Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford saved Manchester United in their 2-2 draw with Leeds United at Old Trafford, denying the manager a famous victory with a second-half performance from the visitors.
United knew victory would move them level with second-placed Manchester City in the Premier League table, but Wilfried Gnonto stunned the Red Devils by firing Leeds ahead within minutes.
Raphael Varane’s own goal then gave United a mountain to climb, but the in-form striker Rashford gave hope with a superb header, creating a brilliant save.
Sancho, who returned shortly after, came on as a second-half substitute before United could seal the winner.
Leeds flew from the trap and after 55 seconds, Gnonto drilled into the bottom left corner after a gift from Patrick Bamford.
The hosts kept Leeds on target for the remainder of the first half, with Alejandro Garnacho denying Maximilian Wober a clean sheet.
Marcel Sabitzer pulled off a fine save from Illan Mesleyer from 25 yards as the Red Devils pulled one back shortly after half-time.
Substitute Crysencio Summerville found the impressive Gnonto and his back was headed by Varane through David De Gea.
United found their way back into the contest on the hour mark when Rashford headed home Diogo Dalot’s cross and put the pressure back on with 20 minutes remaining.
The back of Shaw ran into the path of Sancho, who grabbed Mesleyer’s arm and tried to straighten things out.
As United continued to press, Varane almost became the hero with a powerful header, but Meslier made up for his earlier mistake with a save to protect Leeds’ points.
Man Utd player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: David de Gea – 5/10 – Needed to make a smart early save but didn’t always seem the most convincing display overall.
RB: Diogo Dalot – 7/10 – Back in for the unwell Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Got forward much better in the second half and assisted as Rashford pulled the first goal back.
CB: Raphael Varane – 6/10 – Scored an own goal but was otherwise fairly solid.
CB: Lisandro Martinez – 6/10 – Didn’t shy away from the physical battle.
LB: Luke Shaw – 7/10 – Had more space to play in once Garnacho went off and allowed him to get forward to make Sancho’s equaliser.
CM: Marcel Sabitzer – 6/10 – Handed a full United debut in place of Casemiro. Neat enough on the ball for the most part but something was lacking.
CM: Fred – 5/10 – Suddenly looked more like his old inconsistent self without his fellow countryman alongside him. Squandered a few late shooting chances.
RM: Marcus Rashford – 8/10 – Less effective on the right than his usual role on the left. Made his mark with a towering header after going into the ‘number nine’ position. Led by example in the second half as he carried his team to the draw.
AM: Bruno Fernandes (c) – 7/10 – Put in the hard work and still made chances, having improved significantly in the second half.
LM: Alejandro Garnacho – 7/10 – Played with huge confidence. Some things worked, some didn’t.
ST: Wout Weghorst – 5/10 – A thankless task occupying the Leeds centre-backs and barely even saw the ball.
Substitutes
SUB: Jadon Sancho (59′ for Weghorst) – 8/10
SUB: Facundo Pellistri (59′ for Garnacho) – 7/10
SUB: Tyrell Malacia (82′ for Dalot) – 6/10
SUB: Victor Lindelof (82 for Sabitzer) – 6/10
Manager
Erik ten Hag – 7/10 – Will have been disappointed by the slow start he witnessed. Switching things around at the hour mark brought his team back from the dead.
Leeds player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Illan Meslier – 8/10 – Made a few decent saves that ultimately secured a point.
RB: Luke Ayling (c) – 6/10 – Just about kept Garnacho under wraps but was later off the pace wehn United equalised down his side. Looked exhausted by the end.
CB: Robin Koch – 6/10 – Made the second Leeds goal with vision to play the ball into space out wide. On his heels when leaping with Rashford when United scored their first.
CB: Maximilian Wober – 6/10 – Made a vital goal-line block at 1-0 that would have brough United back into it an awful lot sooner.
LB: Pascal Struijk – 7/10 – Instrumental in making the early goal possible. Later needed lengthy treatment after taking a powerful shot from Rashford full in the face and couldn’t continue.
CM: Tyler Adams – 7/10 – Battled hard with plenty of energy.
CM: Weston McKennie – 7/10 – Sloppy in possession but better on the defensive side of the ball.
RM: Luis Sinisterra – N/A – Lasted only eight minutes due to injury.
AM: Jack Harrison – 6/10 – Wasteful in good areas more than once, but helped make the second goal by nicking the ball off Garnacho.
LM: Wilfried Gnonto – 8/10 – Gave Leeds a dream start with a really well-taken goal, engineering the opportunity himself. Remained a threat and involved in the second goal too.
ST: Patrick Bamford – 7/10 – Linked up well with Gnonto for the breakthrough goal.
Substitutes
SUB: Crysencio Summerville (8′ for Sinisterra) – 6/10
SUB: Junior Firpo (23′ for Struijk) – 6/10
SUB: Brenden Aaronson (64′ for Harrison) – 7/10
SUB: Georginio Rutter (64′ for Bamford) – 6/10
SUB: Sam Greenwood (90′ for McKennie) – N/A
SUB: Mateo Joseph (90′ for Gnonto) – N/A
Manager
Michael Skubala – 8/10 – Thrust into the hotseat following Marsch’s dismissal and forced into two first half changes due to injury. But injected the necessary energy and tempo into the performance.
Player of the match – Marcus Rashford (Man Utd)
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