Manchester United beat Leeds United on penalties after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in their pre-season clash in Dublin on Wednesday evening.
United started the game on the front foot and took the lead through Joshua Zirkzee after controlling much of the opening period. Leeds responded before half-time, with Brenden Aaronson finding the equaliser to bring Daniel Farke’s side back into the game.
The second half was more evenly matched, with both goalkeepers making a few important saves to keep their teams level. Neither side could find a winner in 90 minutes, so the game was decided from the spot, with Manchester United eventually coming out on top.
Daniel Farke has already been encouraged by James Trafford’s first appearance for Leeds, while the match gave both sides another valuable test with the new Premier League season fast approaching.
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Brenden Aaronson ‘blown away’ by Leeds United signing
The Leeds United midfielder has claimed that the team are in a stronger position ahead of the start of the new season and the new signings have made an impact.
He has been blown away by what he has seen from the club’s record signing James Trafford, and admitted that Leeds are lucky to have a top goalkeeper like him in their team.
Aaronson said after the game: “We are in a strong position ahead of this season. We added quality in the positions we needed, and the signings who have come in, they have been outstanding.
The midfielder said after the game: “From what I have seen, he [Trafford] is a top player. In the training session yesterday, I was blown away by how much quality he has.
“He is a top goalkeeper, and we are lucky to have him. You look at the game today and the saves he made – it was really good to see him in action for us.”
Aaronson is looking forward to improving as a player and as a club in the upcoming season and feels his team showed their quality against Manchester United on Wednesday night.
He added: “This season, all we want to do is to get better and keep improving as footballers. Especially at this club too, we want to make the fans proud.
“I think we played well today. The game could have gone either way, but I think we played really well out there.”
James Trafford is a massive upgrade on Karl Darlow
Karl Darlow was an important figure in Leeds United’s goalkeeping department over the last two seasons, providing some much-needed stability when the team needed it.
He stepped in for Illan Meslier during the promotion run-in and helped make Leeds more solid at the back. Last season, he was called upon again when Lucas Perri failed to fully convince, once again proving to be a reliable option between the posts.
But James Trafford represents a significant upgrade. The 23-year-old has already shown his quality and has plenty of years ahead of him to develop further. With the England international arriving at Elland Road this summer, Daniel Farke was never likely to guarantee Darlow a regular starting role.
Leeds have clearly raised the bar in goal, and with Trafford now established as the number one, Darlow won’t be missed.
