Manchester United confidently inaugurated the preseason on Wednesday with a 2-0 victory over historic rivals Leeds United in Oslo, Norway.
Impact of New Faces
Erik ten Hag’s first summer signing, Mason Mount, looked comfortable in the new no. 7 shirt, initiating raids into the final third of the field and coming close to scoring before making way at half-time. The manager changed his entire XI for the second half at Ullevaal Stadion.
Two of the young replacements, Noam Emeran and Joe Hugill, netted the Reds’ goals after the break, demonstrating the attacking prowess they have honed with our Under-21 team in Premier League 2.
Charlie Savage, who captained the substitute team from midfield, and Isak Hansen-Aarøen, who assisted in Emeran’s opening goal, were among the Academy players trying to impress Ten Hag in the absence of many senior players who were still playing for their countries just a few weeks ago.
The first half of the match began in a competitive spirit, with Mount inspiring the Reds to maintain control of the game. The second half of the match saw Ten Hag make 11 premeditated changes, while his newly appointed Leeds counterpart, Daniel Farke, kept one of his starters on the pitch, defender Codey Drameh.
The mass changes disrupted the flow of the game, but when the contest clicked back into gear, it was the youngsters in red who made the decisive moves.
Decisive Moments
Emeran broke the deadlock in the 67th minute with a finish executed with great perfection. A perfect pass from Hansen-Aarøen set up the Frenchman, who swept the ball with his left foot beyond Leeds’ substitute goalkeeper, Dani van den Heuvel. Emeran then turned provider when his low delivery from the right was feigned by Shola Shoretire and invited Hugill to simply tuck the ball into the net from close to the penalty spot, nine minutes from time.
The second goal solidified any disappointment that Leeds fans may have felt when Archie Gray’s impressive 25-yard shot hit the side netting instead of nestling behind the Reds’ goalkeeper, Matej Kovar.
Rhys Bennett nearly sealed the victory with a third goal for the Reds when his header hit the post in injury time, but at 2-0, it was a job very well done for Ten Hag’s team in the first of eight preseason games to be broadcast live on MUTV this summer.
After this fixture, Leeds will return to the UK to play two more friendlies against Monaco and Hearts, before starting their Championship campaign at Elland Road with a visit from Cardiff City on 6th August.
Manchester United’s next commitment in this preseason will be broadcast on their own club channel, MUTV, available worldwide.
