Michael Carrick made two adjustments to his starting lineup as Manchester United travelled to Elland Road to face Leeds United in a crucial Premier League encounter on Sunday afternoon.

Despite Lisandro Martínez starting after his recent remarks, United opted for a somewhat unexpected five-man defence. The opening 20 minutes were intense, with both sides battling fiercely, but neither found a breakthrough.

The visitors eventually took the lead in the 35th minute. Youri Tielemans delivered a pinpoint low cross from the right, and Bryan Mbeumo finished from close range to send United into the interval with a 1-0 lead.

Leeds responded shortly after the restart, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin finding the net to level the score and set the stage for a tense closing period. Both sides had chances to snatch a winner, but United's disciplined defence kept them out, and the contest ended 1-1.

After a poor run of games and an explosive post-match interview by Lisandro Martinez earlier in the week, an away trip to Elland Road to face bitter rivals Leeds was probably the last thing Michael Carrick's side would have wanted to face.

Naturally, the atmosphere was always going to be hostile, and the main question was whether this Manchester United side had the mentality and grit to rise to the occasion, and they did, with a great first-half performance.

Carrick's side dealt well with Leeds' early pressure as Daniel Farke's side made the game scrappy early on with a couple of crunching challenges exchanged between both sides, but after weathering the early storm, United grew into the half, and their performance in the opening 45 minutes paid off with the away side going into the half-time break 1-0 up thanks to a Bryan Mbeumo goal.

Leny Yoro was one of the few players who could have held their heads high after a poor performance against Tottenham Hotspur when Manchester United returned to league action after the three-week international break.

However, a controversial midweek red card in United’s 2-0 loss to Atletico could have derailed the 20-year-old’s form. The sending-off didn’t seem to faze him, as Yoro was excellent against Leeds, despite being played out of position at right-back once again.

Given Leeds’ physicality up front in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, crosses into the box were always going to be an avenue that Leeds would be looking to exploit, but it felt like at the end of every cross that the home side tried to play in, Yoro was in the right place at the right time to deal with the threat and clear the ball from danger.

Understandably, Michael Carrick’s job security has waned in recent weeks, having endured a tough start to life at Manchester United after accepting the role of permanent head coach at the end of last season.

While all reports indicate INEOS have faith that the former United midfielder can turn things around, there have also been indications that the club has been drawing up contingency plans if performances don't pick up.

While three points would have been preferable, Carrick can take away some promising signs from his team’s away win at Leeds, with the side showing more fight than in any other game this season as they rose to the unsurprisingly hostile atmosphere at Elland Road.

Despite the low bar, Manchester United looked much more competitive and went toe-to-toe with Leeds, who have started the season strongly. Manchester United showed desire and looked in the game from start to finish. United fans can leave that game knowing their side put on a promising performance, a feeling that has become increasingly rare for the Old Trafford faithful after a torrid start to the season.

Bruno Fernandes has been United’s best player since he joined the club over six years ago, so it’s no surprise his early-season struggles have coincided with the club’s downturn in form.

Fernandes has had a difficult start to the 2026/27 campaign, scoring three and providing one assist, all against Ipswich in the second game of the season.

Reports indicate that the 32-year-old had been dealing with a slight injury going into the international break, which saw him miss Portugal’s game against Norway, but the midfielder still doesn’t look fully fit, as he struggled to make an impression on the game and looked a bit hot-headed in the first half, picking up a yellow card after a lengthy argument with the referee while play was going on.

It's understandable as to why Fernandes is rarely substituted by United bosses, with the Portuguese star possessing the ability to be a match-winner and create an opportunity out of nothing and snatch all three points, but after Fernandes' slow start to the season, perhaps not playing the full 90 minutes will be beneficial in the long term for United as the 32-year-old gets back to full fitness.

Ahead of a crucial run of games in the rest of October for Michael Carrick at Manchester United, as he looks to steady the ship and instil in INEOS confidence that he is the right man for the job, United emerged from a feisty away trip to Elland Road with a point.

While both sides might have thought they could have snatched three points, on the balance of play, one point apiece was probably the right result, with United playing well in the first half and Leeds growing into the game in the second.

Given Leeds’ start to the season and the fact that Leeds have now gone unbeaten in eight home games, if you look at this fixture in isolation, United can go back to Old Trafford fairly pleased after an encouraging performance, but it does little to remedy United’s poor start to the season, as the club sits in 13th place, having still just won once this campaign.