By beating Brighton and Hove Albion 4-2, Manchester United were able to secure a third consecutive Premier League win on Saturday evening.
For the Seagulls, it was their first loss in five outings.
FERNANDES UNLUCKY
It was another frustrating game for Bruno Fernandes (£8.9m) owners. While he came up short of an attacking return, it certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying.
Here, we can see a screenshot of attacking data from the match, inside our Members Area.
What’s evident is that, among the top six players for non-penalty expected goal involvement (NPxGI), Fernandes was the only one who failed to turn his underlying numbers into an attacking return
Interestingly, his 0.57 figure was higher than what he managed in four of his other fixtures this season.
Although short of attacking contributions, the Portuguese playmaker registered his third defensive contribution (DefCon) return of the season, racking up 15 actions to earn a couple of additional points for his owners. He’s now inside the leading eight midfielders for total DefCons.
Overall, his attacking data remains encouraging, which could make him a difficult sell ahead of the Nottingham Forest trip.
MBEUMO MARVELS
While Fernandes failed to deliver for his owners, Bryan Mbeumo (£8.1m) has gained over 470,000 new managers following his performance.
A precise pass from Benjamin Šeško (£7.3m) set him through on goal, allowing him to curl a left-footed effort from the centre of the box into the bottom-right corner. The winger later sealed the victory after latching onto a neat ball from youngster Ayden Heaven (£3.9m), rifling another left-footed strike into the top of the net.
Mbeumo’s brace earned him a massive 15-point haul, placing him as the second-highest scoring midfielder in the game so far.
For those who think Mbeumo’s display against Brighton was a one-off, think again. When compared to every other Man United attacker this season, the Cameroonian leads the way for NPxGI, underlining his consistency and importance to Ruben Amorim’s frontline.
While Fernandes offers both DefCon and penalty potential, Mbeumo’s underlying numbers have been far more convincing. For managers looking to free up some funds – £0.8m, to be exact – switching from one to the other could prove a shrewd move.
MANCHESTER UNITED PURR
While the win wasn’t entirely convincing – arguably affected by a triple substitution between the 65th and 70th minute – the Red Devils still secured their fourth victory in five matches. The result lifted them into sixth place, level on points with local rivals Manchester City.
Defensively, however, they remain far from assured. The late collapse against Brighton highlighted some ongoing issues at the back, and the numbers back that up – they rank among the league’s bottom five sides for big chances conceded (25).
Much of Man United’s recent success, then, can be attributed to their attacking unit:
When compared to every other side, they rank second overall for expected goals (xG). Of that, a mere 1.29 came from this encounter – suggesting a degree of overperformance – but their seasonal data remains impressive.
BRIGHTON’S LATE CHARGE
Brighton struck minutes after Manchester United’s questionable triple substitution. Yankuba Minteh (£6.0m) was fouled on the edge of the box, leading to a stunning free-kick goal from veteran forward Danny Welbeck (£6.4m) – extending his excellent run of form and making it five goals in his previous four.
Seventeen minutes later, the Seagulls doubled their lead as James Milner (£5.0m) delivered a pinpoint cross that was headed home by Charalampos Kostoulas (£4.8m).
However, two late goals weren’t enough to salvage the result, as Brighton fell to their third defeat of the campaign.
There’s still hope for the Seagulls to turn their season around, though, with a favourable run of fixtures ahead – facing Leeds, Crystal Palace, Brentford, and Nottingham Forest in their next four.
