Match Report & Player Ratings: Manchester United 2-0 Leeds United
Manchester United made a much-anticipated return to action on Wednesday afternoon with a comfortable 2-0 victory over rivals Leeds United in the first of eight pre-season fixtures ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Erik ten Hag fielded some of his more senior players in the first half, with Lisandro Martinez making his return from an injury suffered in April and new signing Mason Mount in the attacking midfielder role; however, it was the youngsters that got the job done in the second half with Noam Emeran, 20, and Joe Hugill, 19, capitalising on their chance to shine with a tidy pair of finishes.
The game, which took place at the Ullevaal Stadion in the Norwegian capital city of Oslo, was hardly one that will live long in the memory of supporters, yet two goals and a clean sheet cannot be complained at with the players bound to become fitter and sharper as pre-season endures.
How it went down
Before the game kicked off, captains Raphael Varane and Liam Cooper paid tribute to the late Gordon McQueen, who passed away last month at the age of 70. McQueen was a fan favourite of both clubs, with the former Scottish defender representing Leeds between 1972-1978, and United between 1978-1985.
The first goal-bound opportunity came after Amad Diallo teed up Hannibal Mejbri in the centre of the area around the ten-minute mark, but the Tunisian international was denied from close range by Kristoffer Klaesson in between the sticks for Leeds before Diallo blazed the following chance over the bar.
Embed from Getty ImagesMount’s eyes lit up moments later after nipping in to intercept the ball on the last line of the defence, spotting Klaesson off his line from 35-40 yards out, but United’s new no.7 could only find the roof of the net as the Ullevaal crowd held its breath.
The Red Devils almost took the lead through 18-year-old Omari Forson, adopted out on the left-wing by the manager for his debut, but his effort was blocked after twenty minutes.
Tom Heaton – remarkably the club’s senior goalkeeper in the travelling squad- had very little to do in the time he was on the pitch. His only real test came from Sam Greenwood’s central effort after the forward was teed up by Ian Poveda-Ocampo from the left-hand side.
Embed from Getty ImagesLeft-back Alvaro Fernandez will be looking to impress Ten Hag during pre-season after a season-long loan spell at Preston North End last campaign, and the Spaniard almost did just that after a glancing header from a corner that just lacked the proper contact it required.
Diallo blazed it high and wide before half-time after cutting in on his left foot from the right-wing as the teams headed into the interval goalless.
Whilst Ten Hag opted to switch all eleven of his players after the break, Daniel Farke interestingly changed all but one of his players, Cody Drameh, who saw out the full ninety minutes. Amongst the changes were Brandon Williams, who many fans would agree needs a miracle to have a future at his boyhood club, and former United man Daniel James, returning from a mediocre loan spell at Fulham last season.
The game had taken a tame tone for a while after half-time before Emeran gave United the lead in the 67th minute. Assisted by Norwegian midfielder Isak Hansen-Aaroen with a through ball, Emeran slotted it beyond the goalkeeper from the right-hand side of the area with a neat left-footed effort.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Frenchman turned from goal scorer to provider in the 81st minute when Joe Hugill just stayed onside and pounced on the end of another through ball to ensure the Mancunian club a win over its rival Yorkshire outfit with a right-footed effort from the centre of the area.
Captained by Welshman Charlie Savage, Ten Hag’s young reds almost had a third when centre-back Rhys Bennet hit the post with a header from close range in stoppage time, but it would be fair to say that two goals will have appeased both the travelling supporters and the native Norwegian fans too.
Chess grandmaster and football fan Magnus Carlsen was a famous face in the crowd in his home country on Wednesday afternoon, yet this clash was far from the tactically astute encounter that he will be used to playing, with United never looking under any threat whatsoever in either half. As for Leeds, well, it is fair to say they had fallen apart again.
Final Score: Manchester United 2-0 Leeds United (Emeran 67’, Hugill 81’)
Player ratings and lineups
First half: Tom Heaton (6), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (6), Raphael Varane (6), Lisandro Martinez (6), Alvaro Fernandez (6), Kobbie Mainoo (7), Mason Mount (7), Hannibal Mejbri (7), Amad Diallo (7), Jadon Sancho (6), Omari Forson (6).
Second half: Matej Kovar (6), Marc Jurado (6), Will Fish (7), Rhys Bennett (7), Brandon Williams (6), Daniel Gore (6), Charlie Savage (6), Isak Hansen-Aaroen (6), Noam Emeran (8), Shola Shoretire (6), Joe Hugill (7).
Man of the match
Embed from Getty ImagesEmeran will be delighted with how his debut endured. Although only getting action in the second half, he managed to rack up a goal and an assist from the right-wing and has certainly given Ten Hag something to think about for the rest of pre-season.
He should have had another assist late on when Bennett found the post with his header following Emeran’s right-hand side cross.
Fans should not get carried away after one game, but he was the best of the 43 players that played on the Ullevaal field on Wednesday and that cannot be disputed, nor overlooked.
The bigger picture
Embed from Getty ImagesIn spite of the result not mattering in pre-season, it was a nice win for Ten Hag’s side to not only treat the supporters who made the effort to be there, but also to build some momentum ahead of the upcoming fixtures.
The manager and his assistants got a good look at the squad. A few notable cameos included Martinez, in the sense that it was good to see him back out on the pitch, Mount, who did not look out of place by any means in a busy first half, and Sancho, who did not really stand out the way he should have in a youthful attack. In fairness to the Englishman, though, he was playing as an unorthodox centre-forward, which only reiterates the immediate need for United to sign a striker.
Fans certainly liked what they saw from Mainoo. After a surprise hour-long feature in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals against Charlton Athletic last campaign and a few substitute minutes against Leicester City in the Premier League, Ten Hag will definitely want to see more of the midfielder who showed composure beyond his years at times. The question will be whether or not he gets loaned out or continues to train with the first team squad in 2023/24.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmeran and Hugill have put themselves in good stead for more minutes throughout the rest of pre-season and are bound to be ones to keep an eye on following their goals against Leeds.
Also, no injuries to anyone and a half in the tank for the majority of players will be music to Ten Hag’s ears, for sure.
What’s next?
Man United next face Lyon at Murrayfield in Edinburgh next week on Wednesday 19th July, kick-off being at 14:00 (BST) before heading out on tour in the USA not long afterwards.
