Marc Guéhi Leaves Doubts Behind, Earning Thomas Tuchel’s Trust and Claiming His Three Lions Place
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- By Gregory Buchanan
- 06 Sep 2026
Match Summary
The Red Devils' poor run of form persisted at Leeds' fortress, but head coach the Portuguese tactician had Matheus Cunha to thank for the team avoiding even more damage against Leeds.
The Everton loanee directed a first-half effort against the post for the confident home team before Brenden Aaronson finished superbly with a driven, 62nd-minute effort.
With the goal, Amorim was under intense scrutiny after his side had failed to beat bottom-of-the-table Wolves at home earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, against opponents who had less time to recover, Cunha restored parity three minutes after the opener when he latched onto a through ball from substitute Joshua Zirkzee and guided a finish underneath rushing Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri.
It was only the South American's fourth Premier League goal since his big-money summer move and came at a time when the manager is without four key attacking players due to a mix of fitness issues and national team commitments.
Not that you would expect the hosts to sympathise with that given their own lack of preparation time.
The Swiss attacker forced a diving save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a audacious overhead kick, and visiting heads were in hands when the Slovenian striker, who is finding it hard to make an impact, turned Zirkzee's cut-back wide from six yards out.
The goalscorer, who had a goal disallowed for offside much earlier in the match, also blasted against a post in the dying moments.
The draw prolongs the home side's unbeaten run to seven games, their best such streak since 2001, and takes them a significant margin clear of the drop zone.
For the Manchester United though, it was yet another opportunity to move into fourth spot, albeit only for a matter of hours, wasted.
With the AFCON reaching its knockout phase, Amorim could be understood for hoping the participating nations make a swift exit.
Current injuries to skipper Bruno Fernandes and England international Mason Mount only exacerbated the impact the absence of other forwards is having on Amorim's options.
It's not that the absent players are the solution to all of the club's problems. After all, they were part of the side that suffered poor results earlier in the season.
But without them, Amorim has few attacking options.
He clearly does not trust youngster Shea Lacey or the much more experienced Zirkzee, even though the Netherlands forward delivered the through ball for Cunha's equaliser almost immediately after his arrival as a substitute.
That leaves Cunha, who has now scored a small tally in five games, and others playing out of their natural positions, alongside Benjamin Sesko.
On this showing, the expensive frontman looks similar to previous underwhelming signings, lacking in confidence and conviction in front of goal.
Sesko's failure to turn home the cross means it is now a long run without a goal for the young striker.
After thrilling victories in their last few home games, the arrival of their biggest rivals to home was a comparatively subdued affair.
True, there were instances of typical atmosphere, but the intimidating edge was not as evident as in other fixtures.
The home fans were more preoccupied about their side's inability to get worthwhile possession in dangerous areas for any prolonged period.
The striker's header that clipped the post was an isolated moment of threat in a congested first half.
It still felt as though the hosts were struggling when a defensive error opened the door for the opener.
Ever so briefly, The home ecstatic fans thought they were about to secure a coveted win against Manchester United.
However, there is a much bigger picture for Daniel Farke and Leeds to deal with.
When they suffered a poor run of form earlier in the season, many speculated about the manager's position.
Instead, he is now overseeing significant progress.
The task is not done yet but step by step, the team are getting closer to securing their top-flight status.
The Yorkshire club have a top-flight trip to Newcastle in midweek, followed by the start of their domestic cup campaign next weekend. The Red Devils face a league trip to Burnley before also entering their cup journey with a Old Trafford tie.
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