An 81st minute own goal by Steven Reid ensured Man United opened their title defence with a win at West Brom. The 2-1 victory perhaps took the spotlight off keeper David de Gea after the young Spaniard make a basic mistake for the second game running, allowing a tame Shane Long shot to squirm under his body just after the half-hour mark.
The shine was taken off the three points for Sir Alex Ferguson, however, when both Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were ruled out for six and two weeks respectively after the game. United now play host to Tottenham and Arsenal also without the services of Rafael, as the right-back was ruled out for 10 weeks with a shoulder injury suffered in training.
Game Stats
Despite United dominating the proceedings with 59% possession, it was West Brom who held the biggest goal threat. The Baggies had 10 shots to their visitors’ 8 and United, surprisingly, managed just 1 shot on target all game, compared to West Brom’s 3. Roy Hodgson clearly had his players’ target de Gea’s weakness from long-distance shots- 50% of their attempts came from outside the box.
United played a total of 540 passes to West Brom’s 370, with 440 short passes compared to their hosts’ 310. From out wide, they threatened more- 31 crosses came from the United flanks, with the Baggies making just 17. The visitors also played far more long balls (68 to 46), using the pace of Young and Nani to stretch their opponent’s back-four.
Attack Zones
United’s attacks came mainly down the left flank, with 43% compared to 31% on the right and 26% through the middle. This is shown in the stats of Ashley Young on the left (73 touches and 48 passes) in comparison to Nani (43 touches and 30 passes) on the opposite flank.
For West Brom, 35% of attacks came down the left, 36% through the middle and only 29% down the right. Left winger James Morrison had more touches (68) and passes (44) than any team mate and also made more key passes (3) than any player on the pitch.
Player Positions
Despite playing in the hole behind Shane Long in West Brom’s 4-4-1-1, it was Somen Tchoyi (5) who was the home side’s most advanced player when in possession. Long (9) played deeper, providing knock-ons (he won 4 aerial duels) for the tricky Tchoyi. Chris Brunt (11), a left-footer playing on the right, continually came inside onto his more natural foot when in possession, leaving a gap on the West Brom flank that United exploited.
Brunt’s position gave Ashley Young (18) the freedom to maraud down the flank and spark many of his side’s attacking moves, as mentioned above. The lack of width from their opponents midfield gave United’s full-backs Fabio (20) and Chris Smalling (12) the chance to push up and support Young and Nani (12) on their respective flanks.
Key Performers
West Brom
Chris Brunt was Man of the Match with a rating of 7.69. The Irishman made 37 passes from the right wing, the third best of any Baggies player, and was heavily influential- Brunt had 8 of his team’s 17 crosses, played 3 long balls and 1 key pass, as well as having 2 shots at goal. He put in a solid defensive shift too- 2 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 clearances were indicative of his work-rate and key to the Baggies performance.
Stationed in central midfield, Youssuf Mulumbu put in a fantastic defensive shift. He made 5 tackles and 4 interceptions, more than any player for either category. Mulumbu also made 44 passes -joint-top for West Brom with James Morrison- with an incredible 95% pass accuracy, better than any teammate. He also played 3 long balls, all accurate, and made 1 key pass for his 7.03 WhoScored.com rating.
Man United
Anderson made 57 passes in central midfield, second only to Tom Cleverley. His assuredness in possession saw him record a brilliant 96% pass accuracy, the most of any starting player on display. He also played 7 long balls, with every one accurate and managed 1 key pass over the 90 minutes. Anderson also made 4 successful dribbles, the most in the match, and twice that of the next best player, Ashley Young. Defensively, he made 3 tackles and 1 interception in a great all-round performance that saw him pick up 7.34 in WhoScored.com’s ratings.
Wayne Rooney grabbed the opening goal for United. The forward had 3 shots -joint-top with Nani and Paul Scharner- with the 1 on target leading to the 13th minute goal. Rooney played his part creatively, too; he made 2 key passes from his total of 44, with an 86% pass accuracy and also played 5 accurate long balls for a rating of 7.68.
