Leeds United manager Daniel Farke believes his side deserved more than a point after being held to a 1-1 draw by Manchester United in a fiercely contested Premier League encounter at Elland Road.
Bryan Mbeumo put Manchester United ahead in the 35th minute, finishing off a low cross from Youri Tielemans, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin restored parity six minutes after the restart with a powerful finish following a corner.
Leeds pushed for a winner in the second half but were unable to make their pressure count, with Farke admitting that his side lacked the necessary precision in the final third.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the game, Farke said:
“It says a lot about what we’ve done in the last few years that we’re disappointed. We were the dominant side today.
“But United are very dangerous, and it was not necessary to be losing at half-time, but they have the quality to score goals in one moment. Second half, good start and we scored the goal. Strikes were too often over the bar or too far away, which kept us from capitalising more. A good point and we move on.”
The Leeds manager added that his players had performed well overall but needed greater quality in front of goal to secure all three points.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick, meanwhile, took encouragement from his side’s performance despite their inability to hold on to the lead.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Carrick said:
“It was a tough game for both teams. There was an edge to the game. In little moments, we played some good football. It is maybe a bit understandable that it is a tough place to come. We had to work for it. I was proud of the boys for the way they went about that today in difficult circumstances.
“It is a bit more than effort. Application is the way you go about it as well and the plan and the responsibility in the roles and I thought the boys took that for the most part.
“It was a tense game, it was a tight game and one that could have gone both ways, so we will take the point and move on.”
Carrick also praised the unity within his squad following a difficult week, insisting that the players remained committed despite the pressure surrounding the club.
The result leaves Leeds seventh in the Premier League table, while Manchester United remain 13th after another frustrating afternoon. United have now gone six matches without a win in all competitions, increasing the pressure on Carrick to improve results.
For Farke, the draw offered further evidence of Leeds’ competitiveness, although the German will be disappointed that his side could not turn their second-half dominance into a victory.
