Leeds United faced off against Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier today as they looked to earn a positive result on the road. The Whites struggled to get a foothold in the game during the early goings of the match and conceded the opening goal at the half-hour mark when Bruno Fernandes got the better of the offside trap and managed to beat a diving Illan Meslier with a driven finish. The Whites failed to come up with a response and went into the half-time break one goal down.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men began the second half brightly and grabbed the equalizer in the 48th minute courtesy of Luke Ayling’s powerful strike from long range. However, Man United got their noses ahead once again just four minutes later as Mason Greenwood found the back of the net with an excellent finish. Bruce Fernandes put daylight between the two sides as he scored two quick-fire goals to complete his hattrick. Fred added another goal in the 68th minute as Man United convincingly took care of Leeds by a 5-1 scoreline.
Let’s take a look at how each Leeds United player fared during the clash against the Red Devils.
GK: Illan Meslier – 5/10
Meslier made a few important saves but still ended up conceding five goals during the 90 minutes in what proved to be a horror outing for him at the Theatre of Dreams.
RB: Luke Ayling – 7/10
He scored a great goal as he beat David de Gea with a thunderous strike from outside the penalty box. He also got stuck in with several crucial tackles but also committed some poor errors of judgment at the back.
CB: Pascal Struijk – 6/10
Struijk was strong in the air and made a few essential interceptions inside his half. However, he was unable to stop Man United from scoring five goals today.
CB: Luke Cooper – 6/10
He got stuck in with multiple tackles to disrupt Man United’s flow in the game. However, Cooper just couldn’t deal with Bruno Fernandes’ clever movement throughout the 90 minutes.
LB: Stuart Dallas – 6/10
Dallas managed to keep a good shape at the back and ended the game with an assist to show for his efforts. However, Bielsa will demand more from him in the coming weeks.
CDM: Robin Koch – 6.5/10
The German midfield ace produced a battling display at the centre of the park and made a few good runs going forward.
CM: Rodrigo – 6/10
He struggled to influence the game in the first 45 minutes and got replaced at half-time.
CM: Mateusz Klich – 5/10
Klich had a couple of shots but there was no goal for him today. However, he failed to offer enough protection for his backline.
RM: Rafinha – 5.5/10
The Brazilian wing wizard squandered some decent chances to find the back of the net. It was not his day as Man United defended him quite well.
LM: Jack Harrison – 6/10
Harrison created a couple of inviting opportunities for his teammates to score. However, it was a frustrating outing for him.
ST: Patrick Bamford – 5/10
The Whites forward had some bright moments but didn’t get too many sniffs at goal.
Substitutes:
LB: Junior Firpo – 5/10
Firpo made a good interception but failed to make an impact in the Red Devils half.
LM: Helder Costa – 6/10
He didn’t do enough to get himself a goal.
ST: Tyler Roberts – 6/10
Roberts had a couple of lively moments in the final third.
