It was only the second time that any side has had more touches in the opposition box than Manchester City in a Premier League at the Etihad Stadium for which supporters were inside the stadium. They had 10 players for much of the other one and still won.
But it was Amad’s own numbers that were remarkable. Ten times he touched the ball in City’s box. That was twice as many times as anyone else on the pitch. It is over seven years since an opponent had more touches than that in a Premier League game at City.
It was a product of the urgency in his game – a naked enthusiasm that stood in contrast to much of the lethargy around him. Amad made 26 sprints in the game. Predictably, that was more than anyone else. He has brought some energy to Ruben Amorim’s team.
United are a team in flux under their new coach, a point illustrated by the decision to omit Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the squad for the Manchester derby. Amad had already earned Amorim’s trust by making a fist of the wing-back role.
That willingness to work back brought him his opportunity against City. With Noussair Mazraoui at wing-back against the Premier League champions, Amad was pushed into a more advanced role in the front three and seized his chance in spectacular style.
It is a little baffling that Amad, the hero of their epic FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool in March, was not given more minutes under Erik ten Hag. He was on the bench for each of the Dutchman’s final four Premier League games in charge.
But Amorim has spotted someone willing to run for him. Amad has made 159 high-speed runs under the new boss, more than anyone else. The only Premier League game for which Amorim has left him out so far, at Arsenal, he brought him on at half-time.
There is still a sense that few in this United squad are a natural fit for the system that this coach wants to use. But in demonstrating that he is an option in at least two positions already, Amad already looks to be the first big winner of the new regime.
Gibbs-White’s passing
Morgan Gibbs-White completed 94.4 per cent of his 54 passes for Nottingham Forest in their 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Saturday evening, which is the highest passing accuracy that he has ever had in a Premier League appearance for the club.
That is unusual for a player as creative as Gibbs-White and what is really interesting about his performance is that it was not so high because he had opted to be more risk averse in his work in this particular game. It was just that everything he tried came off.
The data from Genius IQ can track the locations of every player on the pitch to calculate the expected completion rate of each pass. Gibbs-White’s pass completion rate was 10.49 percentage points higher than expected given the difficulty of those passes.
No player over the Premier League weekend overperformed in terms of expected pass completion rate more than he did. He is the one who helps to move Forest up the pitch and provide that spark to their play and that was very evident in their comeback win.
Even if Chris Wood’s goal had not been disallowed due to Anthony Elanga straying marginally offside, Gibbs-White would not have been credited with an assist. But the build-up featured not one but two incisive passes by Forest’s playmaker to set it up.
Gibbs-White did get his assist for Nikola Milenkovic’s equaliser, only his second of the Premier League season, having registered his first in beating Manchester United last time out, a game in which he also scored. A return to top form for an entertaining player.
Doucoure’s pressing
There were Everton supporters lamenting the fact that Abdoulaye Doucoure delayed too long in getting his shot away against Arsenal, thus spurning their clearest opening in their goalless draw with the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
While that frustration is understandable, Doucoure also deserves credit for his role in his team’s point. Everton became the first team to stop Arsenal scoring at home in any competition this season. It would not have been possible without Doucoure.
The Malian’s pressing game is peerless. He put pressure on the ball on 93 occasions in the match, far more than any other player over the Premier League weekend. Sean Dyche knows he is special. This is what he said about Doucoure last season.
“That energy and commitment to press and take the game higher up the pitch, he is very good at that. He can read the play. It is not just his energy it is also his awareness, his tactical understanding, the lines when he presses to stop the opposition from passing.”
Last season, those long legs ate up at a total of 15.85 kilometres when pressing the opposition – more than any other Premier League player. Doucoure’s quality on the ball can be hit and miss. But he always covers the ground. He is still important for Everton.
