A visibly lethargic Manchester United fell to defeat at Old Trafford, as Lisandro Martinez saw red in a 2-1 loss against Leeds.
Noah Okafor bagged a brace inside the opening 30 minutes, ultimately capitalising on a barrage of complacency within a disjointed backline.
A frustrating evening was made worse when Licha was dismissed after the restart, adding to a growing sense of bemusement within the ground.
Casemiro gave the home support a lifeline inside the final quarter with a fine finish and had a second header cleared off the line as the 10 men probed for parity.
But it was not to be for Michael Carrick’s side on Monday evening, as the 44-year-old suffered his second defeat in the hot seat ahead of a crucial trip to Chelsea at the weekend.
Manchester United deliver a frustrating display in Premier League return
Having endured a 24-day layoff since collecting a hard-earned point at the Vitality Stadium, many were curious about the mental and physical state of Carrick’s squad.
Despite showcasing the division’s most impressive record throughout the previous 10 fixtures, a lack of competitive assignments could easily mirror a return from a prolonged summer break.
Nonetheless, with an opportunity to create a 10-point gap on sixth-placed Chelsea in the race for Champions League football, there was ample incentive for an assured start.
They would have to do so without the services of Harry Maguire (suspension) and Kobbie Mainoo (injury), though, with the returning Martinez and Manuel Ugarte installed in the starting XI.
Daniel Farke’s men began confidently off the back of securing passage to the FA Cup semi-final, and set an attacking tone from the opening whistle.
His side was denied a dream start after a couple of minutes when Senne Lammens expertly prevented Dominic Calvert-Lewin from notching his 11th goal of the campaign inside three yards.
But the visitors took a deserved lead moments later through Okafor after the Swiss forward responded quickest to a Leny Yoro clearance with an assured finish inside the area.
To their credit, United attempted to respond and had some joy down the right flank through Amad.
Still, a lethargic-looking attack struggled for cohesion alongside an uncomfortable midfield pairing of Ugarte and Casemiro.
Okafor added his second shortly before the half-hour mark, once more profiting from uneasy defending as his long-range volley clipped Yoro en route to goal.
Astonishingly, Ao Tanaka was denied his side’s third courtesy of a goalline challenge from Martinez, having rounded Lammens following another passage of self-destruction.
United were fortunate to trail by a couple at the break, and a furious home support voiced its dissatisfaction with a chorus of boos as the players made their way down the tunnel.
| First-half statistics via sofascore.com | Manchester United | Leeds |
| Possession | 55% | 45% |
| Completed passes | 268 | 212 |
| Total shots | 6 | 10 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 2 | 2 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 0.19 | 1.96 |
Despite a plethora of individual errors and questionable decision-making from back to front, Carrick opted against turning to his bench for the restart.
He will have been reasonably happy with the immediate intent, as Benjamin Sesko came close following some fine skill before his deflected effort was cleared off the line.
But a difficult evening was intensified when Licha was dismissed for tugging Calvert-Lewin’s hair. The Argentine looked bewildered as he exited following VAR’s interjection.
With every factor stacked against their team, the Old Trafford faithful erupted in demand for an attacking response, and their players duly delivered.
Disregarding what had come and gone, United halved the deficit through the head of Casemiro with 20 minutes to play.
The Brazilian claimed his eighth goal of the Premier League campaign via the boot of Fernandes, who in turn earned his 17th assist of a remarkable individual season.
Diogo Dalot and Bryan Mbeumo replaced Noussair Mazraoui and Amad before the restart, signalling a fresh charge on the right flank as Carrick rolled his dice.
Sesko saw a late effort parried by Karl Darlow before Casemiro had another header cleared off the line following a melee in the six-yard box.
Seven minutes of additional time provided the possibility for a memorable late showing in the North West.
But, for all of the desire United displayed with 10 men, Leeds held on for a crucial three points.
It was a cruel evening for those in attendance following such a prolonged break, and a stark reminder of how much damage can be caused with a couple of enforced changes.
United retain third place, but have failed to build upon a commanding position for Champions League football.
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