Tag: Leeds

Noah Okafor fired Leeds to a long-awaited 2-1 win over 10-man Manchester United at Old Trafford as the Premier League strugglers boosted their bid to avoid relegation on Monday.

Okafor punished United’s sloppy defending with a brace in the first half before Lisandro Martinez was sent off after pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair after the interval.

Casemiro got one back for United, but Leeds held on for their first win against United since a shock 2010 FA Cup success when they were in the third tier.

The Yorkshire club were able to celebrate their first top-flight win against United since 2002 and their first league victory at Old Trafford in 45 years.

A first win in seven league matches lifted Daniel Farke’s side six points clear of the relegation zone, with six games left to preserve their top-flight status after last season’s promotion.

As well as battling for survival, Leeds are through to the FA Cup semi-finals, where they face Chelsea at Wembley on April 26.

While Manchester City and Liverpool are United’s main rivals, their fans’ enmity with Leeds supporters goes back decades, featuring numerous clashes between hooligan gangs.

That made the defeat a bitter pill to swallow for United fans, who booed Michael Carrick’s side at full-time.

It was only Carrick’s second defeat in 11 games since he replaced the sacked Ruben Amorim as interim boss in January.

United remain in third place, seven points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish.

The last time United played Leeds, Carrick was on holiday with former Old Trafford team-mate Wayne Rooney and their respective families in Barbados.

Carrick has revitalised United since taking charge, but one win from their last four games is a step back.

United’s trip to Chelsea on Saturday offers another chance to take a step towards returning to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2023-24.

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Leeds had failed to score in their previous four league games, but they blew United away with a blistering start.

When Jayden Bogle whipped a fifth-minute cross towards Dominic Calvert-Lewin, United defender Leny Yoro was unable to clear, and Okafor pounced with a clinical finish from 10 yards.

With Harry Maguire suspended, United were shambolic at the back in the first-half and Okafor netted again after more defensive miscues in the 29th minute.

United made a hash of clearing twice in quick succession, and the ball was eventually worked to Okafor, whose strike took a hefty deflection off Yoro as it flashed past Senne Lammens.

Carrick’s men were back in action for the first time in 24 days, and they looked rusty after the enforced break.

Lisandro Martinez was forced to make a last-ditch tackle on the goal-line to stop Ao Tanka scoring a third for Leeds after the Japan midfielder danced around Lammens.

Benjamin Sesko’s effort was cleared off the line soon after the interval, and United’s nightmare evening continued when Martinez saw red in the 56th minute.

Martinez needlessly tugged Calvert-Lewin’s long hair, and referee Paul Tierney sent him off after consulting the pitch-side monitor.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, United reduced the deficit in the 69th minute when Casemiro met Bruno Fernandes’ cross with a thumping header past Karl Darlow from six yards.

It was Fernandes’ 17th league assist this season, closing the gap on the single-season record of 20 held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

Calvert-Lewin squandered a golden opportunity to wrap up the points, heading straight at Lammens from close-range.

Darlow made a superb save from Sesko’s header before Casemiro, and Manuel Ugarte had efforts cleared off the line as Leeds held firm in a frantic finale.

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Leeds reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 39 years as they survived a dramatic penalty shoot-out after squandering a two-goal lead in a thrilling clash with West Ham on Sunday.

Daniel Farke’s side were moments away from victory at the London Stadium after Ao Tanaka’s first-half goal and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half penalty put them in control.

But West Ham staged a stoppage-time rally as Mateus Fernandes reduced the deficit before Axel Disasi’s equaliser forced extra time.

With the score still level at 2-2 after the additional period, Leeds keeper Lucas Perri emerged as their shoot-out hero.

Joel Piroe missed Leeds’ first penalty, but Calvert-Lewin, Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto and Pascal Struijk all converted their kicks.

Perri saved Jarrod Bowen’s opening effort for West Ham and also denied Pablo as Leeds won 4-2 on penalties.

It was their second shoot-out victory in the competition this season, following their fourth-round success at Birmingham.

Leeds will face Chelsea in the semi-finals at Wembley later in April.

“We always do it the tough way, never the easy way. We could have made our lives easier,” Farke said. “We had a late sucker punch when the whole stadium was buzzing. To keep the nerves and win the penalty shoot-out shows great mentality and character.”

“A chapter of Leeds history. It will be a big night for us at Wembley. It’s a great step for this club and a great reward for everyone.”

The Yorkshire club are in the semi-finals for the first time since 1987, when they lost to eventual winners Coventry at Hillsborough.

Leeds have lost on their past three trips to Wembley, in the 2024 Championship play-off final, the 2008 League One play-off final, and the 1996 League Cup final.

FA Cup winners for the only time in 1972, Leeds’ last victory at Wembley was a 4-3 success against Liverpool in the 1992 Charity Shield.

Their win over West Ham was a welcome lift in the midst of a Premier League relegation battle for both clubs.

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Third-bottom West Ham are one point behind fourth-bottom Tottenham with seven games left. Leeds, four points above the Hammers, face a return trip to West Ham for a potentially decisive clash on the last day of the season.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo made five changes as he prioritised Friday’s vital showdown with bottom-of-the-table Wolves.

Leeds grabbed the opener in the 26th minute thanks to an eye-catching effort from Japan midfielder Tanaka, who cleverly twisted to find space inside the penalty area for a shot that deflected off Disasi and bounced in off the crossbar.

