Manchester United unsung hero vindicated Ralf Rangnick gamble vs Leeds

There were looks of bemusement when the team news dropped at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon. By full-time, one of those doubts had firmly been quashed.

Ralf Rangnick made three changes to his Manchester United side for the trip to face fierce rivals Leeds, but it was the decision to keep Victor Lindelof in the starting line-up which also posed questions.

Harry Maguire was always going to start after being backed to keep the United captaincy heading into the match, but most fans expected the vastly-experienced Raphael Varane to be his partner for the toughest test of the interim manager's reign so far.

Instead, it was Lindelof who was given the trust of his manager, a player who is at his best when trusted with confidence in his ability heading into big matches.

In the opening minutes, the 27-year-old also showed why Rangnick selected him, opening up play from deep with a line-breaking pass which by-passed the Leeds midfield and put his side immediately on the front foot.

It was crucial that United found alternative ways to disrupt opponents who implement such a high press and such intense man-marking. It was Lindelof who proved to be an unsung hero in doing just that.

For the second goal, the Swede once again caught everyone off guard when he played an exquisite one-two in midfield before embarking on a mazy run directly at the Leeds defence.

The unexpected burst of pace and careful close control totally caused confusion in the defensive shape, dragging players out of position and emphatically punishing them when Jadon Sancho's world-class cross found Bruno Fernandes in the box.

United's recent capitulations came after they failed to kill matches off in the first-half, but against Leeds they at least went into the