Manchester United edged out Leeds United on penalties after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in their pre-season friendly in Dublin on Wednesday evening.
Manchester United started brightly and took the lead early on through Joshua Zirkzee after controlling much of the opening spell. Leeds responded before half-time, with Brenden Aaronson finding the equaliser.
Both sides had chances after the break, with the two goalkeepers called upon to make a couple of important saves. Neither team could find a winner in normal time, though, and Manchester United eventually prevailed in the penalty shootout.
Daniel Farke has already been pleased with James Trafford’s debut, and the match gave both teams a useful workout with the new Premier League season now just around the corner.
Manchester United legend slams Leeds United star
Joshua Zirkzee opened the scoring after Bryan Mbuemo made a run from the right and provided a crisp assist at the feet of the Manchester United striker.
However, Mbuemo was given the space to run at the Leeds defence after Jaka Bijol went to ground too early on the flanks, and the Manchester United forward took advantage of a poor decision.
John O’Shea insisted that the Leeds defender made a poor choice, given he knew what the Manchester United forward likes to do against defenders.
However, the Manchester United legend tipped Leeds to cause more problems in the Premier League again this season.
O’Shea said on ITV: “Look, it’s a great play from Mbuemo, but the Leeds centre-back Bijol will be really disappointed there.
“We know what Mbuemo is all about, and we love to see him take on players, but that’s really poor from Bijol.
“I was actually impressed with Leeds after that. You see the threat they cause with the set-pieces; they are a big physical team.
“They’ll cause teams problems again this season; you can see what they are about. They’ll be a threat against this season, Leeds.”
Jaka Bijol needs to step up
The Slovenian defender took some time to settle last season after joining the club in the previous transfer window. However, once he adapted, the defender became indispensable.
He remains one of Daniel Farke’s first-choice centre-backs, and Tarik Muharemovic’s arrival is unlikely to change that anytime soon.
However, Leeds will sign another centre-back if Sebastiaan Bornauw leaves, and a new defender may push for Bijol’s slot in the team.
The increased competition for places means the Slovenian cannot slacken and needs to improve to ensure he remains a first-choice at Elland Road.
