Man Utd drew 1-1 with Leeds in the Premier League on Sunday and here are the moments you might have missed from the game.
Manchester United drew 1-1 with Leeds in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Leeds headed into the game unbeaten in six league matches, and they drew first blood against their rivals.
Brenden Aaronson opened the scoring in the 62nd minute after sloppy play from United, but Ruben Amorim introduced Joshua Zirkzee and the change immediately paid off.
Zirkzee provided an assist for Cunha, whose goal ensured the points were shared. Here are the moments you might have missed:
Amorim outburst
“We are losing because of the second balls,” said Amorim last month, so it wasn’t a surprise to see the 40-year-old lash out on the touchline when United failed to win a second ball against Leeds. Benjamin Sesko lost the initial aerial duel for the header, despite his height advantage, and Patrick Dorgu didn’t react quickly enough to pounce on the second ball.
Amorim responded by lashing out. He aggressively waved his arms in frustration, which suggested he felt Sesko and Dorgu had to do better in that moment. Dorgu was not in the correct starting position to win the ball because he is not used to playing as a right-side No.10. Amorim was frustrated, but he decided to play the defender out of position.
Sesko had no excuses, however, as he should be winning most headers at 6ft 4in. The Slovenia international didn’t offer much off the ball and must improve in that area, especially when he’s not scoring.
Hands on their heads
And the reaction from Sesko’s teammates when he missed a chance from close range with 15 minutes remaining was telling. Cunha, Luke Shaw and Casemiro had their hands on their heads.
Zirkzee played the ball into the box after a clever pass from Cunha, but the 22-year-old volleyed wide and squandered the type of chance that top Premier League strikers put away.
Premier League games are decided by fine margins. The standard in the top-flight has increased – the table is tighter than ever – and it’s crucial to capitalise on chances when they are presented.
United would have returned to Manchester with a 2-1 victory if Sesko had buried it.
Zirkzee’s reaction
It was noticeable that the only two senior outfield substitutes, Joshua Zirkzee and Tyrell Malacia, wore their long winter coats during the warm-up, while the remainder of the substitutes (who were all players from the academy) kicked the ball around wearing just their sweatshirts.
It was a freezing cold day in West Yorkshire, the type of weather that would make any senior professional who is hardly playing question their future. As it happens, Zirkzee already wants to leave, and he might have been thinking about a return to Italy while he warmed up with academy players.
Amorim preferred to play Dorgu, a defender, over Zirkzee at Elland Road, just a week after hooking Zirkzee at half-time to give Jack Fletcher his third appearance for the first team.
Zirkzee would have felt demoralised by the team selection, but he channelled his frustration in the right way when he came on from the bench, immediately providing an excellent assist. The pass into the box to Cunha was perfectly-weighted, and Zirkzee’s contribution didn’t go unnoticed as the Brazilian celebrated because Lisandro Martinez sprinted to embrace him.
Berrada and Wilcox spotted
Sir Alex Ferguson was spotted sitting behind Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox at Elland Road. Amorim has previously spoken about his warm relationship with the Ineos’ decision-makers, but there was a hint of tension when the United boss spoke at his press conference ahead of facing Leeds.
Amorim appeared to be concerned that conversations had not taken place about new signings in the January window, and he was unusually spiky for a pre-match press conference. Berrada and Wilcox oversaw the appointment of Amorim, and it will reflect badly on the pair if he is sacked. Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants United to be ‘best in class’ – but they couldn’t even claim a win against Leeds.
‘Biggest game of the season’
Leeds-United is a historic rivalry. Of course, United fans are always desperate to beat Leeds, but this is the game of the season for Leeds fans, a point that was was proved by a comment from a Leeds fan sitting next to the press box.
“But it’s our biggest game of the season,” the fan said when a steward asked him to take his seat instead of standing up. The Elland Road stadium announcer introduced United as the ‘red side’ before kick-off, and every United player was booed as their names were out. Vitriol poured out from every stand in the ground, with Leeds fans chanting “scum, scum, scum” and “get into them, f*** them up”. That was followed by “stand up if you hate Man U”.
The raucous atmosphere only lasted for 15 minutes, though. United managed the game intelligently in the first half, and you could have heard a pin drop when half-time arrived.
