Man United are ‘nowhere near’ title rivals Arsenal and Man City after their 2-2 draw against Leeds, claims pundit Jason Cundy – who feels the result was ‘two points dropped’.
Erik ten Hag’s side suffered a huge set-back in their bid to keep pace with the Premier League’s top two as they could only pick up a point against the managerless Whites in the Pennines derby – but it could’ve been even worse for the Red Devils after finding themselves 2-0 down at Old Trafford.
Willie Gnonto had put Leeds ahead after just 55 seconds before Raphael Varane’s own goal after the break put United in serious trouble – before Marcus Rashford continued his hot streak by pulling one back and then Jadon Sancho rescued a draw on his Premier League return.
But United are still seven points behind league leaders Arsenal – who have two games in hand over them – and Cundy feels the team came up short in a chance to show they were ready to make a real go of it in the title race.
‘That’s not a good result for United – that’s a bad result,’ he said on talkSport. ‘We all expected United to go there in front of the crowd, close the gap, “are they in the tile race?” Based on what I’ve seen tonight, they’re nowhere near Arsenal and Man City. They’re not.
‘I think United fans will be coming away, even though they were 2-0 down, that will feel like a defeat. That’s two big points dropped against a side that don’t have a manager.’
United have faced both Arsenal and City in their last four games – losing 3-2 to the Gunners in the last minute while they saw off their rivals City 2-1 last month.
They remain just two points off second-placed City having played a game more – and will get another chance to make amends for this result when they play Leeds once again on Sunday – at Elland Road.
Ten Hag must then prepare for a two-legged Europa League knockout tie against LaLiga leaders Barcelona in a tough period for the Red Devils.
They are already struggling with Christian Eriksen ruled out for three months and Casemiro currently serving a suspension – while Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay and Antony also have fitness issues.
Despite their disappointing result against Leeds, Ten Hag insisted he was happy with how the team reacted to going two down.
‘It was a very bad start,’ he said. ‘Especially in a derby, you have to be ready to battle and take responsibility. We didn’t do that.
‘If you start each half the way we did, it’s unacceptable. I’m disappointed we lost all the battles inside the first minute in each half.
‘But I have to compliment the team. They are resilient and they fought back to score two really good goals.’