Are Manchester United back? Leeds' performance suggests they're not

MANCHESTER, England – The chorus that rolled down from the away end at Old Trafford on Monday night was unmistakable: “United are back, United are back.” Yet the voices belonged not to jubilant home supporters but to 3,000 travelling Leeds fans celebrating a first league victory at the Theatre of Dreams since 1981. The 2-1 scoreline, sealed by a ruthless first-half double from Noah Okafor, offered an emphatic answer to the question that has hovered over the red half of Manchester since interim head coach Michael Carrick steadied the ship: no, Manchester United are not back, at least not yet.

Carrick’s side had entered the contest unbeaten in five and seemingly on course for a return to the UEFA Champions League, but a 24-day hiatus since the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth appeared to sap every ounce of rhythm. Leeds, winless in the league since February and without a goal in 312 minutes of Premier League football, tore into United from the opening whistle. By the interval they could easily have been four goals to the good, Okafor’s brace the least their dominance deserved.

The hosts, by contrast, looked every inch a team cobbled together after a lay-off. Passes went astray, duels were lost and Old Trafford’s sound-system only underlined the malaise when Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” echoed around a stunned stadium at 2-0 down.

Any prospect of a second-half revival was punctured ten minutes after the restart when Lisandro Martínez was shown a straight red for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair, a decision upgraded after referee Paul Tierney reviewed the VAR monitor. Carrick labelled it “a shocking decision,” yet his ten men responded with their best spell of the match. Casemiro halved the deficit, Benjamin Sesko forced a smart save from Karl Darlow and another Casemiro header was cleared off the line by Calvert-Lewin.

“I thought it was a really good reaction,” Carrick insisted. “It won’t dampen the confidence or belief.”

Belief may remain, but the evidence on the pitch underlined how fragile United’s recovery remains. Without the injured Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte was handed his first start under Carrick; the Uruguayan’s season record now stands at one win in ten starts, a statistic that strengthens the club’s willingness to listen to offers. At centre-back the situation could soon become dire: Martínez faces a three-match ban if the red is upheld, while Harry Maguire is subject to an FA charge after his dismissal at Bournemouth and could sit out additional games. Teenagers Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven may be pressed into duty at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, when victory over Chelsea would nudge United to the brink of a top-five finish.

Leeds, for their part, climbed six points clear of the relegation zone and departed with manager Daniel Farke’s instructions ringing true. “The key was to be brave and play on the front foot,” he said. “If you just park the bus, there is no chance to take the points here.”

As the last of the away coaches pulled out of Manchester, the Leeds fans kept their song alive. Inside an increasingly empty Old Trafford, home supporters were left to contemplate a sobering truth: talk of title challenges remains wishful thinking until depth, discipline and consistency arrive. On this evidence, the summer transfer window will need to be nothing short of exceptional before anyone on the Stretford End can genuinely claim their club is back.