Manchester United earned back-to-back victories in the UEFA Europa League after a narrow 3-2 victory over Cyprus club Omonia Nicosia. The host led the match in the first half. Erik ten Hag made some changes to the side at the start of the second half and these players came off the bench to score three goals for the side. Marcus Rashford grabbed a brace and Anthony Martial has now scored three goals in his last two appearances off the bench.
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 ball recovery zones for Omonia? What were the aerial duels’ win zones for Manchester United?
To navigate the stats gallery simply click on the numbers to move through the pages.
The home team started the match in a 5-3-2 formation. The manager chose to play a defensive team, and his game plan almost earned him a point from the game.
Manchester United played the match in their preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. Cristiano Ronaldo started as the lone striker up-front and Erik ten Hag named his strongest 11 in the match. Casemiro was also handed his second start of the season.
The home team ended the match with a possession rate of 31.97%. They were unable to keep hold of the ball in the initial stages of the match. Omonia players averaged around 40% of the possession in the last phase of the match and went on to score the second goal during that period.
Manchester United averaged 68.03% possession in this match. They kept hold of the ball in the first half but saw their opponents score a goal. The Red Devils averaged over 60% of the ball possession in the second half and were able to make a comeback.
Omonia players created 17 positional attacks and attempted four shots from these attacks. They created most of the chances from the left side.
Manchester United players created 48 positional attacks in the match and attempted 19 shots from these attacks. They created most of the chances from the centre.
The home team attempted seven shots and four were on target. Their first attempt came in the 34th minute, and the shot found the back of the net. Tyrell Mitchell lost the ball in the defensive half and was the last defender. His mistake allowed the opposition to score a goal. Omonia also scored a goal with their last shot attempt in the match.
Manchester United players attempted 26 shots and eight of them were on target. They attempted four shots in the first ten minutes of the match. The Red Devils were unlucky as two of the shots attempted hit the post.
The home team ended the match with an xG rate of 1.16. They attempted three shots from inside the penalty box and the other three from outside the box. Omonia had a 100% shooting accuracy from inside the penalty box.
Manchester United ended the match with an xG rate of 3.5. The Red Devils attempted most of the shots from the left side. The shots were attempted from the edge of the penalty box.
Omonia players attempted 233 passes in the match with an accuracy rate of 76.82%. The above viz shows that there was a huge gap in the average position of the defenders and the attackers.
Manchester United players played a very high attacking line and the average position of most of their players was inside the attacking half. They created a lot of passing channels on the left side. Overall, the team attempted 693 passes with a 90.33% passing accuracy rate.
Omonia players tried to pass the ball 30 times into the final third. They were successful in delivering 21 passes.
Manchester United players attempted 99 passes to the final third and had a 76.77% passing accuracy rate.
Omonia players recovered the ball 37 times in the defensive third, 23 times in the middle third, and nine times in the final third. Most of the recoveries were made in the centre.
The visitors recovered the ball 27 times in the defensive third, 44 times in the middle third and 17 times in the final third. Casemiro recovered the ball 23 times for his side.
Both teams contested 154 duels and Omonia players won 50% of them. They won 34 defensive duels and most of the wins came on the right side. Nemanja Miletic and Charalambos Charalambous won five duels each for their side.
The visitors won 76 duels in the match. They won 18 defensive duels and most of the wins came in the middle third.
Omonia struggled to win the aerial ball and only won 12 aerial duels in the match. They had a very low win percentage in the attacking half.
The visitors showed aerial dominance and managed to win 31 aerial duels. Casemiro was in the middle of the action as the Brazilian won 14 aerial duels for his side.
Omonia players won 17 offensive duels and won most of their duels in the middle third. Charalambos Charalambous won seven duels for his side.
The visitors also won the same number of offensive duels. They had a low win percentage in the attacking third, especially on the left side.
Manchester United’s players had to fight till the end to secure three points from this game. They committed a few mistakes and couldn’t capitalise on most of their chances. The manager won’t be happy with the way his team played and will hope that they score more goals when these two teams face each other at Old Trafford next time.
Visuals via Wyscout