Chapter 834: The Madman vs. The Special One
Leeds United, who kicked off first, showed no intention of launching a surprise attack or catching Manchester United off guard. They moved the ball backward calmly, not in any rush.
United, however, charged forward like impatient young warriors, pressing high up the pitch in numbers.
On the touchline, Marcelo Bielsa watched the scene unfold with a smile. It was exactly as he had expected—United would use their home advantage to press forward.
Although Bielsa was a coach renowned for his obsession with attacking football and nicknamed "The Madman," that didn't mean his teams attacked blindly. That would be foolish, not brave.
Under United's pressing, Leeds defender Luke Ayling passed back to goalkeeper Illan Meslier. The French U-20 keeper had barely settled the ball when Scott McTominay rushed in to press.
Meslier quickly cleared with a long ball upfield.
United right-back João Cancelo met it near midfield and headed it down. N'Golo Kanté sent it forward, İlkay Gündoğan controlled it on his chest, turned, and shielded it from the approaching Jack Harrison. He then passed sideways to Cancelo and immediately ran forward—one-two!
Seeing Gündoğan break past him, Harrison grabbed his shirt. Referee Anthony Taylor prepared to blow for a foul but spotted Cancelo playing advantage to Bruno instead, signaling for play to continue.
...
As Bruno received the ball, Rodrigo closed in.
Bruno saw his opponent's run and adjusted instantly. Instead of stopping the ball, he let it run past, using his body to block Rodrigo's path. Pivoting sharply with his left foot, he spun away and accelerated after the ball.
"Beautiful dummy and turn!"
As Bruno escaped Rodrigo, Leeds' left-back Ezgjan Alioski came flying in for a sliding tackle.
"Oh my word!" Andy Gray exclaimed. Bruno flicked the ball up delicately just as Alioski slid in, leaping over the challenge to perfection. Landing smoothly, he advanced two steps and swept a first-time crossfield pass without stopping.
The ball soared through the air across midfield from right to left—a perfect switch of play.
But no one was near that area.
"Rashford!" shouted Martin Tyler.
Bruno's pass dropped perfectly ahead of Marcus Rashford, who was sprinting at full pace. The ball fell into space, giving Rashford room to charge forward.
Leeds' entire defense had been dragged to one side by Bruno's run; the defensive line tilted heavily left. Rashford suddenly found himself in a seven- to eight-meter radius of open space—no Leeds players in sight.
No one had expected Bruno to dribble past multiple opponents and deliver such a brilliant, accurate switch.
"What control!"
"Flawless technique."
...
Sprinting forward, Rashford caught sight of the falling ball, reached out a foot, and cushioned it perfectly in front of him. The ball gently rolled forward, staying within stride.
Magnificent!
Mourinho clapped from the sideline—what a touch.
This was the ideal control—allowing the ball to keep rolling, inviting continued momentum. Killing the ball dead would have hurt the attack, and over-hitting it by two meters would have been far worse at this level.
"Wonderful switch, exquisite control," Andy Gray said. "United's attack is razor-sharp, using both wings to stretch and batter Leeds' defense."
"Rashford, past one! Cross incoming!"
Rashford accelerated, breezing past Dallas with a clever change of pace, and curled a cross into the box.
Kylian Mbappé charged near post, tightly followed by Ayling.
But Mbappé was too fast—he overshot the ball!
The momentum carried both Mbappé and Ayling beyond the play, colliding awkwardly as the ball zipped behind them.
In the middle, Leeds defender Liam Cooper looked up to react—but suddenly saw a looming shadow above him.
In that instant, his heart sank.
He knew exactly who was coming—United striker Scott McTominay.
...
"Scott McTominay!" roared the commentator.
McTominay soared and slammed a powerful header toward goal.
Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier, only twenty years old, was quick to react but lacked experience. He didn't anticipate the play early enough, and though he jumped, stretching every inch to block the shot, he realized he hadn't leapt quite high enough.
His fingertips brushed the ball but couldn't stop it.
The slight deflection only lifted it higher before it crashed into the net.
"Boom!" The Millennium Stadium erupted.
There were fewer than two thousand home fans present, but they made noise like tens of thousands.
Barely two minutes had passed when United struck first. A stunning team move—Rashford to McTominay—and the hosts led 1–0.
...
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!"
"Only one minute and thirty-eight seconds into the match, Manchester United score against Leeds United!"
"What a counterattack: dazzling dribbling, a brilliant switch, a perfect assist—an incredible goal!"
"McTominay scores! United make a dream start!"
The Scotsman sprinted to hug Rashford, thanking him for the perfect cross, then embraced Mbappé for drawing the defenders away.
Mbappé forced a smile, though he was dying inside—if not for overshooting his run, the goal would have been his.
This was the Roses Derby—a rivalry on par with the Manchester and North-West derbies. Scoring here meant something special.
Mourinho and Rui Faria both leapt from their seats, fists raised, rushing to the edge of the technical area.
Mourinho pumped his arms in triumph—his tactics had worked.
Over the past few days, anticipating Bielsa's attacking approach, Mourinho had drilled his men on exploiting width through Bruno's distribution and vision, aiming to pull Leeds' defensive line apart. The plan was for McTominay and Mbappé to capitalize up front, with Gündoğan pushing high for second balls.
This time, Gündoğan barely had the chance—McTominay finished cleanly to perfection.
...
On the visiting bench, Leeds assistant coach Diego Struijk let out a frustrated groan—it had come too suddenly.
Bielsa glanced up at the clock. Less than two minutes in, and United had already scored. It was completely against plan.
He rubbed his forehead, turned, and saw Mourinho celebrating near the sideline, then began pacing his own technical area, already plotting the next move.
That was Bielsa for you—no matter the circumstances, his first instinct was always attack, not defense.
On the pitch, Leeds players were already pushing forward again, eager to equalize.
But instead of scoring, they conceded another—fast.
From the restart, Leeds attacked, but lost possession to United's compact defense. United broke forward immediately.
Leeds scrambled to recover and knocked the ball out for a throw-in. Cancelo stepped up to take it quickly, tossing to Bruno.
Without hesitation, Bruno threaded a pass through the defense for McTominay, who darted into the left side of the box and slotted home across goal.
Manchester United 2–0 Leeds United!
Only fifty-four seconds had passed since the previous goal—two goals in barely a minute!
After just two minutes and thirty-two seconds, United were up 2–0!
McTominay became the first player in Premier League history to score twice within the opening three minutes of a match.
Everyone was stunned—including McTominay himself, who looked momentarily lost for words before remembering to celebrate.
Commentator Martin Tyler sighed, "Leeds played far too naïvely—so much heart, but no composure. Foolish and reckless football."
(END CHAPTER)
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