Manchester United drew 1-1 at Leeds United, and the squad showed full support for manager Michael Carrick following the match. The result extends United's winless run to six games, with Carrick having overseen just two victories from 10 matches this season.
Support from the dressing room
Lisandro Martinez had made it clear that the squad are fully behind the 45-year-old despite their difficulties this campaign. That sentiment is privately echoed by other senior figures in the dressing room, and the display at Elland Road was packed with the determination and resolve that proves it.
Martinez devoted a couple of hours on Thursday to negotiating the wording of his public apology, which stopped short of actually apologising for his remarks. His fury had been directed towards the club's hierarchy after the Champions League loss in Madrid.
Tactical gamble at Elland Road
Carrick's team selection appeared fairly standard, yet it quickly emerged that this was a tactical approach with a twist. Having deployed his reliable 4-2-3-1 formation since January, he believed the moment had arrived to take a gamble in West Yorkshire.
United's actual shape proved difficult to interpret initially. It was a back three without possession, with Amad and Diogo Dalot resuming their wing-back duties under Amorim, while Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo positioned themselves alongside each other in attack.
United failed to register a touch inside the Leeds box until the 27th minute, yet when the opportunity arrived, it ought to have yielded a goal. Mbeumo, culpable for squandering two glorious chances in Madrid, wasted another, heading Youri Tielemans' cross wide when under no pressure. Moments later, Tielemans and Amad linked effectively along the right flank, with the midfielder delivering a low cross which Mbeumo poked past James Trafford at the near post.
Leeds fight back
United finished the first half in command following what was perhaps their most accomplished 45 minutes of the campaign, yet merely six minutes after the restart, that advantage evaporated. When half-time arrival Noussair Mazraoui unnecessarily conceded a corner, the danger was evident.
Tarik Muharemovic claimed the initial header and Dominic Calvert-Lewin had evaded Baleba's attention to control the ball and thrash home a volley. In a campaign littered with such moments, this represented another examination of United's resolve, with Elland Road discovering its voice.
Once more, though, they succeeded in establishing a degree of composure. Progressively, United manoeuvred themselves back into a commanding position, helped by their commitment to matching the hosts' intensity. Fernandes and Amad sent attempts wide, and United had moments where they might have scored a winner.
They teetered on the brink during stoppage time, with an unconvincing Senne Lammens punch redirected towards goal by Anton Stach, only for the goalkeeper to grasp the loose ball at the second opportunity. Unlike Amorim in January, Carrick will survive to continue the battle.
