Leeds United: How Whites fans suffered painful loss to Manchester United following 19-year wait - Yorkshire Post 21/2/22

THERE was plenty to pick faults in when Leeds United hosted Manchester United in front of fans for the first time in 19 years but the English game’s imperfections make it the most entertaining football around.

By Stuart Rayner

What was most wrong about it from a Whites perspective was losing 4-2 to the team they least want to be beaten by, yet there were no recriminations at full-time, only a rendition of We’re Leeds and we’re proud of you.

Once again Leeds had put on some stunning entertainment for the neutrals but as too often this season, they ended up its stooges. But football is not all about champagne and silverware and proper supporters recognise that. At times from a one-eyed Leeds perspective, it was a performance that lapsed into disappointing but never disgraceful.

In reviving a contest that seemed over at half-time with two goals 24 seconds apart they kept the result in doubt until substitute Anthony Elanga’s 89th-minute goal.

“Commitment is indispensable to construct a performance,” noted coach Marcelo Bielsa and often when a team underperforms it is the first thing fans question but of all the issues Leeds have in a relegation battle few saw coming, that is not one to worry about.

The negligence in some of their defending, however, was so bordering on criminal Bielsa had to do something he almost never does and use an excuse of injuries, to his holding midfielders.

Through nobody’s fault but God’s, the torrent of rain on the Elland Road pitch made playing passing football extremely difficult from very early on. Referee Paul Tierney seemed to ignore that as he flashed card after card, and when he changed tack to spare Scott McTominay, the inconsistency was baffling.

Manchester United’s opener looked dubious as Harry Maguire pinned Diego Llorente down before heading in – just not in the eyes of Tierney or his video assistant Chris Kavanagh.

At times the hostile atmosphere got ugly, a Leeds supporter throwing an object at Elanga, a flare chucked on from the away section. As tempers frayed after McTominay’s reprieve, Junior Firpo’s undiplomatic tackle sparked rough and tumble which brought Manchester United’s interim manager Ralf Rangnick onto the pitch to keep the peace.

Alarmingly, and not for the first time this season, Leeds kept a player on when there cannot possibly not have been a suspicion of concussion as a clash of heads between Robin Koch and McTominay caused the former to spurt his own blood over his kit. He played on for 14 minutes before groggily walking off. The protocols which demand players come off if there is a possible concussion are too lax yet still not properly enforced.

Television viewers were told Koch’s replacement, Firpo, was a regular rather than a concussion substitute because Leeds had not requested one in time. Those who paid for tickets were told nothing.

But for as long as football is played by humans, it will have mistakes. Otherwise it would be boring.

It is Leeds’s job to minimise theirs, and the way they appeared to lose the game before half-time was disappointing, particularly having adapted much quicker to an atmosphere no player on either side had probably experienced before.

Manchester United were already asserting themselves in a wonderfully see-sawing game – Illan Meslier making a terrific reflex save to deny Cristiano Ronaldo a tap-in – when Koch’s substitution caused a complex rejig.

Bringing on Firpo after too long a delay as the coaches discussed their next step, it seemed natural for Stuart Dallas to do Koch’s holding job but he went to right-back, Luke Ayling to centre-back, Llorente shuffled left of centre and Pascal Struijk into midfield.

As Leeds got to grips with that, Meslier palmed a Bruno Fernandes shot behind and from their 140th corner this season, Manchester United scored their first goal, the ninth Leeds have conceded from corners.

If VAR was used for the things fans cared about, Maguire’s header might have been ruled out.

Just before the interval the Red Devils added a second, Fernandes heading in after a counter-attack.

It looked a fatal blow but Leeds threw on Joe Gelhardt and Raphinha, surprisingly benched, at the interval and scored twice in implausibly quick time.

The noise was deafening as Raphinha followed up the cross Rodrigo sailed into the net over de Gea’s head by tapping in a more accurate James centre after Adam Forshaw won the ball with the hunger which was his hallmark all afternoon.

The game was back to end-to-end but of all the chances, James should have got more on a Firpo cross. A minute later, Sancho fed Fred, just on for Paul Pogba, to beat Meslier at his near post.

Rangnick bringing off his only centre-forward – Ronaldo – for a third centre-back – Rafael Varane – showed the game was still up for grabs even in the 85th minute.

Elanga finally put it to bed four minutes later with a finish of remarkable calm after Fernandes flicked the ball around Struijk.

After 19 years, the game had been everything neutrals hoped it would – perfectly imperfect. It left Leeds fans wanting more.