Manchester United returned to winning ways after registering a 3-0 win against Brentford in the English Premier League. Bruno Fernandes gave his side an early lead and scored his 50th goal for the club. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty in the second half, and Raphael Varane sealed the win with his first goal for the club. The Red Devils ended Brentford’s four-match unbeaten streak.
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 was Manchester United’s xG rate? Which Brentford player made the most recoveries inside the opposition’s half?
To navigate the stats gallery, simply click on the numbers to move through the pages.
At the end of the gallery, you’ll be able to download the full PDF stats report.
Manchester United played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Juan Mata getting a start in Manchester United’s attack. Nemanja Matic started in the midfield for his last home game at Old Trafford.
The average position of the starting XI shows that the Red Devils played through the middle. Only Anthony Elanga played wide for his team.
Brentford played in a 5-3-2 formation, with Rico Henry and Mads Rasmussen playing as the two wing-backs.
The average position of the starting 11 shows that Christian Eriksen played a more advanced role than the other two midfielders on the pitch.
Manchester United dominated ball possession and created an xG rate of 2.2. They created 24 positional attacks, five fewer than Brentford. The home team attempted more passes into the final third but fewer passes into the opposition’s penalty box than their opponents. Brentford players made more recoveries inside the opposition’s half and had a high offensive duels win percentage.
Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes attempted four shots each, but the latter created a more expected goal rate in the match. Eriksen was the main player for Brentford on the pitch as he attempted nine passes into the final third, along with four dribbles. His teammates, Rico Henry and Christian Norgaard made five recoveries each inside the opposition’s half. The Bees attempted 28 crosses in the match.
The Red Devils attempted nine shots with a 55.56% shot accuracy rate. They attempted six shots from inside the opposition’s penalty box and managed to hit the target four times.
Brentford’s players attempted 12 shots and managed to hit the target three times. Of these 12 shots, six were attempted from outside the opposition’s penalty box, with two of them on target.
The xT timeline shows that the away team created more threats throughout the match. They attempted three more shots than the opposition in the whole match. Manchester United players only attempted three shots in the first half. They attempted six shots in the second half and scored twice.
Bruno Fernandes was the highest passer of the ball for his side. He attempted 89 passes, 21 of which were towards Nemanja Matic. Both players were on the receiving end of 83 passes each.
Christian Eriksen attempted 60 passes for the Bees, and ten were towards Rico Henry. The Dane was also on the receiving end of most passes.
Manchester United players only attempted three crosses, but they did it with a 100% accuracy rate. Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo attempted two smart passes each.
Rico Henry was the highest crosser of the ball in the match. The left-back attempted 44 passes, and this included nine crosses. Mads Rasmussen attempted 21 passes, and seven of them landed inside the opposition’s penalty box.
The home team created fewer threats in the final third. Right-back Diogo Dalot created the highest threat with 68 passes.
Cristiano Ronaldo created the highest threat rate from dribbles. Anthony Elanga and Alex Telles attempted four dribbles each but were unable to create a lot of threats.
The Bees created more threats in the final third. They attacked a lot from the right side. Christian Eriksen created the highest threats from passes.
Christian Eriksen created the highest threat rate from four dribbles attempted.
Alex Telles, Diogo Dalot, and Nemanja Matic won two defensive duels each for the home team. Both full-backs lost six duels each.
The home team showed some aerial dominance and won ten aerial duels in the defensive third. Alex Telles, Scott McTominay, and Cristiano Ronaldo won three aerial duels each.
Ralf Rangnick’s men lost most of the loose ball duels. Diogo Dalot won two duels, and Bruno Fernandes and Matic won one duel each.
The Bees won three defensive duels each in the defensive, middle and final third. Vitaly Janelt won three duels for his side.
The Bees are a threat in the air and won seven aerial duels in the final third. Ivan Toney contested eight duels and won five.
Pontus Jansson contested four loose ball duels and won two.
The Red Devils won three corners, and two were from the right side. They scored their final goal from the corner awarded on the right side.
Christian Eriksen created a lot of threats as he was behind every corner for the Bees. He also attempted two free-kicks as crosses into the opposition’s penalty box.
Manchester United were clinical with their chances and converted three of them. They won more duels and defended well during the match.
If you want to download the stats report in PDF format you can do so here: Premier League Stats: Manchester United vs Brentford