Looking on bright side of 0-0 draw

LONDON • Second-placed Manchester United edged closer towards qualification for the Champions League, the tournament their owners tried to break away from last week, with a goal-less draw at Leeds United in the English Premier League yesterday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men beat their bitter rivals 6-2 at Old Trafford in December but both sides looked short of energy and imagination in a lacklustre encounter at Elland Road.

The point left Solskjaer's side 12 points clear of fifth-placed West Ham United with five games of the season remaining. Manchester City are top of the table on 77 points, 10 ahead of United.

The Norwegian told Sky Sports: "I thought we played well, dominated the second half, just didn't have the ball fall correctly for us in the moments we had.

"When two teams meet you create problems, you solve problems, they give you things to think about and we made them adjust to us.

"We put a really big shift in. I have seen Leeds run over teams in the second half and it was the opposite.

"You don't lose momentum, we are disappointed not to win but the boys have a lot of respect for Leeds. This is not going to be something we look back on as derailing our season."

He rested Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani with one eye on Thursday's Europa League semi-final, first-leg match against Roma and they lacked fluidity, especially in the first half.

There were few chances in what was a physical clash, the visitors going closest to scoring through a dipping free kick from Marcus Rashford just before half-time which was tipped over by Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

As always, Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds were energetic and determined but they too struggled to create openings with their best effort a deflected Helder Costa shot which flew just over the bar.

Bielsa told BBC Sport: "To counter-attack it would mean we play in the opponents' half, leaving space behind. We didn't do this because we couldn't, not because it was a strategy.

Goal-less draws by Manchester United this season, the most in the Premier League. The last time they had more (eight) in a single season was in 1981.

"In the game we defended well. We couldn't attack how we wanted to. Even if we didn't dominate, we avoided the game becoming unbalanced. There are signs of evolution."

United were one of 12 top European clubs who last week announced they were setting up a breakaway European Super League before the plan fell apart.

A plane carrying a slogan against United's owners, the American Glazer family, flew over the stadium before kick-off while hundreds of United supporters had gathered outside Old Trafford on Saturday to demonstrate against the Glazer family's ownership.

The Glazers bought the club for £790 million (S$1.45 billion) in 2005. Although it has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2012, they retain majority ownership.

Protest signs read "United against greed" and "Glazers out", according to Sky Sports.

United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, one of the leading figures in the breakaway project, said on Tuesday he would step down from his role at the end of the year.

Earlier, Chris Wood scored a hat-trick as Burnley pummelled Wolves 4-0 to lift themselves nine points clear of the relegation zone.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE