Match Report
The shoots of hope for Leeds United to stave off relegation are growing greener as Spring approaches.

Their point at Old Trafford against Premiership champions Manchester United was won with a performance of real character and steely determination.

With 18-year-old goalkeeper Scott Carson making his full debut and the Elland Road club missing striker Mark Viduka because of a FIFA suspension, Leeds must have feared the worst.

But an off colour home side, without Louis Saha, created many chances without ever really putting rookie Carson and his defenders under sustained pressure.

Had they breached Leeds' back line in a promising opening, it might have been a different story.

Carson confidently gathered Paul Scholes' deflected 20-yard shot in the opening seconds and then enjoyed a lucky break in the seventh minute.

Ryan Giggs' deep corner from the right found Silvestre stealing in to get in a low shot from six yards which was cleared off the line by Gary Kelly.

John O'Shea went close with a header from another Giggs corner while the Welshman shaved a post after 20 minutes with a 12-yard shot after being fed by Scholes' defence-splitting pass.

Mikael Silvestre's enforced departure forced a reshuffle in the United defence and they were almost caught cold soon after when Dominic Matteo headed Stephen McPhail's free-kick narrowly wide.

In the 28th minute, Scholes' superbly disguised pass from the right along the edge of the Leeds box set up Kleberson, who turned and bent his shot inches wide of a post.

Twice Ruud van Nistelrooy should have punished Leeds in the closing stages of the first half.

First, the Dutchman headed well over the bar from four yards after being picked out by Giggs' excellent left wing cross in the 38th minute and he repeated the exercise four minutes later.

Smith, an isolated figure in the visiting attack, came close to scoring a fluke goal in the closing seconds of the first half when his 20-yard shot deflected off Nicky Butt and was taken with difficulty by home keeper Tim Howard.

The Whites began the second half in the belief that all three points and not one was within their grasp.

In the 53rd minute, Jermaine Pennant scooped the ball back to the near post from the left byline where Eirik Bakke's powerful header forced a fine save from Howard.

In a bid to inject more urgency into proceedings, Ferguson brought on Roy Keane for the ineffective Kleberson after 58 minutes and his first touch at a Giggs corner caused momentary panic in the Leeds defence.

Scholes worked a neat one-two with Butt on the edge of the Leeds penalty area before ballooning his shot high and wide from 12 yards.

The home side's urgency was there for all to see when Gary Neville's charge into the Leeds box ended with his shot rebounding off the top of a post.

The deadlock was finally broken by the Red Devils in the 64th minute.

Butt started the move when he found Scholes outside the Leeds box.

He spread the ball to his right where Gary Neville fired in a fierce 20-yard shot.

Carson did well to keep the ball out, but that most dangerous of predators Scholes was on hand to drive in the rebound right -footed from four yards.

If anyone thought that Leeds would buckle under an expected home onslaught, they were to be proved wrong.

In the 66th minute, Didier Domi's hanging cross from the left picked out the redoubtable Smith on the edge of the six-yard box and he rose above Brown to plant his header into the bottom right corner of the net.

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