Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes Sunday's substitutions turned the tide in his favour against Leeds United.
United escaped from a fervent Elland Road with three points thanks to late goals from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. But it was far from plain sailing for Ten Hag's side, who struggled to cope with the energy and physicality of the managerless Whites.
Under the temporary charge of Michael Skubala, the home side harnessed the atmosphere in West Yorkshire to dictate the frantic pace of the game for most of a goalless 80 minutes. But when Rashford rose highest to head home Luke Shaw's cross, United got a hold on the game, allowing Garnacho to arrow home a second shortly after.
RATINGS: Rashford and Shaw good in Leeds win
Both of those goals came after a trio of changes made by Ten Hag, with Lisandro Martinez, Garnacho and Aaron Wan-Bissaka all coming on between minutes 60 and 73. And speaking after victory was secured, the Dutchman praised the impact of his substitutes in bringing calm to a chaotic moment.
"It was a hectic game, which you expect," Ten Hag told Match of the Day. "At the start we were not calm enough, we made bad decisions on the ball and were not calm enough on the ball, too hectic, and after the subs we were a little calmer, we dictated the game a bit more."
Another significant change saw Rashford moved centrally, his header a near-mirror image of the first goal at Old Trafford on Wednesday - just this time from the left side and Shaw. The 25-year-old's goal took him to eight from 10 games in 2023, more than anyone else across Europe's top five leagues in domestic competition.
And Ten Hag has urged his in-form forward to remain focused: "He is a great striker, he scores with left, right and head. It is about keeping focus for the whole game, and it is about the finishing and he has the capabilities to do that."
A fifth win in six games across all competitions sees United head to Spain with serious momentum as they look to progress into the next round of the Europa League. On Thursday, they face Barcelona at Camp Nou in the first leg of their play-off round - a tie Ten Hag is looking forward to.
"It is a great game," he added. "Two big clubs wanting a reset and we really look forward to competing with them."
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