Match Analysis: Arsenal & Atletico Streaks End with Differing Fortunes

WhoScored’s regular early-week round-up of those significant streaks that have come to an end over the past round of matches sees us focus on the Premier League and La Liga. First up, we look at Man United’s late win at Arsenal, where the hosts lost at the Emirates for the first time since August, before turning our attentions to La Liga, as Atletico Madrid recorded their first away win of the season in emphatic style at Real Sociedad.

Quality of Chances Prove Key for United - Match Centre

Arsenal came into Sunday’s game having dropped just four points from their previous nine games at the Emirates, though United had been in strong form on the road, suffering just a single away defeat all season. The visitors just edged possession, with 51% - Wayne Rooney was joint-top for the visitors with 56 passes, as he dropped back to link up with central midfield. No surprise, then, that Michael Carrick (56) and Ryan Giggs (54) were next best for passes and with 47% of the games played in the middle third, Alex Song (56) and Thomas Rosicky (51) also saw the ball more than any Arsenal player.

Much was made of Arsene Wenger’s decision to replace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain midway through the second half and it’s little wonder why the home fans were baffled; he made 4 key passes, the most of any player in the game, in addition to producing 2 successful dribbles and 2 shots. For United, Antonio Valencia was the chief creator - he produced 3 key passes and grabbed an assist. The winger also managed 3 successful dribbles and a couple of shots, netting the opener just before half-time. For his hugely impressive performance, Valencia picked up the WhoScored man of the match award, with a rating of 8.83.

In terms of work-rate, Arsenal made the most tackles, 30 to 24, with Song and Rosicky producing 5 apiece in the heart of midfield. Per Mertesacker was crucial to the Gunners, making a clearance off the line, a last man tackle and six-yard block and was the top-rated home player, with a rating of 7.3. Michael Carrick and Rafael both made 6 tackles for the visitors, while Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans made 18 clearances and won 7 aerial duels between them in the heart of defence. Johan Djourou had a nightmare game at right-back; with United attacking down his flank 51% of the time, he made just 1 tackle before being subbed at half-time. Nicholas Yennaris, his replacement, made 4.

Arsenal had the most shots, with 14 to United’s 9, but only 3 were on target, in comparison to the champions’ 6. Much of this was down to each side’s shot zones - 50% of Arsenal’s were inside the box, whereas 100% of United’s were fired from inside their opponents’ penalty area. While Robin Van Persie grabbed his obligatory goal, Rosicky failed to manage any of his 3 on target. For United, the surprising statistic was that Rooney didn’t manage a single shot all game. Creatively, he was non-existent, making no key passes, and he lost possession 8 times, the most of any player on the pitch. Luckily for Sir Alex Ferguson, Danny Welbeck was on top form - he managed 4 shots, the most of any player, and with 3 on target, found the net once, grabbing a crucial late winner to keep his side within touching distance of Man City at the top of the table.

Inept Shooting Costs Sociedad - Match Centre

Atletico have had something of a Jekyll and Hyde season. Beaten just once as hosts, they have the third best home record in La Liga behind Real and Barca, but on the road, they have been abysmal. They arrived at Real Sociedad with the league’s worst away form, with just two points gathered from their first eight matches. A 4-0 win certainly suggests an easy victory, but the scoreline more than flattered the visitors.

Sociedad had 57% of possession, with Gorka Elustondo sitting in the double pivot producing 61 passes and 21 long balls from deep. Right-back Daniel Estrada was next best for passes (59) and with Sociedad attacking down his flank 44% of the match Estrada pushed on, and though he provided 11 crosses, his delivery was poor with just 1 successful. For the visitors, Gabi saw most of the ball, making 48 passes, but failed to create a goalscoring opportunity for his teammates. Atletico created mainly from their right flank; right-back Juanfran produced 3 key passes, while Diego, playing wide right in a 4-2-3-1, made 2 key passes, though neither picked up an assist. Koke, on as a sub for Diego with 10 minutes left, made an instant impression, picking up 2 assists as Atletico picked off their hosts on the counter.

Atletico just edged the tackle count, by 20 to 19, though it was more of a team effort for the hosts; seven players made 2 or more tackles for Sociedad, in comparison to four players for Atletico. The away side’s left-winger Arda Turan made an incredible 10 tackles, in addition to 2 interceptions. With Sociedad attacking down their opponents’ left flank throughout, left-back Filipe Luis also chipped in with 3 tackles and a couple of interceptions. Centre-backs Miranda and Diego Godin made 23 clearances and won 5 aerial duels between them. For Sociedad, Antoine Griezmann recorded the most impressive defensive stats. The left-winger made 4 tackles and 3 interceptions - he also made 3 key passes, the most creative performer for the home side. The match was something of a tempestuous affair, though; a total of 10 yellow cards were handed out, with Atletico the main culprits, with 7 bookings.

In front of goal, Sociedad were awful. They had the most efforts, by 16 to 15, but, despite 44% of their shots coming  inside the Atletico box, they had just 1 shot on target compared to the visitors’ 9. Their front four had chances aplenty, though the 11 efforts between them were all off target. Lone forward Imanol Agirretxe was the most culpable, with not one of his 5 attempts on target. Atletico’s front four were far more accurate in comparison; 8 of their combined 12 shots were on target. Adrian grabbed a goal but it was summer signing Falcao who stole the show. The former Porto star had 4 shots and grabbed a hat-trick in addition to the WhoScored man of the match award, with a rating of 9.46. He has now netted 14 times this season, grabbing 48% of his side’s goals, with only Cristiano Ronaldo (23) and Lionel Messi (22) scoring more La Liga goals thus far.