Sunday, April 25, 2021 at 4:53 PM• Rian Rosendaal • Last update: 17:02

Manchester United had a disappointing dress on Sunday afternoon for the first meeting with AS Roma on Thursday in the semi-finals of the Europa League. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw his team lose points on a visit to Leeds United: 0-0. It was the first time since 2003 that the Red Devils competed on Elland Road. Donny van de Beek started again on the bench and the midfielder was only awarded a substitute in minute 89 by Solsjaer. At Leeds, Pascal Struijk once again had a strong performance in the rear.

Manchester United, which lost only once in the last eight matches against Leeds, started off with offensive intentions. In the second minute, Bruno Fernandes found Mason Greenwood’s head with a viewed free kick. His header, however, was an easy catch for goalkeeper Ilan Meslier. In the remainder of the first half, however, Solskjaer’s formation struggled with Leeds, which put high pressure and often forced Manchester United to play the long ball. Ten minutes before the half-time signal, Stuart Dallas had the opportunity to give the home team the lead. His shot in a promising position, however, did not disturb goalkeeper Dean Henderson. In the final minute, Meslier defused a free kick by Marcus Rashford with a feline save.

Five minutes after the restart, Fernandes begged for a penalty after a corner from Luke Shaw. The Portuguese playmaker claimed to have been knocked down by Ezgjan Alioski, but the ball still didn’t hit the spot. The same Fernandes was the end station of a smooth attack from Manchester United after almost an hour of play, but his shot flew wide of the goal of the relieved Leeds. The game now swung up and down and on the other hand a bet from Hélder Costa via Aaron Wan-Bissaka just went over the goal of the visitors. Fifteen minutes before time, Paul Pogba made his entrance, replacing the tired Daniel James. The Frenchman had to provide new impulses for Manchester United.

However, Pogba’s raid did not yield the number two in the Premier League a victory in the final phase. Manchester United continued to fight for the three points until the final whistle and Rashford was relieved by Edinson Cavani four minutes before the end. Three minutes later Fred made way for Van de Beek. However, Leeds held their ground and crossed the line with the deserved point. Manchester United is on 67 points after 33 Premier League matches. With five competitions to go, the gap to leader Manchester City is ten points.

Manager Pep Guardiola’s team, which will face Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the EFL Cup on Sunday, can take a big step towards the national title on Saturday 1 May, when Crystal Palace is visited. Should they win in South London and Manchester United lose to Liverpool a day later, the championship will be a fact for the semi-finalist in the Champions League.