Red-hot Rashford comes to Man United's rescue again in victory over Leeds

Resurgent forward scores his 13th goal in 15 games to give Erik ten Hag's side three points at Elland Road

Soccer Football - Premier League - Leeds United v Manchester United - Elland Road, Leeds, Britain - February 12, 2023 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring their first goal with Bruno Fernandes Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford scores their first goal. Reuters

Marcus Rashford of Manchester United scores their first goal. Getty

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring their first goal. PA

Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United celebrates his goal with teammate Harry Maguire. Getty

Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho scores their second goal. PA

Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United celebrates after scoring their second goal. Getty

Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho scores their second. PA

Manchester United's Diogo Dalot hits the crossbar. AFP

Luke Ayling of Leeds United attempts an overhead kick. Getty

Leeds United's goalkeeper Illan Meslier saves from Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes. AP

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes shoots at goal. AFP

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford lies injured. AFP

Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto is tackled by Manchester United's Diogo Dalot. AP

Leeds striker Patrick Bamford wins a header. AFP

Marcel Sabitzer and Wout Weghorst of Manchester United battle for possession with Tyler Adams of Leeds. Getty

Crysencio Summerville of Leeds United shoots. Getty

Leeds United caretaker manager Michael Skubala on the touchline. PA

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Leeds United's Luke Ayling compete for the ball. PA

Manchester United's Harry Maguire and goalkeeper David de Gea attempt to clear the ball. PA

Leeds United's Robin Koch in action with Manchester United's Fred. Reuters

Leeds United's Luke Ayling challenges for the ball with Manchester United's Fred. AP

Leeds United's Weston McKennie and Manchester United's Tyrell Malacia battle. Reuters

Leeds United's Weston McKennie and Manchester United's Tyrell Malacia. Reuters

Manchester United's Tyrell Malacia receives medical attention. Reuters

Leeds United's Crysencio Summerville and Manchester United's Tyrell Malacia. PA

Luke Ayling of Leeds United is challenged by Marcus Rashford of Manchester United. Getty

Manchester United's Harry Maguire heads the ball clear. PA

Manchester United's Marcel Sabitzer. AFP

Manchester United's Wout Weghorst. AP

Manchester United's Luke Shaw vies with Leeds United's Patrick Bamford. AFP

Leeds United's Crysencio Summerville and Manchester United's Fred battle. PA

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

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.