.Leeds United were the equals of Manchester United at Elland Road on Sunday.
Published 18th Oct 2026, 16:03 BST
A second consecutive win over their cross-Pennine rivals - something they have not achieved since 1972 - eluded the Whites but they look as well-equipped as their much-better-resourced rivals to be challenging for this season's European places - on this evidence, and plenty more besides.
When Dominic Calvert-Lewin equalised early in the second half, for a spell it looked like Leeds might be able to power on to victory against a side who came to West Yorkshire looking vulnerable but in truth a 1-1 draw was a fair result on an afternoon when neither side was quite good enough to claim more.
To be on a par with the Red Devils is better news for Leeds than the other way around. A Championship side two seasons ago, they are the ones moving forward right now.
For 25 minutes or so, it was proper Leeds versus Manchester United stuff, all thud and blunder, then for the rest of the game an open, entertaining game.
Calvert-Lewin set the early tone, nearly robbing visiting goalkeeper Senne Lammens, then picking Lisandro Martinez's pocket inside five minutes.
That was how it was, neither time able to keep the ball for more than a few passes before the other jumped in and took it back.
Doncaster referee Darren England struck a lenient tone, especially with Ethan Ampadu and Bruno Fernandes before making the latter the first player cautioned, for a 16th-minute foul on Tarik Muharemovic.
The first save was Lammens', Nico Elvedi heading an Anton Stach free-kick into the ground in the 26th minute and the goalkeeper turning it around the post.
James Trafford ran out to 45 yards off his line to slide in and cut out a medium-range one-two between Amad Diallo and Fernandes.
It was the Red Devils who took the lead in the 36th minute.
Bryan Mbuemo, flitting between the left wing and the centre-forward slot when Fernandes dropped deep had put a Youri Tielemans cross wide and produced a weak shot after turning Jayden Bogle before finally getting it right.
Leeds were too easily beaten down their left-hand side and when Tielemans put a low cross over, Mbuemo ran behind James Justin and onto a tap-in.
It sparked the hosts into posing more of a threat, Ao Tanaka catching a half-volley sweetly but directing it at the goalkeeper, Calvert-Lewin putting a diving header from Bogle's chipped ball wide and the wing-back twisting himself into a shooting position without getting hold of his strike.
Michael Carrick switched to three centre-backs at half-time but it was the man he brought on who conceded the corner Leeds equalised from 51 minutes in.
Noah Okafor, two-goal scorer when Leeds won at Elland Road was instrumental in the goal, skipping past Andrey Santos before playing a lovely switch out to Bogle. His cross was headed behind by Noussair Mazraoui.
Muharemovic nodded the flag kick down and Calvert-Lewin controlled and finished on the swivel to turn the Elland Road volume up to 11.
Tanaka's volley under pressure went way over the bar but only encouraged the crowd, as did Manchester United dealing unconvincingly with a Gabriel Gudmundsson ball in, even if Calvert-Lewin was unable to take advantage.
But after that initial storm, the game settled into an open contest with chances at both ends.
Carlos Baleba had a chance when Fernandes won the ball too easily off a dozing Tanaka, only for Calvert-Lewin to win a corner at the other end after being played in by Bogle. Okafor ballooned his effort from it.
Fernandes shot wide on the turn after a good run by Leny Yoro, now one of the three visiting central defenders.
Leeds hit back but a promising move broke down when Okafor failed to pick out Calvert-Lewin, fellow Sheffielder Harry Maguire reading the pass.
Tanaka closes down a Tielemans shot so that it looped up nicely for Trafford, and Fernandes' effort was even easier for Britain/s most expensive goalkeeper.
Stach was unable to keep his volley down after an Okafor cross fell to him.
When Diego Dalot robbed Bogle, Stach closed down Diallo, and substitute Mason Mount's shot from the corner was awful.
Not for any lack of desire on either side, it felt like a third goal was not going to come.
When Fernandes caught a shot sweetly in the 88th minute, it hammered into his team-mate Diallo.
Dalot needed to make a good tackle on Calvert-Lewin in the 90th minute abd both sides had moments after it, an Ampadu long throw-in causing confusion before Stach's effort was blocked by Mazraoui, then grabbed by Lammens.
Equally, it took a good Sean Longstaff block on fellow substitute Matheus Cunha to protect Trafford late on.
They would have loved a win, but Elland Road seemed content with their lot at full-time. One of these Uniteds is moving in the right direction.
Leeds United: Trafford; Justin, Elvedi, Muharemovic; Bogle, Ampadu, Tanaka (Longstaff 80), Gudmundsson; Stach, Okafor (Nmecha 73); Calvert-Lewin. Unused substitutes: Bijol, Zetterer, Wilson, Bahoya, Bard, Gruev.
Manchester United: Lammens; Yoro, Maguire, Martínez (Mazraoui HT), Dalot; Santos, Baleba (Mount 73); Diallo, Tielemans (Cunha 84), Mbeumo; Fernandes. Unused substitutes: de Ligt, Rashford, Zirkzee, Darlow, Lacey, Amass.
Referee: D England (Doncaster).