Leeds struck again in the 75th minute after Max Kilman chopped down Aaronson in the area, with referee Craig Pawson changing his decision to a penalty after consulting the pitch-side monitor.

Calvert-Lewin confidently stroked his spot-kick past Alphonse Areola before sprinting to celebrate with 9,000 raucous Leeds supporters crammed behind the goal.

Leeds lost focus in the closing stages, allowing West Ham to stage their remarkable comeback.

Fernandes tapped in the rebound after Bowen hit the post in the third minute of stoppage time.

Stunned by the decision to play 11 minutes of additional time, Leeds were unable to hold their nerve.

Three minutes after Fernandes’ goal, Adama Traore whipped an inswinging cross into the six-yard box, and former Chelsea defender Disasi volleyed home with his outstretched foot.

Thousands of West Ham fans had already left before Disasi’s equaliser, and hundreds flooded back in after the goal, although some found the gates shut, leaving them stuck outside for the rest of the match.

With Areola forced off injured late in extra time, West Ham had to give a debut to reserve keeper Finlay Herrick.

The 20-year-old, who was on loan at non-league side Boreham Wood earlier this season, saved Piroe’s penalty.

But there was no fairytale ending for Herrick as Leeds celebrated a semi-final berth almost four decades in the making.

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Matheus Cunha saved Manchester United from a rare defeat against fierce rivals Leeds as the Brazilian’s equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw at Elland Road on Sunday.

Rubem Amorim’s side trailed to Brenden Aaronson’s second half strike before Cunha dragged them level moments later.

In a bitter rivalry keenly felt among two feuding fan-bases, Leeds have now gone eight matches without a win over United since an FA Cup triumph at Old Trafford in 2010.

United’s failure to take all three points cost them a chance to move into the Premier League’s top four.

Amorim’s men sit in fifth place after winning just one of their last five league games.

After a disappointing 1-1 draw against lowly Wolves on Tuesday, this was another frustrating result for United.

Daniel Farke’s team moved eight points clear of the relegation zone after extended their impressive unbeaten run to seven matches.

Still without injured captain Bruno Fernandes, Amorim sent United out in his preferred 3-4-2-1 shape after finally tinkering with his much-derided tactics for the recent win over Newcastle, then revering to type against Wolves.

Amorim’s chopping and changing is especially intriguing against the backdrop of his comment that he is starting to realise United’s sporting directors might give him the right players for his system.

On a bitterly cold afternoon in Yorkshire, Leeds thundered into a series of bone crunching tackles a bid to seize the momentum in the opening minutes.

Leeds hadn’t beaten United at Elland Road since 2002 and the urgency to end that drought meant there was little sign that they had 48 hours less than their opponents to recover from their previous match.

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Despite their attempts to rattle United, it was the visitors who took control amid the sound and fury in the stands.

Benjamin Sesko should have put United ahead from Casemiro’s pin-point pass, but the striker hesitated too long, allowing Pascal Struijk to make a vital block.

Diogo Dalot scuffed high over the bar from a good opportunity inside the Leeds area.

Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was inches away from breaking the deadlock with a glancing header that cannoned off the far post from Anton Stach’s cross.

Leny Yoro was denied by Lucas Perri’s superb save after the United defender nodded goal-wards from Casemiro’s header into the six-yard box.

United keeper Senne Lammens had to be alert to keep out Gabriel Gudmundsson’s low drive at the near post after the interval.

But teenage defender Ayden Heaven’s lack of experience was exposed when Leeds went in front after 62 minutes.

Heaven was far too casual when Leeds played a long ball over the centre-back and Aaronson took full advantage, accelerating into the United area before sweeping a clinical finish past Lammens.

Amorim responded by sending on Joshua Zirkzee, a move that proved inspired as he played a crucial role in United’s 65th minute equaliser.

Zirkzee slipped a perfectly weighted pass towards Cunha and the Brazilian stretched to poke past Perri from 12 yards.

It was Cunha’s third goal in his last five games as he finally emerges from a poor start to life with United after his summer move from Wolves.

Noah Okafor’s overhead kick was palmed away by Lammens before the out-of-form Sesko wasted a good chance at the other end.

Zirkzee’s cutback found the Slovenian just eight yards from goal but he shot narrowly wide.

Cunha’s curler clipped the post in the closing stages to leave United exasperated.

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LEEDS: Pakistan men’s cricket team met with the national women’s cricket team players at the team hotel here on Sunday.

Pakistan’s men’s white-ball captain Babar Azam, along with senior manager Wahab Riaz, Shaheen Afridi, and other players, wished the Pakistan Women’s cricketers well for the upcoming third T20I against England as well as the remaining tour.

Catching up in Leeds 🤝

Our men’s and women’s cricketers interact with each other at the team hotel.#ENGWvPAKW | #ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/SbSmKbaQ3h

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) May 19, 2024

Pakistan women’s team is set to play the last T20I of the three-match series against England later today at Headingley. England have already attained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

The national women’s team will then take on England in a three-match ODI series, part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25, scheduled to be played from 23 to 29 May in Derby, Taunton and Chelmsford.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan men’s team will play the first match of the four-match T20I series at Headingley on May 22.

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The national men’s cricket team reached here on Wednesday, following their 2-1 series victory over Ireland in the three-match series.

After the conclusion of the England series, the Pakistan team will depart for the United States of America (USA) to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

The 2009 champions will start their campaign against co-host USA on June 6 before taking on arch-rivals India on June 9.

READ: Shahid Afridi welcomes Virat Kohli’s statement about visiting Pakistan