Leeds United welcome Man Utd to Elland Road on Sunday afternoon for the latest instalment of one of English football’s fiercest rivalries, with Daniel Farke’s side looking to build on a memorable victory at Old Trafford earlier this year.
The Whites currently sit eighth in the Premier League table, with Michael Carrick’s visitors down in 14th. Leeds will be aiming to make home advantage count, extend an impressive unbeaten run at Elland Road and claim consecutive league victories over them for the first time in more than 50 years.
Ahead of the 2pm kick-off, our friends at Opta Stats have provided eight fascinating facts to know before the action gets underway.
1. Leeds ended winless run
The Whites brought an end to a run of 10 Premier League games without a victory against Man Utd with a memorable 2-1 win at Old Trafford in April.
Noah Okafor was the matchwinner, scoring twice to secure three precious points for Daniel Farke’s side and give Leeds a result to savour.
The Whites have not recorded consecutive league victories over Man Utd since winning both meetings during the 1971/72 campaign. Sunday presents an opportunity to end that 54-year wait.
2. The fortress that is Elland Road
Leeds are unbeaten in the last seven Premier League home games, recording four wins and three draws during that impressive run.
The Whites have also kept clean sheets in four of those matches and have not conceded more than once in any of the last 10 home league fixtures.
The last time Leeds enjoyed a longer unbeaten run on home soil came between January and December 2001, when going 15 games without defeat at Elland Road.
3. Leeds rise above Man Utd in the table
For the first time in this fixture since September 2002, excluding the opening matchday of a season, Leeds go into the meeting sitting above Man Utd in the Premier League table.
Farke’s side will be determined to maintain that advantage with another positive result in front of the Elland Road crowd.
With the two rivals separated in the standings, Sunday’s encounter offers Leeds the chance to underline progress this season while adding another memorable chapter to this historic rivalry.
4. Defensive resilience underpins home form
Leeds have conceded just twice across three Premier League home matches this season, recording a 4-1 victory over Newcastle United, a 1-1 draw with Brentford and a goalless draw against Crystal Palace.
Those results form part of a wider run of 10 consecutive home league games in which the Whites have not conceded more than once.
Maintaining that defensive discipline against a dangerous Man Utd attack could prove crucial as Leeds look to secure another positive result.
5. Okafor chases place in Leeds history
Okafor wrote his name into the story of this rivalry with his two-goal display in April’s 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
The forward has scored twice against Man Utd in the Premier League, with both goals coming in that memorable encounter.
The last Leeds player to score in consecutive league appearances against the Red Devils was Mark Viduka, who found the net in three successive meetings between March 2001 and March 2002.
Viduka remains the only Leeds player to score more than twice against Man Utd in the Premier League, having registered four goals. Okafor has the opportunity to close in on that mark on Sunday.
6. James Justin excelling at both ends of the pitch
Justin has scored three Premier League goals in 2026, with only two defenders scoring more during the calendar year.
The Leeds defender has also recorded 72 tackles, won 155 duels and covered 289.9 kilometres in the Premier League in 2026.
Those figures rank him third for tackles, fourth for duels won and third for distance covered across the calendar year, underlining the all-round contribution he continues to make for the Whites.
7. The last meeting showed Leeds’ attacking quality
Leeds’ 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in April was a statement result, with Okafor scoring in the fifth and 29th minutes before Casemiro pulled a goal back for the hosts after the break.
The Whites also registered an expected goals (xG) figure of 2.57, compared with Man Utd’s 1.27, despite enjoying less possession.
That performance demonstrated Leeds’ ability to create dangerous opportunities and punish. With another meeting against Man Utd approaching, Farke’s side will be aiming to reproduce that clinical edge on home soil.
With Elland Road ready for a huge afternoon of Premier League action, the Whites have every reason to believe another statement can be made against Man Utd.
8. Man Utd make difficult start to the season
Carrick’s side collected just six points from their opening six Premier League matches, winning once, drawing three times and losing twice.
That was their lowest points tally after six league games since 1986/87, when they had four points under Ron Atkinson.
The visitors have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their opening six league matches for a second consecutive season. They had not started back-to-back campaigns in that fashion since 1930/31 and 1931/32.
