Life after Jesse Marsch got off to a near-perfect start as Leeds United drew 2-2 with third-placed Manchester United in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.

The American was handed his marching orders on Monday after a run of seven games without a victory and in the caretaker control of U21 boss Michael Skubala, the Yorkshire giants looked a different animal.

Whilst it was another outing without three points, a draw at Old Trafford shouldn't be overlooked, even if they did hold a 2-0 lead until the hour mark.

Anything less than a point would've been grossly unfair on the Whites, who took the lead through Wilfried Gnonto after less than a minute before Raphael Varane unwillingly turned the ball into his own net to double the advantage just a few minutes after the break.

The Red Devils fought back after some inspired substitutions, though Skubala's men were very impressive on the night, led by the aforementioned Italian teenager.

Leeds' captain for the night Luke Ayling equally caught the eye as journalist Beren Cross suggested that he had "dazzled" in what is a "massive point in the grand scheme of things."

Indeed, the 31-year-old veteran pocketed one of the Premier League's up-and-coming stars in Alejandro Garnacho - just three minutes after he was hooked by Erik ten Hag, United had found the net and that's a glowing endorsement on Ayling's display.

As per Sofascore, the former Arsenal graduate registered a whopping 12 tackles throughout the 90 minutes he was on the pitch. He also contributed four clearances, two interceptions and one block to help thwart any danger down the right flank.

The £35k-per-week machine was also the Whites' second highest-rated player (7.6), having won as many as 17 duels both on the ground and in the air, only further proving how strong and dominating he was up against Garnacho and co.

Elsewhere, he was involved frequently in progressing the ball forward as no other Leeds player registered as many as his 73 touches and his two successful dribbles from three attempts would also suggest that he had some success in driving up the pitch.

It was a performance that was further hailed as "enormous" by Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Joe Donnohue and "absolutely immense" by Manchester Evening News contributor Conor McGilligan.

Gnonto is the more flashy player and he'll deservedly earn his plaudits after his wonderful strike to open the scoring but Ayling was equally stunning as the pair delivered their very best on their way to a solid away point.

AND in other news, Beren Cross reveals major update in Leeds' managerial search...