Leeds United’s 2-1 away victory over 10-man Manchester United has reshaped the Premier League relegation picture, with Jamie Carragher suggesting the performance will unnerve every rival near the bottom. The result lifts Leeds six points clear of the relegation zone and strengthens hopes of securing another season in the top flight.

Noah Okafor scored twice to settle the contest, while Casemiro’s 69th-minute header gave Manchester United brief hope. That goal followed Lisandro Martinez’s dismissal on 56 minutes, which left the hosts a player short. Despite late pressure, Leeds held firm to claim a result that could define their campaign.

The Opta supercomputer now gives Leeds just a 2.2% probability of dropping into the Championship, with six league fixtures remaining. In those simulations, Nottingham Forest are rated at 10.3% for relegation, West Ham at 38.6%, and Tottenham at 48.7%, meaning all three clubs are seen as more at risk than Leeds.

This win also snaps a run of six Premier League games without victory for Leeds, a sequence that included four draws and two defeats. It is only their second league success away from Elland Road this season, after a 3-1 win at Wolves in September, underlining how rare such results have been.

Historically, the night carried extra weight for Leeds supporters. This was Leeds’ first league win over Manchester United since a 1-0 success in September 2002. It was also their first league triumph at Old Trafford since another 1-0 victory in February 1981, ending a sequence of 18 visits without a win, with seven draws and 11 defeats.

Jamie Carragher felt the manner of the display mattered as much as the scoreline. The Sky Sports pundit compared Leeds’ energy with that of other struggling clubs, including Tottenham, arguing recent performances from those sides had not matched Leeds’ level, especially in demanding away fixtures.

“For the majority of this season, they’ve been a breath of fresh air in the Premier League, Carraghersaid on Sky Sports. They’ve been absolutely fantastic. But how they performed in the first half will send a shiver down the spines of everyone in that relegation fight. That was a confident performance, coming to the most in-form team at home.They didn’t just hang on in a game like that, they absolutely bossed Man Utd in the first half. Those teams down there. They would have been watchingthe supporters, players and staff and that will be a big blow for them psychologically. That was the performance of a really good team. When we go back to Tottenham, we haven’t seen a performance like that from them in about six months.”

Leeds’ remaining league schedule features several direct rivals. Daniel Farke’s team host bottom club Wolves at Elland Road this weekend, then also meet Burnley and Tottenham before facing West Ham on the final day. Leeds additionally prepare for an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea on 26 April, adding another major test to a busy run-in.

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Leeds now hold a clearer advantage over the bottom three than at any stage in recent months, helped by this rare Old Trafford success and favourable survival odds. However, with key games still to come against Wolves, Burnley, Tottenham and West Ham, the fight to confirm Premier League safety remains central to their season.