Arsenal Vs Manchester United: The remarkable stats

Arsenal lost to Manchester United on Saturday evening in one of the most remarkable games of football this season. And here are some remarkable stats to boot.

Let’s be clear, from a purely neutral perspective, that was one of the greatest football matches that I have watched in many, many years. Drama, quality, attacking action, goals, mistakes, and a fiery atmosphere that has been missing from Arsenal’s Manchester United tilt in recent seasons. It was a truly remarkable match, even if it ended in a 3-1 loss for the Gunners.

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While I am obviously disappointed with the result, from a distanced and objective position, I can at least admire the entertainment value of the game. And there are many statistics that have been birthed from such a contentious and dramatic fixture. So here are some of the more astonishing ones.

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The first thing to note is the number of saves David de Gea was forced to make. 14 in total. That is the most of any goalkeeper stretching all the way til when the stat was forced tracked. The TV coverage may have named Jesse Lingard as Man of the Match, but, in all honesty, there was no one in the same stratosphere as the United shot-stopper.

In all, Arsene Wenger’s side had 75% possession, 33 shots on goal, 15 of which were on target, and, per Opta, had an expected goals of five. Now, there are many faults with expected goals models. They are, after all, just a model. They will never be able to analyse a match as accurately as the judgement of the naked eye. But in this case, they do provide a nice outline as to the attacking dominance of the home side.

Moreover, Arsenal made 655 passes, in contrast to United’s 222, with over half of them coming in the final third, 365. In fact, United had just 85 passes in the final third, more than four times less than their hosts. That is a sign of the dominance that Wenger’s side enjoyed.

Having said all of that, the game is not won by the number of passes made, the number of saves forced, or even the expected goals yielded. It is won by the number of times a team can put the ball in the back of the net. Football is a simple, if infuriating, game.

And United were clinical when they got their opportunities. Just eight shots in the match, four of which were on target. Three goals. Moreover, they did not make silly mistakes. Shkodran Mustafi, for the 11 minutes that he was on the pitch, completed just 50% of his passes. For a centre-half, that is absolutely unacceptable.

Next: Arsenal Vs Manchester United: Player ratings

This was an astonishing game of football. A thoroughly invigorating and pulsating watch. And the stats are equally as remarkable. But at the end of it all, there’s only one stat that counts, and on this occasion, it reads Arsenal 1 – 3 Manchester United.