LEEDS — Michael Carrick reached for the language of a reset on Sunday, and it said more about Manchester United’s season than the scoreline did. The United manager said it “felt like a bit of a fresh start today” after a 1-1 draw at Leeds United, a game his side led from the 35th minute until the 51st.
The week behind that sentence was not fresh at all. Lisandro Martínez, who attacked the club’s hierarchy after the Champions League defeat at Atlético Madrid, was fined by the club and apologised, NBC Sports reported. Carrick still picked him to start at Elland Road.
Bryan Mbeumo put United ahead, finishing low past James Trafford from a Youri Tielemans pass. Dominic Calvert-Lewin levelled with a close-range finish after Tarik Muharemovic knocked a corner down to him, beating Senne Lammens. United had played most of the game without a recognised striker, which let Tielemans push further forward.
The arithmetic matters more than the goals. Sky Sports reported that United have won one of their seven Premier League games this season, none since August, their fewest wins at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1986-87. It was also a third straight 1-1 draw, NBC Sports said.
Martínez lasted 45 minutes. Noussair Mazraoui replaced him at the interval and United kept their back three. NBC Sports said the defender had been hobbling with an injury in the first half, while Sky Sports recorded only the change.
Leeds United, three points above United before kick-off by NBC’s count, had the better of the second half. Daniel Farke said he “thought we were the dominant side”. The shot count was 12 for Leeds against 13 for United, with five on target to three, and expected goals stood at 1.44 to 0.91 in Leeds’ favour, figures NBC Sports and Sports Illustrated both published without saying who produced them.
Harry Maguire, speaking to Sky Sports, said Manchester United “could have been a bit braver with the ball” and were “in a circumstance where we are not as brave as we should be”. Jamie Carragher, in the same Sky report, called the display “a decent result” in isolation.
Carrick did not spell out what a fresh start looks like at a club without a league win since August, and the quotes in Sky’s report do not touch on the fine. Neither Sky Sports nor NBC Sports says how large it was.
