It was a day to forget for Manchester United players as they got hammered by Brentford 4-0 in the English Premier League. Erik ten Hag’s team is yet to register a point after back-to-back defeats in the league.
We’ve broken down all the key stats for you to digest, including;
* shot maps
* xT (expected threat)
* pass networks
* xG timelines
* defensive duels
* average positions and much more!
We also try to answer some questions for you with the visuals;
What were the offensive duels’ winning zones for Brentford? How many positional attacks were attempted by Manchester United?
To navigate the stats gallery, simply click on the numbers to move through the pages.
The Bees started and ended the match in a 5-3-2 formation. They had an extra player in the attack to put pressure on the opposition’s defence.
The Red Devils started the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Cristiano Ronaldo starting his first match of the season. Christian Eriksen dropped to the midfield, with Bruno Fernandes operating in the number ten role.
Brentford players ended the match with 33.47% ball possession. They scored back-to-back goals inside the first half and ended Ten Hag’s hope of his first competitive win as a Manchester United manager. They were unable to keep the ball for a longer time in the second half.
The Red Devils dominated possession and had a possession rate of over 50% throughout the match. They were unable to create a lot of threats despite so much of the ball at their feet.
The Bees were involved in 23 positional attacks and attempted six shots. They created most of the attacks from the right side, but the highest xG rate was generated from the centre.
Manchester United players were involved in 35 positional attacks and attempted 13 shots. The Red Devils also created most of the chances from the right side.
Brentford players were clinical with their finishing. They attempted 12 shots, with six on target. They scored all the goals in the first half, with the first goal coming in the tenth minute of the match with only their second attempt.
Manchester United players attempted 15 shots, with four on target. The Red Devils were unable to beat David Raya in Brentford’s goal.
Brentford ended the match with an xG rate of 1.75. They attempted five shots from inside the penalty box and scored on three occasions, with one goal coming from inside the 6-yard box.
Manchester United had a low xG rate of 0.84. They attempted five shots from inside the box and six from outside the box. They were unable to create enough threats to trouble the opposition players.
The Bees were involved in 231 passes with a low accuracy rate of 74%. They targeted the left side of Manchester United’s defence, and most of the passing was done on that particular side.
Erik ten Hag’s men attempted 528 passes with an 86.74% passing accuracy rate. Diogo Dalot was involved in a lot of passes and was linked with a lot of teammates.
Brentford attempted 31 passes to the final third with a 77.42% accuracy rate. David Raya found Ivan Toney four times from long passes, and the striker linked the play to find Bryan Mbeumo in the attacking third.
The Red Devils attempted 64 passes to the final third with a high success rate of 89%. Dalot made a lot of runs on the right side and was found most often by his teammates.
Brentford players were poor with their crossing. They tried 11 crosses but failed to find a teammate.
The visitors attempted 22 crosses in the match, with 11 crosses from both sides. They managed to find a teammate nine times, with five successful attempts from the left side. Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford delivered three successful passes each.
Both teams were involved in 189 duels, with the Bees winning 84 of them. They won most of the duels on the right side in the attacking third. Ivan Toney contested 32 duels and won eight.
Manchester United players won 93 duels, with a lot of those wins coming on the flanks. Cristiano Ronaldo and Scott McTominay contested 21 duels each, with 12 wins for the midfielder.
The Bees contested 50 defensive duels with a 54% win rate. They won the duels in different areas of the pitch and were successful in defending their goal.
The Red Devils contested 60 defensive duels with a 55% success rate. They had a high win percentage inside the opposition’s half.
The home team was involved in 36 aerial duels, winning 14 of them. They defended their goal by winning 75% of the aerial duels inside their half.
The Red Devils won 17 aerial duels, with most of the wins coming inside their half. Harry Maguire contested seven aerial duels and won four.
Brentford’s players were excellent in recovering the ball, especially in crucial areas. They made 82 recoveries, with 35 in the defensive third, 29 in the middle third, and 18 in the attacking third. Roco Henry made 13 recoveries as he stopped the opposition’s attack from the left.
The Red Devils made 84 recoveries, with 41 coming in the defensive third, 23 in the middle third, and 20 in the final third. They made a lot of recoveries on the wider sides inside their half. Maguire and Fred made 11 recoveries each.
Manchester United’s players were unable to create many threats and spent the majority of the game on the back foot. David de Gea made two mistakes that cost them the first two goals. The manager was unhappy with his players’ commitment and could make a few changes to the team for the next match. Brentford deserved three points from this game.
Visuals via Wyscout