Michael Carrick made two adjustments to his starting XI as Manchester United headed to Elland Road to take on Leeds United in a significant Premier League clash on Sunday afternoon.

Lisandro Martínez retained his place in the starting lineup after his recent comments, but United's decision to field a five-man defence proved an unexpected tactical choice. The opening 20 minutes were fiercely contested, with both sides showing plenty of determination but failing to find an early breakthrough.

United broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when Youri Tielemans sent a low cross into the box from the right. Bryan Mbeumo was on hand to finish from close range, putting the visitors ahead 1-0 as the teams headed into half-time.

Leeds found their response shortly after the restart, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring to bring the hosts back to level. The equaliser set up a tense finish, as both teams searched for a late winner and created opportunities going forward. However, neither side could find the decisive goal, with United's defence standing firm to ensure the points were shared in a 1-1 draw at Elland Road.

Perhaps one of the coups of the summer was Manchester United's £35 million capture of Youri Tielemans after the club activated a release clause that not many were aware of, with there being reports that even a key figure involved in brokering the deal that saw Aston Villa sign Tielemans in the first place unaware of its existence.

After enjoying a great 2025/26 campaign for Aston Villa and a good World Cup tournament for Belgium in the summer, Tielemans has been decent for United, as Michael Carrick's side have failed to properly get going so far this season.

While he has struggled in the midfield pivot, the Belgian has performed well further forward, with Bruno Fernandes being moved out wide to accommodate Tielemans in the ten role.

Speaking after the game, Michael Carrick highlighted Tielemans' performance against Leeds, emphasising how impressed he has been with the summer signing.

"I've been really impressed with Youri. He's exactly what we thought and hoped for, bringing him into the group.

"I think his experience, his presence, his personality. Youri's definitely one of those where he'll do anything you ask him for the benefit of the team.

"He's got a huge amount of experience, and he was right there today again at the front of it, leading the team.

"We've got some really good experienced players, and he's definitely added to that."

Tielemans has started every game for Michael Carrick this season, suggesting he will remain a regular starter, but given his performances in the No.10 role in the past two games, Carrick faces a significant selection headache going forward.

Against Leeds, Carrick once again opted to start all three of his summer midfield signings as he did against Atletico Madrid, and Tielemans put on his best performance in the Manchester United shirt so far, creating two great chances for Mbeumo, with the Cameroonian star scoring one of them, getting on the end of an excellent low cross to put United ahead.

The Belgian looks much more comfortable further forward, knowing he has the mobility of both Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba behind him, as the midfield looks more cohesive with two more defensive-minded players in the pivot.

When Kobbie Mainoo returns from his injury, Carrick faces a major difficulty in finding the right place for him in the side, and also faces an issue with where Bruno Fernandes fits in the starting lineup, with the Portuguese maestro looking off it so far this season, and has been pushed out wide in the previous two matches to allow Tielemans to thrive in Fernandes' best position.