Manchester United endured a miserable return to Premier League action with a defeat to fierce rivals Leeds United.
Casemiro added to his goal tally for Manchester United, but it wasn’t enough to come back from Noah Okafor’s two first-half strikes, which gave Leeds United their first league win at Old Trafford for 45 years.
It is the second defeat suffered under Michael Carrick, and Manchester United now sit level on points with Aston Villa with six games remaining in the 2025/26 season.
Terrible start after 24-day break
There was a 24-day break between Premier League matches for United, and it clearly had an impact on the performance.
A training camp in Ireland was organised to try and keep players sharp, but the performance against Leeds was lethargic and unfocused.
Carrick was visibly seething on the sidelines as he watched his players well off the pace.
Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire missing
Because of his red card against Bournemouth, Harry Maguire was suspended for the Leeds clash, so Carrick went with a partnership of Leny Yoro and Lisandro Martinez
But eyebrows were raised when Kobbie Mainoo was left out of the starting XI vs Leeds because of injury. Manuel Ugarte stepped in to replace him in midfield.
Both Mainoo and Maguire, who were recalled to the England squad last month, were heavily missed by Carrick.
Miserable record for Manuel Ugarte
Manuel Ugarte made his first start under Carrick, taking the place of the injured Mainoo, and it was a golden opportunity to prove he has put his poor form behind him.
Instead, the Uruguayan midfielder had a disaster performance. In Ugarte’s 10 starts this season, United have only won one of those matches.
It is no coincidence…
Lisandro Martinez from hero to zero
Lisandro Martinez made his return from injury and was thrown straight back into the starting XI by Carrick, and he made a heroic goal-line clearance in the first half to keep the lead to just two goals.
However, Martinez’s performance came crashing down when he was sent off for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair.
VAR stopped play after spotting an incident involving Martinez, and the World Cup-winner was given his marching orders. He will now miss the next three matches through suspension.
Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro combine again
When United were craving a goal, it was Casemiro who delivered… again.
This is Casemiro’s highest-scoring season of his career, and it has come in his final season as a United player.
Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro have a deadly partnership, and they combined again to halve the deficit at Old Trafford.
Fernandes now has 17 assists as he closes in on the Premier League record.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/cpjof1m