quite keen on conceding free-kicks around their penalty area.
41 mins: Lindelof plays an awkward bouncing pass back to Henderson, but instead of roaring into the keeper Harrison stops, with Wan-Bissaka getting in his way, and the ball is cleared.
40 mins: ... which Shaw curls over everybody and out of play.
39 mins: Another booking, Roberts this time fouling Greenwood. Manchester enjoy the novel situation of preparing for a set-piece from the right.
38 mins: Yet another left-wing free-kick for Manchester. This time Fernandes shoots, but Bamford heads it over the bar.
36 mins: Maguire hits the ball down the left for Rashford, who is absolutely wiped out by Ayling, who stumbled at full sprint and went flying into the Manchester forward’s legs and is booked for his troubles.
34 mins: Phillips steals the ball from Fernandes after a defensive throw-in and passes infield to Dallas, whose 20-yarder flies into Henderson’s arms. A second shot on target, though.
Updated
33 mins: There has been one shot on target so far, and the game just feels stodgy. It doesn’t feel like a goal is imminent, unless through terrible defensive error.
31 mins: Fernandes is fouled a couple of yards outside the Leeds penalty area, gets up and boots the free-kick well over the bar.
28 mins: Lindelof gives the ball away in his own half but Dallas comes to the rescue, biffing a pass straight out of play on the left.
25 mins: Fernandes finds space on the right of the area, but his pull-back to Greenwood is overhit and he can’t bring it under control.
24 mins: Another left-wing free-kick for Manchester. This time Shaw takes, and Ayling clears.
21 mins: Leeds keep the pressure on, and keep the ball in the Manchester half for a while, before Ayling’s low cross is cleared.
Updated
19 mins: Harrison brings the ball to the edge of the Manchester area before crossing towards Bamford in the middle - Helder Costa was all alone on the right, a much better target. The ball though goes just behind Bamford and hits Shaw’s left arm. VAR has a look at it, and isn’t inclined to get involved.
15 mins: Manchester have been on the front foot for most of the game. They’re still in search of their first decent effort on goal, but all signs suggest it is coming.
12 mins: And it leads to another chance! It bounces through to Maguire, who seems astonished that it does so and entirely unprepared for it, and the ball bounces off his thigh and over.
10 mins: Rashford wins a free-kick on the left, only a few yards from the spot from which Fernandes sent the ball in for Greenwood’s early effort.
7 mins: Rashford gets a shooting chance after running onto a long hoik from defence, but his first touch is imperfect and forces him wide, and the shot on the spin is mishit and bumbles wide.
Updated
4 mins: Disappointing lack of goals so far. Manchester were 2-0 up by now when the teams met at Old Trafford.
2 mins: An early chance, but Greenwood’s header from Fernandes’s free-kick was weak, and really from too far out to threaten goal unless seriously brilliant.
1 min: Peeeeep! Manchester get the ball rolling.
Updated
I will be referring to Manchester United as Manchester for the remainder of this liveblog. Leeds will be Leeds. Obviously, they are both United. Right, let’s do this.
The teams are on their way out! Football imminent!
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a chat:
It’s a unique game. They’re the fittest team in the league. You get tested to the limit, mentally, physically and tactically. You’ve got to be concentrated, you’ve got to have your heads and your hearts out there, and your lungs will be tested. We have four massive games coming up. You’ve got to have maximum energy in all of them. Today we went with Dan James, and it’ll be a different selection maybe on Thursday. His pace, his workrate and attitude, he’s had a good season. He had a spell last season and early this season when he doubted himself. He’s back on track again.
Cool and breezy in Leeds today, apparently. Looks alright from here.
I asked Opta when United last had 14 shots on target and the answer ... drumroll please ... was against Southampton in February. Which makes the statistic I used in my preamble not just less exciting than I imagined, but really extremely incorrect.
Updated
The teams!
The teams have been named, and here are the names:
Leeds: Meslier, Ayling, Llorente, Struijk, Alioski, Phillips, Helder Costa, Dallas, Roberts, Harrison, Bamford. Subs: Koch, Poveda-Ocampo, Casilla, Hernandez, Berardi, Summerville, Greenwood, Klich, Shackleton.
Man Utd: Henderson, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Fred, Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, James, Rashford. Subs: de Gea, Bailly, Pogba, Cavani, Mata, Alex Telles, Matic, van de Beek, Tuanzebe.
Referee: Craig Pawson.
📋 Marcelo names an unchanged side to the one that drew against Liverpool, but Summerville and Greenwood feature on the bench
— Leeds United (@LUFC) April 25, 2021
🚨 It's time for team news...
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 25, 2021
🔴 #MUFC
#⃣ #LEEMUN
Hello world!
Leeds have had some bonkers results this season. They have won 4-3, 5-2 and 5-0, lost 4-1, 4-2 and 4-3, but the 6-2 defeat away at Manchester United has to stand at the top of the pile. Scott McTominay, who has scored in only three league games this season, had a brace by the third minute. It was 4-1 by half-time. Manchester United had 14 shots on target, not just the most they have had in a single game this season but the most they have had since 2013-14, when the website I was checking it on stopped being able to give me the appropriate statistics. “We lacked efficiency; they scored their opportunities and we didn’t,” said Marcelo Bielsa, even though his side scored 50% of their shots on target and United just 43%. It was wildly entertaining from first to last. Rob Smyth, on MBM duties that day, described it as “a glorious slugfest” that “was so much fun, too much fun almost”.
Another one like that, please! Thanks!
