Manchester United won their first game of the season after a 2-1 victory over rivals Liverpool in the English Premier League. The Red Devils won their first match under Erik ten Hag and handed Jurgen Klopp’s men their first taste of defeat in the 2022/23 season. They have now registered their first points of the season and have moved above Liverpool in the league table.
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;
How many interceptions were made by Manchester United? What were the attacking zones for Liverpool?
To navigate the stats gallery, simply click on the numbers to move through the pages.
Manchester United started the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Marcus Rashford led the line, and Anthony Elanga got a start ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Liverpool played the match in their regular 4-3-3 formation. Roberto Firmino returned to the lineup, and that was a big boost for Jurgen Klopp.
The home team had less than 50% possession during the whole match and ended the match with only 29.16% ball possession. They had a direct approach to scoring goals and allowed Liverpool to keep the ball.
Liverpool dominated possession from the start and ended the match with 70.84% ball possession. They conceded two goals on the break and found it hard to beat a rigid Manchester United defence.
Manchester United created 17 positional attacks, with most of the attacks coming from the left. They attempted five shots from these attacks. The Red Devils were sharp on the counter and made five counterattacks with three shot attempts. Of these five counters, four came from the centre.
Liverpool created 47 positional attacks and attempted ten shots in the process. Most of their attacks came from the right side, but the highest xG was generated from 16 attacks made from the centre.
Manchester United players attempted 12 shots, with five on target. They had an attacking approach from the start and attempted three shots within the first ten minutes. Jadon Sancho opened the scoring in the 20th minute for the home team before Marcus Rashford’s 52nd-minute goal handed his side a two-goal lead.
The Reds attempted 17 shots, and they also hit the target five times. They had a slow start and attempted their first shot in the 19th minute. Mohamed Salah scored a goal in the 81st minute.
Manchester United ended the match with an xG rate of 1.46. They attempted five shots from inside the penalty box and four shots from the edge of the penalty box.
Liverpool ended the match with an xG rate of 2.28. They attempted 11 shots from inside the penalty box, with four attempts coming from inside the 6-yard box.
The Red Devils contested 55 offensive duels and won 24. They contested 22 duels in the attacking third and won some of them on the left side. Anthony Martial came off the bench to win eight duels for his team.
The visitors contested 65 offensive duels and won 27. They contested 33 duels in the final third and won a few on the right side and on the edge of the penalty box. Luis Diaz contested 20 offensive duels and won five.
The Red Devils’ low possession rate allowed them to attempt only 247 passes. They had an accuracy rate of 75.35%, and this was lower due to their direct approach to finding a teammate in dangerous areas.
The visitors attempted 607 passes with an 86.66% passing accuracy rate. The full-backs played a high line, and Harvey Elliott supported Mo Salah on the right side.
Manchester United players attempted 33 passes to the final third with a 57.6% passing accuracy rate. Bruno Fernandes attempted three passes towards Marcus Rashford. Lisandro Martinez also tried to find Anthony Elanga three times. The home team attempted nine smart passes and successfully delivered eight.
Liverpool players attempted 72 passes to the final third with a 73.6% passing accuracy rate. Andy Robertson attempted five passes towards Luis Diaz and in return, received a pass from the forward.
Both teams contested 214 duels, and the home team won 106 of those. The above viz shows that Manchester United had a high duels win percentage inside their half. Bruno Fernandes contested 28 duels and won 11.
Liverpool won 95 duels and had a high win percentage in the middle third. They contested most of their duels in the attacking third and won a few on the left side.
The home team won 41 defensive duels, with Tyrell Malacia winning nine duels in his first start for the Red Devils.
Liverpool players won 28 defensive duels. Joe Gomes contested eight duels and won five.
Manchester United had to deal with a lot of aerial balls. They contested 40 aerial duels and won 18.
Liverpool players also won 18 aerial duels. They contested 18 duels each in the middle third and final third. Virgil van Dijk won five aerial duels for his side.
Erik ten Hag’s men’s high interception rate was the reason behind their success. Lisandro Martinez had the highest number of interceptions in his previous start, and he once again led the chart for the home team.
Liverpool also made 30 interceptions, with the highest count coming in the defensive third. The centre-back pairing made five interceptions each.
Manchester United players recovered the ball 92 times, with 48 recoveries in the defensive third and 34 in the middle third. Raphael Varane and Diogo Dalot made 12 recoveries each by winning a few duels in the defensive half.
Liverpool players made 94 recoveries, with 37 recoveries each in the defensive and middle third. Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk recovered the ball 45 times.
Manchester United defended their goal until the final whistle blew. They didn’t give enough chances to Liverpool and were able to hit them on the counter. The manager was happy with the effort of his players and they will now aim for more wins in the season.
Visuals via Wyscout