“Leeds players and supporters, probably silly of them, to think they were as big as Man Utd”
What do you get when you cross a team completely committed to an intense, man-to-man, free flowing, attacking style of play and a team who can’t break down a deep block but excels on the counter attack?
Manchester United 6-2 Leeds United.
It was a ridiculous game of football, with Scott McTominay giving United a 2-0 lead inside the first three minutes of the game, and while many won’t have foreseen that start, it was always going to be open.
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, now a pundit for Sky Sports, predicted as much ahead of the game.
Just before kick-off, Keane said: “Leeds will have no respect for Man United. I think they’ll have that mindset, they’re gonna have a go like a heavyweight boxer, toe to toe.
“But I think United will have too much for them. I think United will put Leeds in their place today.
“I think there will be plenty of goals. I think there will be plenty of action. But I still think United’s attacking players will have more quality than Leeds, shall we say, going forward.
“But I fully expect Leeds to give Man United’s defence a really tough afternoon. But I think United will just have enough.”
Spot on by Roy Keane 👌pic.twitter.com/cnBL3A9WXd
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 20, 2020
And so it proved. Leeds managed to score two past David De Gea, with goals coming from captain Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas. But United had too much for them.
Earlier in the day, ahead of Tottenham’s defeat to Leicester, Keane was reflecting on the classic encounters that he played in between the northern rivals.
“They always did [go toe to toe with United], they always came and had a go at United,” the Irishman said.
“I always think Leeds players, and maybe the supporters, probably silly of them to think they were as big as Man United, obviously they’re not.
“But they’d always come and have a go, I’d give them that.”
