Manchester United produced a disastrous second-half display to let slip their lead and eventually return home with only a point to show for their efforts at Elland Road.
It was Bryan Mbeumo who handed the visitors the lead after some great work by Youri Tielemans. However, Michael Carrick’s strange tactical calls in the second 45 minutes completely destroyed the Red Devils’ momentum.
The head coach asked Noussair Mazraoui to play as a centre-back instead of moving Leny Yoro into the heart of the defence.
Leeds scored soon after, and not bringing on attacking substitutions sooner was another puzzle, as it almost seemed like Carrick was happy with a point.
Andrey Santos struggled vs Leeds
He then opted to take off United’s best player, Carlos Baleba, for Mason Mount when the obvious change was to take off the ineffective Andrey Santos.
The Brazilian has started the last two games in all competitions after Kobbie Mainoo’s injury. It is safe to say the 22-year-old has underwhelmed.
| Statistic | Performance |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 0.01 |
| Key passes | 2 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 0 (0) |
| Accurate passes | 29/36 (81%) |
| Passes in opposition half (accurate) | 18/23 (78%) |
| Passes in own half (accurate) | 11/13 (85%) |
| Distance covered | 10.9 km |
| Top speed | 30.4 km/h |
| Number of sprints | 4 |
| Running | 2.05 km (18.7%) |
| High-speed running | 0.57 km (5.2%) |
| Sprinting | 0.1 km (0.9%) |
| Total shots | 0 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Shots blocked | 0 |
| Touches | 49 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 0 (0) |
| Was fouled | 3 |
| Possession lost | 8 |
| Total carrying distance | 38.2 m |
| Carries | 6 |
| Total progression | -3.5 m |
| Defensive contributions | 3 |
| Tackles (won) | 1 (1) |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Clearances | 0 |
| Blocked shots | 0 |
| Recoveries | 2 |
| Ground duels (won) | 7 (4) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 2 (0) |
| Dribbled past | 2 |
match stats
It almost seems as though the former Chelsea star is not quite ready for the physical demands of the Premier League, as he won a mere 44.4% of his duels against the Whites.
He lost both his aerial duels and was dribbled past twice. The midfielder did not make a single clearance, but did intercept the ball on two occasions.
Another dud signing from Chelsea?
On the ball, he was limited, managing zero crosses while losing the ball eight times. The Brazil international did not take a shot on goal, but did produce two key passes (stats from sofascore).
United fans were pleased with what they saw from Andrey Santos in pre-season, but his form has dropped off a cliff since the season began.
INEOS spent an initial £48 million to sign him from Stamford Bridge, as once again Chelsea pulled the wool over United’s eyes.
Mainoo cannot return soon enough from United’s perspective. Until then, it would be better to play Tielemans alongside Baleba instead of the ex-Chelsea player.
Feature image Michael Steele via Getty Images
