THERE should not be a Manchester United managerial change on the back of this 1-1 at Leeds.
A fixture laden with jeopardy was managed well by United players and their head coach, but only for 45 minutes.
Of all the players who derailed United’s momentum, it was Lisandro Martinez.
Leeds took six minutes to change the scoreboard after Martinez was forced off at the interval.
Martinez has become a liability for United with a microphone in front of him but also on the injury front.
He has suffered a setback before the clocks have gone back. Had Martinez stayed fit, United might have stayed in front.
Michael Carrick displayed tactical nous, with United switching to a back three with wing backs whenever they were not in possession to counter Leeds’ set-up 3-4-3 set-up.
The deployment of Youri Tielemans as a No10 again finally got United on the scoresheet.
In a week where Tielemans’ run as the only United player to start every game this season would end, he had his best week.
It is a reflection of United’s current standing in the Premier League table and beyond that a point at Leeds, promoted back to the top flight in 2025, is a borderline positive.
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But, ultimately, United are six games without a win, which equals Ruben Amorim’s longest winless run during his fraught 14 months that ended at Elland Road in January.
Leeds, still without a home win against United since September 2002, should rue a lethargic first half and over-reliance on dead-ball kicks.
Carlos Baleba interrupted his warm-up to take some tablets. There was no sign of ill-effects when he defused a sequence of pressure after teammates Martinez and Tielemans were caught on their heels.
United’s 2,960 away-dayers voiced their support for Martinez as early as the seventh minute with a chorus of “Argentina, Argentina”.
Director of football Jason Wilcox, sitting in the John Charles Stand’s directors’ box right next to the away section, will have heard them clearly.
Bruno Fernandes was still on the wing but this time switched to the left to accommodate Amad on the right. He did not fare much better.
Fernandes overhit an early free kick into touch and was soon complaining at the fourth official after feeling he was denied a foul.
The United captain then lost the ball and his head. His sliding tackle warranted a yellow card yet Fernandes was berating referee Darren England with the ball still in play.
He continued to remonstrate after seeing yellow in the 17th minute.
Senne Lammens shovelled Nico Elvedi’s 26th-minute downward header out of harm’s way. Centre back Elvedi was not as vigilant in his own area a minute later.
Tielemans, so creative in midweek against Atletico Madrid, clipped in a perfect cross for Bryan Mbeumo, left unattended by Elvedi, to nod wide.
James Trafford hared towards the halfway line to intervene with Amad chasing down.
Mbeumo should have made the England goalkeeper work more from a 32nd-minute breakaway that the United striker mishit after ignoring Fernandes.
The Tielemans-Mbeumo collaboration fashioned two clear-cut chances in Madrid that weren’t taken.
On the fourth occasion, Mbeumo converted when he steered in the Belgian’s neat cross on 35 minutes.
Suddenly, the Leeds fans had been silenced. “Where’s your famous atmosphere?” asked the United section.
United’s unexpected switch to a 3-4-3 without the ball stumped Leeds, unable to force Lammens into a stop from open play.
Martinez was replaced by Noussair Mazraoui. Mazraoui, a full back by trade who has played at centre back, slotted next to Maguire as Leny Yoro remained on the right.
Leeds capitalised quickly from a corner Mazraoui conceded. Dominic Calvert-Lewin held off Mbeumo to prod in easily from Tarik Muharemovic’s knock-down.
Maguire and Fernandes both appealed about something. It turned out to be nothing. Calvert-Lewin cushioned the ball with his chest and the ball did not come close to brushing his arm.
“United are back,” hollered the natives, in reference to the United of Leeds, not Manchester.
Mazraoui, on his first club appearance since United capitulated against Brighton a month ago, had a hairy moment in the 57th minute when he miscued a clearance.
Leeds, attacking the Don Revie ‘Kop’ end, scented blood. Noah Okafor ballooned the ball into the stand from a chest-and-volley from another corner, Leeds’ most dependable route to goal.
Fernandes, so ineffectual again, perked up briefly to trap the marauding Yoro’s 65th-minute cut-back but pulled his shot wide.
Leeds fans quickly changed their unrepeatable chant about Fernandes to include Sir Alex Ferguson’s name. Ferguson, in attendance, may have seen the funny side.
Fernandes hit harmlessly into James Trafford’s midriff on 71 minutes. Anton Stach finished similarly to Okafor from Diogo Dalot’s underhit clearance.
Carrick sent on a No10 in Mason Mount – mainly a midfielder these days – for the impressive Baleba as Fernandes was reprieved again.