Leeds started strongly, winning two corners within the opening minutes. Ferdinand who received the full attention of the crowd whenever he went near the ball easily dealt with both and the early pressure did not last much longer. Manchester united looked lively and fresh on the ball and could have had a penalty when Ranaldo was brought down in the box. The decision could have gone either way but fortunately for Leeds, Referee Graham Poll ruled it a fair challenge by Gary Kelly.

Roy Keane really started marshalling the team around and was instrumental in the next couple of attacks. The first, a shot by Keane from the edge of the area was straight at Paul Robinson in the Leeds goal. He then combined well with Scholes who fired in a low shot that Robinson did well with.

Although the chances were falling to Manchester United, they were not overrunning the team. Leeds battled well and defended even better. Batty was quick and hard into each tackle and Johnson was making life difficult alongside him. Leeds though were unable to get forward much. Mark Viduka did well to hold the ball up when it came to him but with Rio and Sylvestre breathing down his neck, he needed more support from a defensive minded midfield, than he was getting.

The best chance of the first half though, did fall to Leeds. A cross from Pennant, playing possibly his last game for Leeds was too high for Viduka or Smith to make contact. It fell instead to Milner who crossed again into the danger area. Manchester United scambled the ball away as far as Matteo who hit a goal bound shot that was deflected wide.

The final chance of the half fell to Van Nistelrooy - Batty had been booked for an off the ball incident with Ronaldo and the resulting free kick found it’s way to Van Nistelrooys’ head but he could only manage an attempt that fell several yards wide.

At half –time a draw was a fair indication of the play however Manchester United were looking the more likley to score.

Within the first few minutes of the second half, they nearly did just that. Scholes fired in a volley that Robinson needed his reactions to stop superbly. Leeds did enjoy a better spell but did not threaten the visitors goal. The Manchester United was closing down well and Leeds were unable to get a shot on target.

On the 70^th Minutes mark, Milner was replaced with Sakho. Milner had done well however the whole team was pushed back and the 17 year old is more impressive going forward so it was not an ideal match for him. Having said that, he worked hard and didn’t look out of place which is reassuring to know his defensive game is adequate.

The game it had to be said though was now all Manchester United. Leeds were doing well to prevent any shots on target but the pressure was building all the time. Although equal in defense and midfield, Leeds had no attacking options. Smith was coming back to support and Johnson was playing deep with Batty. Bridges came on in place of Viduka on the 70 minute mark but the style of play did not change.

It was a shame that it took an error for Manchester United to take the lead. Sakho, playing deep as was the case with the whole team, controlled well in his own box and brought the ball forward. His pass out of defense was poor and it allowed Gary Neville to easily pick up on the ball. He swung a cross between defense and keeper that allowed Roy Keane to coolly head home.

And that was the match done. Leeds had nothing much to offer and each time they threatened to push forward, Manchester United broke and pulled Leeds back. Van Nistelrooy went close with a low drive that Olembe cleared off the line and O’Shea tried a chip that Robinson had to be alert to save. To top it all off, Scholes hit the underside of the bar in the dying seconds.

It would have been cruel if Leeds had lost by more that one goal as they matched Manchester United and cancelled out their play-making for long periods, but with only two shots to speak of in the whole match, which was a home fixture of course, shows the difference in class between the two teams. Leeds, still suffering from a confidence set back can take a lot from the game and will need a more pro-active outlook in the next two games if they are to pick up any points.