Where would Manchester United and Erik ten Hag be this season without Marcus Rashford.
Time and again this term a weary United have struggled to get over the line, lacking the strength in depth, especially in the strike department, to turn tight games into crucial victories.
At Elland Road on Sunday, a weary United had nothing left in the tank coming into the final 10 minutes of the tightly-contested, feisty derby clash with Leeds United.
A win could have taken them, temporarily at least, second in the table, but a goal did not look like it was coming. One chance, however, is all Rashford 2.0 needs. A bullet header, out of nowhere, set his team on their way to yet another victory that without the resurgent England hitman, would not be possible.
Alejandro Garnacho put the game to bed to show there is at least some depth to the United changing room, but Rashford, once more, had done all the damage.
February is unrelenting for Manchester United. Ten games between February 1 and March 1 is a brutal schedule for any sporting team, but with players still yet to have had a break since the World Cup, the schedule has left United running on fumes.
When Jadon Sancho’s equaliser completed the comeback in the reverse fixture against Leeds only four days previous, United teams of old would have been odds on to have found a late winner, by hook or by crook.
But, for the first time in their recent revival, United are showing signs of weariness. Without several key players through injury or suspension, Erik ten Hag’s team just did not have another goal in them.
Early on at Elland Road, there was only one team in the contest. The visitors just could not get close enough to their opponents, and when they did, they were met with the full force of the tackle, backed by a vociferous crowd baying for blood.
Crysencio Summerville should have scored early on but blazed over, with it taking United 20 minutes to even muster a first attack, Fernandes dragging an effort well wide.
The atmosphere stayed red-hot, but the action on the pitch was far more tepid. It took until the end of the opening period for more presentable openings to be created, with Summerville again going close, denied by David De Gea, before Bruno Fernandes found himself clean through on goal in first-half stoppage time.
Manchester United 2 Leeds 2 - player ratings
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MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea 6 - Beaten at his near post in the first minute. Saved well from Struijk, who should’ve scored in a frenetic first half. Conceded a sloppy own goal. AFP -
Diogo Dalot 6 - Hardly played after a hamstring injury picked up representing Portugal as last year’s World Cup but started in his side’s eighth home game of 2023 so far. Manchester United had won them all, but not this one. Saw a shot towards goal deflected at the end of the first half. Overlapped and lovely cross for Rashford to score. AP -
Raphael Varane 6 - Backwards looping header saved on 28 minutes. Put the ball into his net for Leeds’ second on 48. Getty -
Lisandro Martinez 7 - Backline wasn’t composed. Won the ball in a very physical challenge on the excellent Gnonto and then made a key challenge to touch ball away from Summerville. Getty -
Luke Shaw 6 - One of many players took time to find their feet. Poor delivery as United attacked on 66 minutes, but heavily involved driving forward and contributing to the second goal. AP -
Fred 5 - Mediocre in the first half – the whole midfield was. The Brazilian gave the ball away too much but became more involved in the second. Shot on target on 88 – a minute after giving the ball away twice. Got the shot wrong. Curled a shot on target on 91. Less effective without Casemiro. PA -
Marcel Sabitzer 6 - First start for United and frustrated to volley over on 14. Shot wide on 18. Shot saved after 31. Booked. Not easy to come into a new side, but he adapted well enough. Getty -
Marcus Rashford 6 - Injuries meant he played on the right, smashed a shot which knocked Struijk to the ground on 18 minutes. Switched to the left for the second half; shot wide on 54 minutes and volleyed miles over the crossbar on 58. Climbed beautifully to head his side’s first on 62 – his 12th goal in 14 games since returning from the World Cup. PA -
Bruno Fernandes 6 - Lost possession in the run up to Leeds’ early goal. Chance on 68 minutes, which he cursed himself for not scoring. Bravely won a ball and crossed to Varane on 78. Shot over on 80. Headed wide on 85. Frustrating night for him. Reuters -
Alejandro Garnacho 5 - Gave the ball away too much at the start – four times in the first 15 minutes. Volleyed wide on 17, then went past goalkeeper Meslier and saw a 26th minute shot headed off the line. Frustrating to watch as he ran into Ayling. Lost ball in buildup to second goal. PA -
Wout Weghorst 5 - Nothing in the first half. Or the second. Hardly his fault that he got no service, but not the player to stretch the lines like Martial. Getty -
SUBS: Jadon Sancho 8 - Hasn’t started in the league since October but made a huge difference when he came on for Garnacho after 58 minutes. Scored the second to level on 71 mins and on praise from his manager after. AFP -
Facundo Pellistri 7 - On for Weghorst after 58 mins. Involved in build up to first goal when he won the ball. Getty -
