Match Report - Manchester United 0-1 Leeds United

Competition: FA Cup, Third Round
Kick-Off & Date: 1pm, Sunday 3rd January
Venue: Old Trafford (Home)
Attendance: 74,526


United threw their all at the game in the final third, but just couldn't find the back of the net. Jermaine Beckford (the man we warned you about in our Match Preview) capitalised on miscommunication between Wes Brown and Tomasz Kuszczak in the 19th minute. United should have had at least three penalties with Danny Welbeck being body-checked, a clear handball - if not two, and a half-hearted rugby tackle on Michael Owen, but referee Chris Foy waved them all away !

Nemanja Vidic was injured in pre-match training, a huge blow to Sir Alex. Neville and Evans started after coming back from injury to join Brown and Gibson in a make-shift back-four.

United started sharply with good passing and crossing, but it was Leeds who scored early on in the game. Jermaine Beckford latched on to a long pass up-field and a defensive error of communication between Brown and Kuszczak meant Beckford could slide it into the back of the net, on front of the Stretford End. The 9,000 travelling Leeds fans were delighted !

United quickly responded, with Rooney's shot cleared off the line by Leeds defender Jason Crowe after he slipped the ball under Leeds keeper, Casper Ankergren.

The second half began with yellow cards galore. Danny Welbeck should have had a penalty after he was clearly body-checked in the area by Jonathan Howson. Two handball appeals were also ignorantly turned down by ref. Chris Foy.   

Giggs and Valencia came on to replace Welbeck and Obertan - to add to United's goal threat, but no goals came. With 20 minutes left Owen came on to replace Anderson - a final attempt ! 

With 15 minutes left; Valencia came down the flank and fizzed in the ball to Rooney, but instead of hitting the target he sent the ball off-the-radar. Leeds then hit the upright with a free-kick, but Kuszczak had it covered anyway.

Michael Owen went into the box and was brought down Hughes - a kind-of half-hearted rugby tackle - but all the same, it's football not rugby ! - and yet again ref. Foy turned down the appeals to United's fury. Three red cards could have easily been shown to various Leeds players, but only two yellows !

Wes Brown was booked in the first half and it was obvious that Leeds players tried to get him sent-off. Scorer Jermaine Beckford made some desperate dives - to which he should have been booked a few times over, but instead Foy gave it Leeds' way. Furthermore a shuffle occurred when Brown made a clean tackle - Leeds players rushed in from all angles off the pitch to confront the Manchester man - a perverted attempt (and failure) to get him sent-off !

But in the end United just couldn't find the back of the net and at the final whistle they were clearly shell-shocked, as were United's fans...

Teams;

United: Tomasz Kuszczak, Gary Neville, Wes Brown, Da Silva Fabio, Jonny Evans, J, Luis de Abreu Anderson (Michael Owen, 69), Gabriel Obertan (Ryan Giggs, 58), Darron Gibson, Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck (Luis Antonio Valencia, 58)

Leeds: Casper Ankergren, Jason Crowe, Patrick Kisnorbo, Richard Naylor, Michael Doyle, Neil Kilkenny, Jonny Howson (Robert Snodgrass, 77), Bradley Johnson, Andrew Hughes (Aidan White, 90), Jermaine Beckford, Luciano Becchio (Lubomir Michalik, 89)