Leeds United 0-2 Manchester United: Philosophical

If this defeat at Elland Road turns out to be the last act of his caretaking, the Michael Skubala era will go down as one of the odder footnotes in Leeds United Football Club's history, which is made up of many odd footnotes already. Unless, you know, the board now make a risky appointment of a recently failed manager who a large number of fans are hating on sight and we end up going back for more Skubalarama in six weeks' time. In which case, Skoobs ain't over til he's over. For now, he's the coach who reminded us that, sometimes, winning is less important than just not feeling terrible about everything.

There are some Leeds fans who will never accept that losing to the team from Old Trafford is acceptable, but since winning at Old Trafford in 1981, Leeds have only beaten them anywhere in any competition four times, meaning a lot of accepting anyway. Not beating them is never nice, but it's never surprising either, and with bigger things to worry about than tweaking the noses of the cross Pennine visitors — which could put Bruno Fernandes in hospital for a month — Skubala made the odds against Leeds work for him, without overcoming them. A draw away and a defeat at home, a single point from six, is not as good as we hoped for. But it's better than we expected, and that has been worth something this week.

Leeds United's performance at Elland Road proved that Wednesday at Old Trafford was no fluke. The games were similar, Leeds starting fast and frightening in all four halves, not getting the goals in the last two that made the first two so exhilarating. Their visitors seemed to have learned little from their first experience of Skubalaball, falling into the same traps, showing the same vulnerabilities. Their own penalty area creates its own chaos, creating chances for their opponents. It's extraordinary to watch them booting the ball long to Wout Weghorst, who couldn't win it or control it, and think this team is supposed to be good. At least Leeds have an excuse. What the other lot did have, home and away, was sucker punch quality from Marcus Rashford in both games, who underlined the direness of Weghorst by scoring decisive headers in each match as soon as he went to the centre. Leeds, without the squad depth that comes from spending power accrued simply by staying in the Premier League all the time and European competitions most seasons, gave those goals away after their legs started giving out. Skubala could bring on attackers to maintain a scampering press, but each sub increased the collective naivety up front and the pressure on the defence, which had little help available from the bench. Perhaps Rasmus Kristensen, to relieve Luke Ayling's exhaustion, but Ayling made that choice difficult by playing superbly.

With some calmer heads and kinder bounces in the penalty area, Leeds could have won at Elland Road. Max Wöber kept a free-kick alive in the third minute, David De Gea flicked the ball into his six yard box, and Crysencio Summerville banged it over the bar from there. Robin Koch took in what he'd just seen and made sure to pick Summerville straight away up. From a free-kick Jackie Harrison floated to Ayling, Rashford teed Pat Bamford up, but he could only wave an uncertain leg. Summerville, in on goal thanks to Tyrell Malacia's awful header, had his effort scrambled away by De Gea's fingertips and Harry Maguire's ribs. That was just before half-time, just before Wöber gave Fernandes a chance to let Illan Meslier prove his one-on-one prowess.

Perhaps knowing their ascendence had a time limit, Leeds went for the lead straight after half-time, Summerville shooting and De Gea saving, Weston McKennie heading the corner over, a great bit of McKennie to Summerville to Ayling work ending with a Harrison tap wide of the near post. De Gea's poor clearance went to Summerville, but Bamford couldn't get his pass under control in the penalty area. From a half-cleared free-kick, Ayling's bobbling half-volley deflected wide. These things all happened in the first five minutes of the half, and sensing the need for a break from the pressure, Fernandes sat down for a cry up the other end until the referee stopped the game to ask what was wrong.