Victor Lindelof N/A - On for Sabitzer; after 81 mins - the defender went into midfield. Getty -
Tyrell Malacia N/A - On for Dalot after 81 mins and into the right of defence. Reuters -
LEEDS RATINGS: Illan Meslier, 5 – Forced Garnacho wide with an important toe as he skipped past the onrushing goalkeeper, and smartly palmed away Sabitzer’s effort from distance. Beaten too easily by Sancho’s tame leveller. PA -
Luke Ayling, 5 – Terrorised by the trickery of Garnacho and later the speed of Sancho. Got away with one when he found himself on the wrong side of the lightning-quick Spaniard who seated the defender when he calmly stepped around his rash challenge. Getty -
Robin Koch, 6 – Produced an important headed clearance to snuff out a cross intended for the in-form Rashford, but he was outjumped by the same man who dragged the hosts back into the game with his sixth goal in as many Premier League outings at Old Trafford. Getty -
Maximilian Wober, 7 – Almost grabbed an assist when his calculated flick found Struijk at the back post and used his head to good effect again to clear Garnacho’s effort off the line after the forward had rounded Meslier and then Ayling. AFP -
Pascal Struijk, 8 – A busy 20 minutes for the full-back who had an important hand in the opener and almost doubled his side’s advantage when De Gea clawed his back-post effort away, before Rashford’s thumping effort brought an early end to his evening. PA -
Weston McKennie, 8 – Covered every blade of grass and hounded United’s ball players from the off to give his side a strong foothold. Booked for bundling over Fred and delaying the resulting free-kick, but denied Rashford the winner with a vital foot. AFP -
Tyler Adams, 7 – Hustled and harried Fernandes from the off which allowed Struijk to win back possession as the visitors started with a bang. Joined McKennie in the book for clipping the heels of Fred. AP -
Luis Sinisterra, 6 – A big blow as the midfielder limped off inside eight minutes with what looked like a hamstring injury, the first of several forced changes on a costly evening for the managerless Whites. Getty -
Jack Harrison, 6 – Caused penalty area panic with some quality crosses that had red shirts scrambling. Forced United back and won his side a corner as the visitors started the second half strongly. Substituted just past the hour. PA -
Wilfried Gnonto, 8 – A dazzling start from the firing forward who hit the back of De Gea’s goal inside the first minute, and was involved again when he fed Summerville who forced the second. Getty -
Patrick Bamford, 7 – Assisted the opening goal when his neat one-two with Gnonto allowed the latter to thunder Leeds ahead. AFP -
SUBS: Crysencio Summerville (on for Sinisterra ‘8), 7 – Had United hearts in mouths when he latched on to a loose ball before having his legs taken by Martinez just outside the box. Sparked jubilation in the away end when his cross was turned in by Varane. Getty -
Junior Firpo (on for Struijk ‘23), 4 – Misjudged the trajectory of the ball which allowed United to set up Rashford's goal. Booked for wrestling Rashford to the ground with Leeds on the ropes. Getty -
Georgino Rutter (on for Bamford ‘63), 6 – Didn’t have chance to make an impact. Getty -
Brenden Aaronson (on for Harrison ‘63), 7 – Rattled the frame of the goal with virtually his first touch with De Gea well-beaten. Getty -
Sam Greenwood (on for McKennie ‘90), NR – Provided some important fresh legs in the middle. Getty -
Mateo Joseph (on for Gnonto ‘90), NR – A second Premier League appearance for the teenager. Getty
The Portuguese took his time to pick his spot, arrowed a strike for the bottom corner, but was denied by the foot of Illan Meslier in the Leeds goal.
Ten Hag shuffled his pack after the break, bringing Lisandro Martinez on in defence, a player so key to instigating United attacks from deep, and withdrew Sancho, whose first start since October produced very few memorable moments.
The energy was simply not there, however. Diogo Dalot thundered a long-range effort against crossbar from distance, but with a lack of squad options to refresh things, Ten Hag’s hands were tied, with a crucial Europa League qualifier in Barcelona to come in the week.
The Dutch coach’s paucity of suitable reinforcements was clear for all to see as when Garnacho came on for Sancho midway through the second half, the giant Wout Weghort, hardly renowned for his ingenuity, found himself as a No 10.
As has been the case for much of the season, it fell on one, resurgent local hero to drag United out of a hole.
The cross from Luke Shaw, another United player who has been rejuvenated under Ten Hag, as a central defender or as full-back, was inch perfect on to the head of the England international, who made no mistake with a bullet header.
Last season, when being booed by his own supporters, Rashford was anything but clinical, with his confidence at rock bottom. Now, the lethal marksman, as Ten Hag has transformed the 25-year-old into, only needs one opening to settle crucial contests and earn his side a victory they might not necessarily deserve.
Garnacho responded to his manager’s calls for him to be more clinical with his game-clinching second, but Leeds, like many before him this term, had been slain by United’s one and only game-changer in attack.
