Things you may not have noticed from Man City vs Man Utd
Monday evening's crunch Premier League tie between Manchester City and Manchester United was perhaps as cagey and closely-fought as was to be expected, given what was at stake. Here are a few interesting tidbits we found using ourStatsZone app...
One of the most telling statistics to emerge following last night's game was United's zero shots on target. It was the first time since May 16th 2009 against Arsenal that they have failed to hit the target in a league fixture.
But Wayne Rooney and friends weren't the only ones failing to hit the mark. Manchester City star Sergio Aguero also failed to find the target with his five shots on target, having previously been in sparkling form.
It was a case of18th lucky for City - the cross which lead to Vincent Kompany's first half header was their 18th of the match, and the first successfully find a man in a blue shirt. In the second half, City attempted a further eight crosses, all of which were unsuccessful.
Roberto Mancini's side found it far easier to create chances by attacking through the middle of the pitch and patiently waiting to thread passes through any gaps in United's defence.
Then again, this is perhaps no surprise given City's forwards - Aguero and Carlos Tevez - are both just 5ft8in.
Among City's top performers on the night was Samir Nasri. The Frenchman completed the most passes in the attacking third of the pitch and also completed the most successful take-ons of any player on the pitch.
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But despite Nasri's impressive showing, it was one of City's defenders, Pablo Zabaleta, who created the most chances. The Argentine fullback made key passes on four occasions over the 90 minutes, generally from deep on the right.
Zabaleta also made the most interceptions of any player - six of City's 18. This consistent picking of United's pockets helped the Premier League's new leaders frustrate their rivals and fairly comfortably hold out for three points.
Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE during the game, covering Champions League and Premier League.
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