Manchester United extended their winning streak to two games after a 1-0 win against Southampton in the English Premier League. Bruno Fernandes’ goal in the second half came to the rescue of Erik ten Hag’s side. Southampton lost for the second time this season and are now averaging one point per game.
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;
Which Manchester United player made the most recoveries? How many shots did Southampton attempt from inside the penalty box?
To navigate the stats gallery, simply click on the numbers to move through the pages.
The home team lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Che Adams led the line and was supported by Joe Aribo from the centre. Southampton played with a back three in the previous league matches but decided to stick with the same formation throughout the match.
The visitors also started in the same formation, and they stuck to the same game plan. Bruno Fernandes played the number ten role for 80-minutes and then shifted to the right side.
Southampton struggled to keep possession in the first half but dominated the ball after conceding the goal. The Saints ended the match with 51.4% possession.
Manchester United had the momentum in the first half and switched to defensive mode after taking the lead.
Southampton created more chances in the game as they attempted 38 positional attacks and attempted 13 shots from these attacks. Most of the attempts came from the right side.
Manchester United players created 25 positional attacks, with 12 of them coming from the right side. The Red Devils’ shot attempts from the attacks generated from the centre had the highest xG.
Southampton attempted 17 shots, with five on target. They missed a lot of chances, with most of the shots going above the crossbar.
The Red Devils attempted 11 shots with a 45.45% shot accuracy rate. There was an opportunity early in the first half for Manchester United to take the lead when their three players attempted four back-to-back shots towards Southampton’s goal. The defence stood strong and stopped the visitors from taking the lead.
Southampton players did well to find space inside the opposition’s penalty box but were unable to convert any opportunities from close range.
Manchester United players attempted six shots from inside the penalty box, and four were on target. Fernandes’ goal from the edge of the box was Manchester United’s last attempt towards the opposition goal.
The Saints made 358 passes in the match with a 79.6% passing accuracy rate. These included 133 forward passes, of which 95 were successful. Romeo Lavia played at the heart of the midfield. Adam Armstrong operated as a secondary striker on the left side.
The Red Devils attempted 391 passes with a 78.01% accuracy rate. Ten Hag’s men attempted 156 forward passes and successfully delivered 106. Fernandes played close to Rashford, and Christian Eriksen commanded the midfield from the left side.
Southampton players tried to find a teammate 58 times and were successful on 42 occasions. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu attempted all his long passes towards striker Che Adams.
The visitors attempted 46 passes to the final third with a 67.5% passing accuracy rate. Tyler Malacia tried to find Jadon Sancho four times in the final third, while Raphael Varane found Elanga three times.
Southampton players tried 22 crosses into the opposition’s penalty box and were successful ten times. Most of the successful crosses were delivered from the left side, with Adam Armstrong behind five crosses.
Manchester United players had 12 cross attempts with a 33.33% accuracy rate. Diogo Dalot supplied four crosses from the right, and one of the attempted crosses found Bruno on the edge of the penalty box, and he converted the cross into a goal.
Both teams contested 247 duels, and Southampton won 107. The above viz shows that 40% of the duels were contested in the final third, but the Saints had a low win percentage.
Manchester United players won 128 duels, with most of the wins coming in the defensive third. They contested 44% of their duels in the defensive third. Scott McTominay was in charge of 36 duels, and he won 19.
The home team contested 56 defensive duels and won 38. Most of the wins came in the defensive half, with Moussa Djenepo and Mohammed Salisu winning six defensive duels each.
Manchester United players contested 76 defensive duels and won 51. They contested most of the duels in the defensive third and had a high win percentage.
The Saints were involved in 51 aerial battles, with 57% of them happening in the attacking third. They tried to find a teammate with crosses and long passes into the opposition’s penalty box but were unable to deliver them successfully. Overall, the team won 23 aerial duels.
Southampton were on the attack, and that led to 77 offensive duels for the home side. They lost most of their offensive duels in the attacking half but won a few in the defensive half.
The visitors only contested 50 offensive duels, and they had a low win percentage of 34%. Anthony Elanga contested eight duels but won only one.
Southampton recovered the ball 109 times, with 51 of those recoveries coming in the middle third. Lavia had a good game in the midfield as the player made 22 recoveries.
The visitors made 86 recoveries, and most of them were made in the defensive half. They made 54 recoveries in the defensive third, with Lisandro Martínez behind 16 recoveries.
Manchester United defended their lead well and took away three points from St. Mary’s Stadium. They were resilient at the back and stopped Southampton from scoring a goal. Southampton were unable to hit the target on most occasions and suffered their second loss of the season.
Visuals via Wyscout