Michael Carrick made two changes to his starting lineup as Manchester United travelled to Elland Road for a vital Premier League showdown against Leeds United on Sunday afternoon.

Although Lisandro Martínez was included in the starting XI after his recent comments, United's decision to deploy a five-man defence came as a surprise. The opening 20 minutes saw both teams compete intensely, with neither side able to break through.

United eventually opened the scoring in the 35th minute. Youri Tielemans delivered a precise low cross from the right flank, and Bryan Mbeumo converted it from close range to put the visitors 1-0 up at the break.

Leeds responded soon after half-time, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring to restore parity and liven up the home crowd. With both sides searching for a winner, the closing stages were tense, and chances emerged at both ends. However, neither team found a winner, and United held firm defensively to secure a 1-1 draw at Elland Road.

For most of the season so far, Michael Carrick has used a midfield pairing of Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans, but the pair struggled greatly against Tottenham Hotspur, as the London club dominated the midfield.

In mid-week against Atletico Madrid, United lined up with a midfield pairing of Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos, with Kobbie Mainoo sidelined with an injury and Tielemans playing further forward as Bruno Fernandes lined up on the right.

Carrick once again opted to stick with the same midfield pairing, as Carlos Baleba made his first league start for his new side, and the pair performed excellently, something that was echoed by the United head coach after the game.

"You look at the midfield with Carlos [Baleba] and Andrey [Santos], that's a pretty fresh spine of the team through that middle of the pitch.

"Both young players adapting to life at this football club, and I thought both of them were terrific today.

"I thought they both did really well in midweek. So that's a massive positive for us..."

Andrey Santos was Manchester United's first midfielder signing last summer, with his £50 million fee suggesting he would play a key role for his new side from the start. Despite a strong pre-season, he's only started twice in the league so far, having been an unused substitute in United's last three Premier League fixtures.

After playing the full 90 minutes against Atletico, he did the same against Leeds and was very effective alongside Carlos Baleba, as they coped well with the physicality of Daniel Farke's Leeds side and added some control to the midfield.

Given his performances against Atletico and Leeds, it begs the question as to why the highly-rated 22-year-old wasn't being used more as either a starter or an impact substitute before the international break, as United have looked slightly more cohesive in their last two fixtures than they have all season.

While Santos may not have as much impact as Bruno Fernandes or Kobbie Mainoo, his desire to keep the ball moving and look for simple passes is a great quality to have on your side and to keep the play ticking.