Leeds United Defeat Manchester United 1-2 at Old Trafford as Noah Okafor Double Ends 44-Year Wait—-Leeds United took a major step towards Premier League safety with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, thanks to a brilliant first-half brace from Noah Okafor.
Leeds started brightly and nearly took the lead inside three minutes, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a clear chance. However, it didn’t take long for the visitors to capitalise, as Okafor struck soon after, pouncing on a poor clearance from Leny Yoro.
The forward doubled Leeds’ advantage before the half-hour mark, volleying home from outside the box after another defensive lapse from the hosts. Leeds nearly added a third before the break, but Lisandro Martínez produced a goal-line clearance to keep United in the game.
Martínez’s night took a turn for the worse early in the second half when he was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for pulling the hair of Calvert-Lewin, reducing United to 10 men.
Despite the setback, United responded through Casemiro, who headed home a cross from Bruno Fernandes in the 69th minute to set up a tense finish.
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The hosts pushed for an equaliser late on, but Leeds held firm. Calvert-Lewin played a key role at both ends, making a crucial goal-line clearance and blocking a late effort from Manuel Ugarte to preserve the lead.
Leeds’ dominance was reflected in the numbers, registering 2.37 expected goals from 15 shots compared to United’s 1.31 from 20 attempts.
The victory lifts Leeds six points clear of the relegation zone and ends a long wait for success at Old Trafford—their first league win there since 1981 and first over Manchester United since 2002.
