Manchester United have made a performance to remember. They have managed to beat Manchester City in the big derby and therefore end their 21-match long winning streak. City’s run has made them forget the last time they did not win and United did their best to remind them in a 2-0 win at the Etihad. This loss will not destabilise City too much, as they are still in control on their run to the Premier League trophy, but it was a really good match to see how United can rise to the occasion. Such performance should not be hyped too much, as this was the first match against a Big Six side United have been part of this season in which they scored a goal from open play. Matches against Big Six sides were often underwhelming and should not be forgotten. However, this win should be the blueprint for a team that wants to grow.
After the game, we mentioned four things we have learned from the match, but this time we will be looking at some underlying metrics to see if our eyes have missed something. Here are some of our conclusions.
United Create Better Chances
Looking at the expected goals, Manchester United have created better chances, as their tally adds to 1.8 xG, with Manchester City being slightly behind with 1.5 xG. Sure, an important caveat here is that United have earned a penalty inside the first minute of the game, but there are other things to consider too. For example, there is the fact that City have made 23 shots on goal during 90 minutes, only six of which were going on target. More importantly, a crux of those shots were coming from poor positions, something that we were used to saying about United in recent years. At the other end of the pitch, United made just seven shots, but they were from clearly better positions, something which was somewhat allowed to happen to the space United attackers often had in attack.
Wan-Bissaka Ruins Sterling’s Game
After the game, Luke Shaw got a lot of praise and deservedly so. He put in a performance worth praise, but on the opposite side of United’s defence, we should not forget Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The right-back had the task of stopping Raheem Sterling and boy did he do just that. Wan-Bissaka made Sterling’s game look appalling, as he managed to win two out of three tackles, make five successful pressures, add four blocks and an astounding six interceptions. Sterling, on the other hand, was one of the City players who had the worst game, as he had just two shots in entire match and managed to get past Wan-Bissaka on one occasion, never really creating anything out of that.
Martial Does Plenty
Anthony Martial got his place in the starting XI to lead the line and he delivered. Not only he managed to earn the penalty right after the match started, but he also managed to do plenty of other things. He completed all three of his dribbles he attempted, bringing the ball further forward, and he also made two shots on target, completing all but one of his 20 passes. After a poor run of form in recent months, this was an important performance from the Frenchman.
Leave a Reply