Premier League: The Cross Pennine Derby – Part Two

Leeds United vs Manchester United

Premier League: Leeds United vs Manchester United is the clash of the weekend in England, and the traditionally hostile derby has even more spice as the two teams locked horns only three days ago.

The league fixture list threw up a doubleheader for the old rivals and so Leeds, newly managerless after the departure of Jesse Marsch, crossed over the Pennines into Lancashire to take on the Red Devils on Wednesday …and they came away with a draw. It was a result which dealt a heavy blow to any hopes Erik Ten Hag had of sneaking in between Arsenal and Manchester City to win a first league title in a decade, while it was a good point for Leeds, currently embroiled in a relegation battle.    

The pre-match Leeds United vs Manchester United betting odds say this should be a win for the high-flying visitors…but life is never that simple.     

Talking Points

The story so far…

The Red Devils approached their home game against Leeds in good spirits after winning their previous four games, in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and a league victory over Crystal Palace. But they had one heck of a shock when Leeds rocked up and promptly went ahead on 55 seconds when 19-year-old Wilfried Gnonto drilled a superb low shot into the corner of the net. Raphael Varane scored an own goal at the beginning of the second half and Leeds began to look forward to an unlikely win, but the hosts hit back.

The red-hot Marcus Rashford headed the Reds back into the game, with his 20^th goal in all competitions, on the hour, and then substitute Jadon Sancho equalised with 20 minutes to go.

It was a missed chance for the Whites; but they would have taken a draw before the game started and the Red Devils had plenty of opportunities to win it, with 24 shots to eight and seven to two on target. 

Marching on without Marsch

It wasn’t really much of a surprise when Leeds sacked Jesse Marsch on Monday but the players responded really well two days later and the form of Italian striker Gnonto, who has made an explosive start to the New Year, is a good reason for Leeds fans to be optimistic. He scored in Leeds’ 2-2 draw with West Ham and then he bagged a brace in Leeds’ FA Cup win over Cardiff City before coolly scoring against Manchester United on Wednesday. 

Despite losing 1-0 the Whites dominated their clash with Nottingham Forest last week and Gnonto almost teed up a leveller but Luis Sinisterra blazed over. The young Italian could give the Red Devils another headache.   

No Casemiro is bad news for Red Devils

The summer signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid looked suspiciously like a panic buy at Old Trafford, particularly after months of unsuccessfully pursuing Frenkie de Jong; and there were plenty of raised eyebrows when the club agreed to spend £70m on the 30-year-old, apparently no longer needed at the Santiago Bernabeu. But it turned out to be a masterstroke. While Los Blancos trail Barcelona in the La Liga title race, Casemiro has brought a winning mentality to the Red Devils, with midfield dominance rarely seen since the legendary Roy Keane took on all-comers for United between 1993 and 2005. 

Of course the big Leeds United vs Manchester United news is that the Brazilian master is suspended for this match after he got involved in an unseemly brawl at the end of the Reds’ win over Crystal Palace, seemingly grabbing Eagles midfielder Will Hughes by the throat. He copped a red card and a three-match ban so he will be missing at Elland Road on Sunday.

And he was badly missed by the Red Devils on Wednesday as Leeds had more room to play, and that may be even more important on home soil.       

History

With four wins, a draw and a defeat over the last six games the Red Devils are in better shape than their hosts who have won two, drawn two and lost two in all competitions.

And in the head to heads the Lancashire side has enjoyed the lion’s share of wins with 18 victories to Leeds’ five. There have been eight draws, including Wednesday’s match at Old Trafford, though Manchester’s last visit to Elland Road saw them earn a thumping 4-2 win.     

Betting Tip

Manchester United are at SBOTOP odds of 1.89 to win this huge match, while Leeds are at 3.54 And 3.49 to draw. They coped well on Wednesday and there will be a different dynamic on Sunday in front of a passionate Yorkshire crowd; so I can see Leeds getting another result.  

 

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