Manchester United ended their penultimate pre-season outing with a 1-1 draw against Leeds on Wednesday evening, before sealing victory via a penalty shootout in Dublin.
With no fewer than 10 players aged 20 or younger named in the matchday squad, Michael Carrick opted to utilise the fruits of his illustrious academy inside a capacity Croke Park.
Tyler Fletcher replaced Mason Mount in the starting XI alongside Harry Amass, who was handed an opportunity to impress and potentially maintain his standing in the North West.
Interestingly, Tynan Thompson was amongst the substitutes for the first time since making his summer move, joining 15-year-old star JJ Gabriel to add to the excitement in the ground.
But it was Joshua Zirkee who offered the imposing figure in the final third and opened the scoring after 15 minutes, having brought a fine save from James Trafford moments earlier.
The Dutchman put the finishing touches on a sweeping transition between Patrick Dorgu and Bryan Mbeumo, finishing confidently after the latter expertly carried the ball 40 yards through pressure.
Despite hunting for a second and looking the likelier, United found themselves level after 30 minutes.
Dan James reacted quickest to Fletcher’s miscontrol from a high defensive clearance, teeing Brenden Aaronson inside the area to beat a helpless Senne Lammens.
In fairness, goals often enhance fixtures as a spectacle, and that was the case here, as United reacted well as a team and kept their shape throughout.
Agonisingly, the woodwork denied Mbeumo a sublime effort late in the half, after the Cameroon international beat two men and Trafford with a curling attempt from the corner of the area.
Carrick opted for three changes at the interval, handing minutes to Toby Collyer and Daniel Armer, with those in attendance also given a first sighting of Thompson.
The 18-year-old took to the occasion with ease, completing seven of his eight attempted passes inside 15 minutes, and gaining 30.3 m through five progressive carries.
Expectedly, United began controlling large phases of possession thereafter, further amplified by the introduction of a host of senior names on the hour, including Bruno Fernandes, Youri Tielemans, and Matheus Cunha.
In contrast, Leeds remained content to sit deep and offer their threat on the counter, leading to the inevitable passages of attack versus defence.
Bruno had the ball in the net after 80 minutes, but was left agitated by his marginal offside, before striking the woodwork from distance moments later. Uncharacteristically, he sent his spot-kick marginally wide in the shootout.
But the Portuguese captain had Dermot Mee and the crossbar to thank before Noussair Mazraoui provided the winning effort from the penalty spot to seal a 5-4 win.
Although some will choose to bemoan the result, stable performances and team cohesion are the fundamental desire for Carrick and his group, and he’ll be more than happy with another assured runout.
Focus will now turn to Saturday’s final pre-season outing against Milan and a swift reunion with Ruben Amorim inside the Tarczynski Arena.
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