da betcris： After an uninspiring 2-0 defeat on the road to West Ham United last weekend, Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United were in desperate need of a victory that would get the fans back on their side. Luckily, the Red Devils completed an incredible second-half comeback to claim a 3-2 win and an important three points.
da betway： At half-time, boos were ringing around Old Trafford after the hosts conceded two very soft and avoidable goals from set pieces in the 21st and 26th minute. At that point, it seemed that United were set to suffer their ninth defeat of the season in the Premier League.
Instead, the Red Devils won their tenth game of the season in the league and only their second in the last seven matches, which puts them in sixth place for the time being.
Man Utd’s stats vs Aston Villa
United started the game slowly and only registered one attempt at goal prior to Villa’s two goals, but the reaction to going two behind was far better than the one versus the Hammers. In the first half, the possession statistics were exactly even, yet most of the half consisted of the hosts attempting to breach the Villa highline, with Ten Hag’s team getting caught offside six times.
The boss clearly inspired the side during the interval, and they had the ball in the back of the net five minutes later through Alejandro Garnacho. Even though it was ruled out for offside, it lifted the crowd and gave the players belief. However, just before the hour mark, the Argentine did end United’s four-game goalless streak, and when the goal went in, it seemed only a matter of time before the second would arrive.
The Red Devil’s press was relentless, and they only had 41% of the ball in the second half, but United were on top. The 19-year-old grabbed his brace with 20 minutes to go, and Rasmus Hojlund scored his first Premier League goal to steal the victory. Overall, they only had six shots in the second half and scored three goals from an xG of 0.73, proving that Ten Hag’s side were clinical for the first time this season.
Bruno Fernandes’ game in numbers
Despite Garnacho scoring a brace and being handed a 9/10 rating by Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, Bruno Fernandes was one of the best on the field, with his performance going under the radar – despite only earning a 6/10 match rating from Luckhurst.
The Portuguese midfielder created three chances, which was the most in the game, but he did lose possession 25 times, slightly more than you would hope for but understandable given his role to create. The table below sums up Fernandes’ game in numbers.
Touches
75
Chances created
3
Shots
2
Recoveries
5
Tackles won
3/3 (100%)
Although he didn’t register a goal contribution, the captain was instrumental in the build-up and for each goal, acting as the connector between midfield and attack. He tackled Douglas Luiz and played Marcus Rashford through on goal for the first, drifted out wide and made the cross that led to the second, and took the corner that Hojlund scored from.
While it may have understandably been the youthful duo of Garnacho and Hojlund who stole the headlines for getting on the scoresheet, it was Fernandes who was arguably something of a saviour for Ten Hag due to his performance in the centre of the park.
Having gone four games without a win, the Dutchman needed his captain to step up – and boy did he.