Manchester United edged past Leeds United 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in a pre-season friendly at Croke Park in Dublin on Wednesday, with Joshua Zirkzee and Brenden Aaronson sharing the goals in regular time.

The occasion drew an 82,000-strong crowd to the spiritual home of Irish sport, with much of the pre-match conversation centred on Marcus Rashford and his anticipated return to the fold under manager Michael Carrick. Rashford, however, did not feature, despite having rejoined Carrick's group earlier in the week.

A night for the youngsters — until the cavalry arrived

Carrick opted to hand a lengthy run-out to a group of younger players in the first hour, withholding a number of his established stars until well after the break. The approach changed markedly once Bruno Fernandes and new signing Youri Tielemans came off the bench, with the pair combining to sharpen United's attacking play and offering Matheus Cunha some productive shooting practice alongside them.

Fernandes drew the loudest cheers from a predominantly pro-United crowd, who chanted his name throughout the evening. He was played in by Luke Shaw in the second half only to see his effort ruled out for offside, and he struck the crossbar late in the match.

How the goals arrived

Bryan Mbeumo was the most eye-catching of the senior starters for United, showing sharp intensity before delivering a precise low cross that Zirkzee swept home in the 16th minute.

Leeds hit back 13 minutes later. Dan James latched onto a long ball from James Trafford, drew in Ayden Heaven, and laid the ball off for Aaronson to equalise. Daniel Farke's side have now scored 10 goals across five pre-season fixtures this summer — an impressive return.

Leeds freshened their side substantially at half-time, introducing Harry Wilson, Dom Calvert-Lewin, and Noah Okafor among others. The changes did not prevent the game reaching a penalty shoot-out, however, where Wilson missed first for Leeds before Fernandes missed for United to keep the contest alive. Ultimately, James Justin's miss proved decisive, and Noussair Mazraoui stepped up to convert the winning penalty and seal a 5-4 victory for United.