By our man at Elland Road
ELLAND ROAD was a bear pit yesterday as Manchester United survived a Leeds United onslaught to escape the Yorkshire cauldron with a point.
In an atmosphere so thick with hostility you could have cut it with a rusty blade, the Red Devils found themselves trapped in a white-hot wall of noise.
From the first whistle, the Elland Road faithful made sure Ruben Amorim’s men knew they were in enemy territory, booing every touch and shaking the very foundations of the historic old ground.
The famous stadium, often described as a throwback to football’s most intimidating era, lived up to its reputation.
The “Peacocks” played like men possessed, fueled by the tribal chants of the Kop.
For 60 minutes, Man Utd looked like they were suffering from a severe case of stage fright in the face of the Yorkshire gale.
The roof nearly blew off in the 62nd minute when BRENDEN AARONSON pounced on a defensive calamity by Ayden Heaven.
The American coolly slotted home, sparking scenes of absolute bedlam in the stands as Leeds fans dared to dream of a first home league win over their hated rivals since 2002.
But the joy in the West Yorkshire air lasted less than three minutes. MATHEUS CUNHA proved to be the ultimate party pooper, prodding home a Joshua Zirkzee cross to silence the home crowd—if only for a second.
Leeds pushed for a winner, with Joel Piroe curling an effort just over the bar, but the Elland Road turf wasn’t to witness a fairy-tale ending.
As the sun set over Beeston, both sides shook hands on a 1-1 draw that leaves Leeds unbeaten in seven and United wondering how they survived the loudest venue in the land.
