Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Leeds: Rusty Red Devils Suffer First Home Defeat of Carrick Era

Manchester United couldn’t overcome a dismal opening 45 minutes in their first game since March 20.

Bruno Fernandes was completely dejected at full time. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

A dreadful first half saw Manchester United fall 2–1 against Leeds United on Monday night, losing to their rivals at Old Trafford in the Premier League for the first time in 45 years.

Man United delivered their worst 45 minutes of the Carrick era in the first half and were incredibly lucky to arrive at the break trailing by only two goals courtesy of a Noah Okafor brace.

Things seemingly got worse out of the tunnel when Lisandro Martínez was sent-off for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair. But the Red Devils responded admirably and Casemiro pulled one back for the hosts.

Carrick’s side, incredibly, were drastically better playing with 10-men and generated chance after chance in the dying minutes. But United’s reaction was too little too late and their valiant comeback effort wasn’t to be.

It’s the first home defeat of the Carrick era and United’s first Premier League defeat at Old Trafford since November. Improvement and a complete effort will be needed next time out when the Red Devils visit Chelsea in a match that could have major ramifications in the race for Champions League qualification.

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The One Thing We Can’t Ignore

United wasted the opening 45 minutes—and it could’ve been worse. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

In the first match Man United played after a 24-day stoppage, Carrick’s side looked flat, out of rhythm and extremely rusty. Simply put, the lengthy break resulted in the Red Devils seemingly in preseason form.

No team had collected more points than United in the Premier League since Carrick’s appointment in mid-January, but the form that led to the team’s positive run was nowhere to be found on Monday. In less than five minutes, the Red Devils were already trailing, and Senne Lammens had to make a heroic save to avoid a second.

But the hosts looked out of sorts on either end in the entirety of the first half, and Leeds should’ve likely gone to the break with a three or four goal lead. United were caught out of shape defensively on multiple occasions, they looked unable to handle Leeds’ high-press which led to a goal from a turnover. The midfield was completely overrun, and attackers were everything but sharp when in position to pounce.

A chaotic version of the Red Devils showed up in the first half, and with a number of key players unavailable, it was a perfect storm that contributed to the defeat, even if United did considerably improve after the interval.

The strong results collected prior to the March international break gave Man Utd a nice buffer in the race for Champions League qualification, but it rapidly became obvious that the long delay between games had a negative impact on the team.

Carrick’s men must rediscover their best form quickly, because decidedly losing at home to a team immersed in the relegation battle is a dreadful start of the season’s run-in.

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Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Leeds (4-2-3-1)

Casemiro’s goal wasn’t enough. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Senne Lammens—5.7: Made a brilliant short-range stop early, but there was nothing he could do to avoid conceding inside the opening five minutes.

RB: Noussair Mazraoui—6.3: Will have nightmares about Okafor, who did whatever he wanted in the final third.

CB: Leny Yoro—7.6: Will probably feel like he was fouled in the action of Leeds’ opener, but the young defender still had a poor performance.

CB: Lisandro Martínez—5.6: Saved United from a third with a goal-line clearance but must be held somewhat responsible for the action of Leeds’ second. His night ended with a bizarre red card after VAR held him responsible for violent conduct by pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s ponytail.

LB: Luke Shaw—6.9: The best United defender on the night by a considerable margin. Improved after a shaky start that saw him get booked and was stout the rest of the way.

CM: Casemiro—8.0: The Brazilian struggled with Leeds’ press but he also delivered some nice through-balls. Once again scored a clutch goal to give United life.

CM: Manuel Ugarte—6.6: In his first start of the Carrick era, Ugarte looked out of sorts in midfield, delivering a performance that encapsulates his United career.

RW: Amad Diallo—6.4: The most dangerous United attacker in the early exchanges asking questions of Leeds’ backline early and often. Yet, after a couple of poor decisions, his confidence seemingly took a hit and he disappeared.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—8.0: The inventive United captain showed flashes of his quality with some stunning deliveries, one of which was converted by Casemiro to give Fernandes his league-leading 17 assist this season.

LW: Matheus Cunha—7.0: Got booked for a frankly embarrassing dive referee Paul Tierney promptly punished. Unfortunately for United, Cunha failed to provide much of anything in the final third despite improving in the second half.

ST: Benjamin Šeško—6.6: Missed a golden opportunity in the first half but nearly scored a wonderful solo-goal after the break. Had other opportunities to pounce but was denied.

SUB: Diogo Dalot (70’ for Mazraoui)—6.7: Didn’t misplace a single pass and was solid overall in his 20 minute cameo.

SUB: Bryan Mbeumo (70’ for Diallo)—6.0: Had a dream opportunity to score an equalizer but took an extra beat and his shot was ultimately blocked.

Subs not used: Altay Bayındır (GK), Ayden Heaven, Tyler Fletcher, Mason Mount, Joshua Zirkzee, Tyrell Malacia, Shea Lacey.

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What the Ratings Tell Us

Manuel Ugarte (left) and Lisandro Martínez had nights to forget. | Richard Martin-Roberts/CameraSport/Getty Images

• Manuel Ugarte did nothing to validate Carrick’s decision to keep him out of the starting lineup for every single game of his tenure prior to Monday night. The Uruguayan looked lost on the pitch and United seriously missed the injured Kobbie Mainoo. Ugarte simply doesn’t look tailored for the Premier League.
• Similarly, Noussair Mazraoui was uncompetitive at times against Noah Okafor and failed to provide any help going forward. It was surprising to see him get the nod ahead of regular started Diogo Dalot, and that’s a decision Carrick probably would want back.
• The importance of the suspended Harry Maguire became evident in his absence. Both Martínez and especially Yoro struggled immensely in the heart of defense, and United’s backline looked unorganized and confused without their leader.

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The Numbers That Explain Man Utd’s Disheartening Defeat

Michael Carrick must get his side back to top-form fast | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

• The game could’ve been decided in the first half, but Leeds missed three big chances that helped United hang around and put the match in doubt until the final whistle.
• Six of the nine shots on goal United registered came after Martínez’s red card in the 56th minute, highlighting how poor and unimaginative Carrick’s side were at full strength.
• Even though Casemiro’s goal came from the resulting action after a set piece, United likely could’ve done more with the 11 corners they collected. Of United’s xG of 1.31, set-pieces accounted for 0.72 of that total.

Statistic	Man Utd	Leeds United
Possession	52%	48%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.31	2.37
Total Shots	20	15
Shots on Target	9	6
Big Chances	1	4
Passing Accuracy	84%	83%
Fouls Committed	12	15
Corners	11	4

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