Leeds secures vital victory against Man United in relegation battle
Leeds United moved six points clear of the relegation zone following their second away victory of the season and their inaugural Premier League win at Old Trafford, securing a 2-1 triumph over Manchester United.
Noah Okafor netted twice within the first 30 minutes, igniting exuberant celebrations among the traveling Leeds supporters before Lisandro Martínez received a red card 11 minutes into the second half after a VAR review for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair.
The West Yorkshire side had not claimed a league victory at their arch-rivals’ ground since 1981, marking their first win against United since their FA Cup success there in 2010.
Manager Daniel Farke expressed his pride, stating: “I’m certainly very proud; I believe it’s our first Premier League win here at Old Trafford and our first league victory in four decades.”
“It feels remarkable. This is a ‘crunch-time’ period, and we are playing under some pressure.”
“We squandered too many opportunities and could have sealed the game earlier. We had to fight hard, but there’s no doubt we deserved to win.”
Leeds will take on Wolves at Elland Road on Saturday, where they have the chance to extend their lead to nine points above the relegation zone. The victory on Monday positioned them six points ahead of 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland on Sunday.
Farke continued: “We are making efforts to dispel the old narrative that ‘Leeds are falling apart again.’
“It seems that we truly perform under pressure. Nothing has been accomplished yet; I am not overly confident or celebrating.”
“We take pride in the win, but we must remember our starting point. We need to maintain our focus. I don’t want to celebrate excessively.”
Despite being down to 10 men, United regrouped after halftime and reduced the deficit with a header from Casemiro in the 59th minute, but Leeds managed to hold on for their first league victory at Old Trafford in 45 years.
This marked United’s first home defeat under Carrick after a streak of five consecutive wins.
