Manchester United prepared for the upcoming Spanish Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid next week, with a crazy 4-2 victory over Leeds United, on Sunday, in the twenty-sixth stage of the English Premier League “Premier League”.
Manchester United almost squandered its two-goal lead, although it seemed to be on its way to a comfortable victory after ending the first half with two clean goals through captain Harry Maguire and Portuguese Bruno Fernandes, but Leeds surprised its guest with two goals within a minute of Spaniard Rodrigo and Brazilian substitute Rafinha (53 and 54). .
But the guests snatched the victory with the goals of substitutes, Brazilian Fred (70) and Swede Anthony Ilanga (88).
This is the second successive victory for the German coach Ralf Rangnick’s team in the league, raising his score to 46 points, consolidating his fourth position, four points ahead of each of West Ham United fifth and Arsenal sixth, but the latter has three games postponed.
The Red Devils will play in the Spanish capital, Atletico, on Wednesday, in an expected match in the first leg of the first leg of the Champions League final.
And at Elan Road in the match called the “War of the Roses” between the two archrivals, Maguire, who has been subject to a lot of criticism recently because of his performance, opened the header after a corner by Luke Shaw in the first goal scored by United from a corner this season (34) .
United entered the break with two goals, after launching an elaborate counter-attack with a beautiful exchange of the ball before reaching Shaw on the right flank, lifting it into the area, followed by Fernandes header in the net (45 + 5).
However, the start of the second half came crazy from Leeds, who equalized the result in less than a minute, reducing the difference initially through Rodrygo, who seemed to have lifted a cross into the area from the left arcade, but it deceived Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea and wobbled into the net (53).
Manchester did not understand after what happened until he found his net shaking for the second time after Daniel James, his former player, passed a cross from the left side into the area, followed by Rafinha, who entered the substitute at the beginning of the second half in the goal (54).
After 13 minutes, Rangnick pushed Farid and Ilanga instead of French Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, and the Brazilian did not disappoint his coach, scoring the third goal three minutes after coming down with a great left shot from inside the area on the left side in the ceiling of the goal (70).
Fred’s entry allowed to restore some balance to Manchester after he lost it in the first section of the second half, before Rangnick pushed French defender Raphael Varane instead of Cristiano Ronaldo (85).
Ilanga confirmed Manchester’s victory after Fernandes made a beautiful skill break, passing the ball to himself over one of the Leeds players, before passing it to the Swede, who followed it crawling between the feet of French goalkeeper Ilan Millier (88).