Manchester United have earned their first points of the UEFA Europa League 2022/23 season after claiming a 2-0 victory over Sheriff. Jadon Sancho opened the scoring for the visitors, and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the win from the penalty spot. Manchester United’s number seven scored his first goal of the season.
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 Sheriff player won the highest number of defensive duels? How many smart passes were attempted by Manchester United?
To navigate the stats gallery simply click on the numbers to move through the pages.
The home team played the match in a 4-3-3 formation.
Manchester United played the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Cristiano Ronaldo led the line and was supported by Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, and Antony. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez returned to the backline.
Sheriff ended the match with a possession rate of 35.54. They had the highest possession count at the end of the first half. Sheriff were unable to keep the ball in the last phase of the match.
Manchester United had a high possession rate of 64.46%. They had a high share of possession when they scored the first goal. The possession rate went down to 45%, but the Red Devils scored a goal during that period.
Sheriff were behind 28 positional attacks and seven shots were attempted from these attacks. Most of the attacks came from the left side.
Manchester United players attempted 32 positional attacks but only attempted three shots from these attacks. Most of the attacks came from the centre and the right side.
Sheriff had nine shot attempts and two were on target. Six attempts were wide and didn’t trouble the keeper.
The Red Devils attempted seven shots and managed to hit the target three times. The first goal attempted by United found the back of the net.
The home team ended the match with an xG rate of 0.32. They attempted all their shots from outside the penalty box and were unable to create a lot of threats.
Manchester United players attempted five shots in the first half and only two in the second half. Every shot was attempted from inside the penalty box.
Sheriff players attempted 270 passes with an 81.48% accuracy rate. The above viz also shows the average position of the players. Moussa Kyabou almost played as a third centre-back, and that allowed the other four midfielders to stay high up on the pitch.
Manchester United attempted 602 passes with an accuracy rate of 88.04%. Most of the passing links were created on the left side. Once again, Christian Eriksen played an attacking role on the left side.
Sheriff players had 45 pass attempts to the final third. They managed to find a teammate 29 times.
The visitors had 67 pass attempts to the final third. They successfully delivered 53 passes, with Bruno Fernandes behind most of these passes.
Sheriff players attempted four smart passes and only delivered one. Most of these passes were attempted from the middle third.
The Red Devils attempted ten smart passes and found a teammate on seven occasions. Bruno Fernandes was behind four smart passes and had a 50% accuracy rate. Most of these passes were attempted in the final third.
Both teams contested 175 duels, and the home team won 86. These included 35 defensive deuls won, with most of the wins coming in the defensive half. Patrick Kpozo contested 13 duels and won eight.
Manchester United won 85 duels in the match. They won 46 defensive duels, and most of the wins came in the middle third. Scott McTominay and Raphael Varane won seven duels each.
Sheriff won nine aerial duels in the match. Abou Ouattara won three aerial duels for his side.
The visitors won 12 aerial duels in the match. Raphael Varane and Scott McTominay were dominant in the air and won four duels each.
Sheriff won 27 offensive duels in the match. They won most of the duels on the right side.
Manchester United players only won 17 offensive duels. Antony was involved in ten duels, and he won five.
The home team won 34 duels in the defensive third, 23 in the middle third, and 12 in the final third. Stjepan Radeljic made 15 recoveries for Sheriff.
Manchester United players made 28 recoveries in the defensive third, 26 in the middle third and eight in the final third. Raphael Varane made 13 recoveries for his team.
The Red Devils performed decently and took three points away from home. They were unable to attempt a lot of shots. They will look to improve their stats in the next match and improve their goal difference. Sheriff suffered their first loss in the competition and will look to make a comeback in their next match.
Visuals via Wyscout