Jamie Carragher believes Leeds’ shock 2-1 win at Manchester United will “send a shiver down the spine” of their relegation rivals.
Noah Okafor scored twice in a blistering first half as Daniel Farke’s side moved six points clear of the drop zone, piling further pressure on beleaguered Tottenham in 18th place.
Okafor opened the scoring in the fifth minute, before adding a deflected second before the half-hour mark in a swaggering performance that Carragher reckons is ominous for the sides scrapping below them.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Manchester United’s match against Leeds in the Premier League
“For the majority of this season, they’ve been a breath of fresh air in the Premier League,” he said.
“They’ve been absolutely fantastic. But how they performed in the first half tonight will send a shiver down the spines of everyone in that relegation fight.
“That was a confident performance, coming to the most in-form team at home.
“They didn’t just hang on in a game like that, they absolutely bossed Man Utd in the first half.
“Those teams down there, they would have been watching tonight – the supporters, players and staff – and that will be a big blow for them psychologically.
“That was the performance of a really good team. When we go back to Tottenham, we haven’t seen a performance like that from them in about six months.”
Neville backing Leeds over Spurs
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Gary Neville believe Leeds will stay up in Premier League after beating Man Utd at Old Trafford
Farke dropped to his knees celebrating a survival-boosting victory that was Leeds’ first in the league at Old Trafford in 45 years.
“It’s a monumental night for Leeds,” said Gary Neville on co-commentary.
Speaking after the game, Neville backed Leeds to stay up ahead of Tottenham due to their greater cohesion.
“Before the game, I was looking at West Ham over the weekend and Nottingham Forest and thinking that they’ve got something going a little bit.
“It looks like they might just have enough to get out of it. Tottenham are in big trouble, and you’re thinking Leeds could just get dragged down there.
“They’ve got some decent fixtures and it’s not been good, but I thought they put a really good performance in today.
“Every time I’ve watched them live, they’ve been really good, not just in terms of their passion, their commitment but the patterns, the way in which they’ve got their system worked out.
“I was there at the first full game against Chelsea that they played that five at the back. They might have gone to it in the Man City game just before that on the Saturday.
“The reason I’m not a great fan of the system is because usually to find wing-backs that can do the equal attacking and defending bit is really difficult, but I think [Jayden] Bogle and [Gabriel] Gudmundsson, when they play, they do it fantastically well.
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Gary Neville believes Man Utd’s defeat to Leeds was a reality check for Michael Carrick’s side.
“They go forward with real energy and threat and it gives them a bit more solidity with the three and [Ethan] Ampadu in front, so I do think it suits them.
“First half tonight, they were absolutely wonderful. That is a performance that I don’t think Tottenham are capable of. That’s the scary thing for Tottenham, not just the six points that Leeds United have gone clear of them tonight, but the actual performance levels that they put in – they’re nowhere near that.
“You watch Spurs yesterday against Sunderland and it’s a set of ingredients that don’t go together, a concoction of misfits.
“Yet you watch Leeds tonight and there’s a flow. They had to dig in in the second half and they found it difficult when Manchester United went to ten men and they started throwing caution to the wind.
“Overall, it was a wonderful night for them and I think that does secure Premier League survival for Leeds United this season because the confidence that they’ll get from that… they fully deserved it.”
Farke takes confidence from result
Leeds face home games against Wolves, Burnley and Brighton, as well as crunch away trips to Tottenham and West Ham after a visit to Bournemouth.
He said: “It gives us confidence. A win is always good for that, and for the table.
“But performance-wise we should be on far more than 40 points. We have performed with unbelievable consistency, but we can be more effective in both boxes.
“For that, the reality is we are on 36 points and we need a few more points.
“Tonight we are three points closer but nothing is achieved yet, we have to stay humble, grounded, hungry and make sure we are ready for the upcoming games to win as many points as possible.”
