Jamie Carragher believes Leeds’ shock 2-1 win at Manchester United will “send a shiver down the spine” of their relegation rivals. Noah Okafor scored twice in a blistering first half as Daniel Farke’s side moved six points clear of the drop zone, piling further pressure on Tottenham in 18th place.
Okafor opened the scoring in the fifth minute and added a deflected second before the half-hour mark in a performance Carragher called ominous for teams fighting relegation.
“For the majority of this season, they’ve been a breath of fresh air in the Premier League,” he said. “They’ve been absolutely fantastic. But how they performed in the first half tonight will send a shiver down the spines of everyone in that relegation fight. That was a confident performance, coming to the most in-form team at home. They didn’t just hang on in a game like that, they absolutely bossed Man Utd in the first half. Those teams down there, they would have been watching tonight – the supporters, players and staff – and that will be a big blow for them psychologically. That was the performance of a really good team. When we go back to Tottenham, we haven’t seen a performance like that from them in about six months.”
Farke dropped to his knees celebrating a victory that was Leeds’ first league win at Old Trafford in 45 years. Gary Neville, on co-commentary, called it “a monumental night” and backed Leeds to stay up ahead of Tottenham, citing their cohesion and consistent system.
“Every time I’ve watched them live, they’ve been really good, not just in terms of their passion, their commitment but the patterns, the way in which they’ve got their system worked out,” Neville said. He praised the wing-backs Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson for their balance of attacking threat and defensive work, and highlighted Ethan Ampadu’s role in providing solidity. Neville added that Leeds’ first-half performance was superior to anything Spurs have shown recently and that the confidence from this result could secure Leeds’ survival.
Farke reflected on the boost but urged caution. “It gives us confidence. A win is always good for that, and for the table. But performance-wise we should be on far more than 40 points. We have performed with unbelievable consistency, but we can be more effective in both boxes. For that, the reality is we are on 36 points and we need a few more points. Tonight we are three points closer but nothing is achieved yet, we have to stay humble, grounded, hungry and make sure we are ready for the upcoming games to win as many points as possible.”
Leeds’ run of fixtures includes home games against Wolves, Burnley and Brighton, plus away trips to Tottenham and West Ham after a visit to Bournemouth.