Manchester United hosted crosstown rivals Manchester City for what could have been a blockbuster derby encounter, but was actually more of a damp squib.
The game ended goalless and was marked by a lack of intensity on both sides, and while this was bad news for the fans it allowed one of United’s fading stars to roll back the years in a dominant performance.
Lining up in a double pivot alongside Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro shielded his team’s defence with remarkable efficiency.
The Brazilian made a huge 11 tackles and was not once dribbled past as he helped form a barrier which the likes of Kevin de Bruyne could not breach.
No player from either side made more, and it was a higher number than all four of the centre-backs who wore red today (Victor Lindelof replaced Harry Maguire during the second half) managed combined.
On top of his tackles, he also made two interceptions and one clearance to make a very real contribution to his side’s clean sheet.
Unsurprisingly he also recorded high numbers of duels, contesting 17 in total and winning 13 for a success rate of 76%.
He took 61 touches of the ball, only bettered in red by Bruno Fernandes, and found his man with 29 of his attempted 39 passes.
This gave a passing accuracy of 74%, which was the third worst of any United player.
Wayward passes have become an unwanted feature of the 33-year-old’s game, and he was lucky the visitors did not capitalise on any today.
The slow tempo of the game and the presence of Ugarte alongside him made today a nice experience for the Brazilian, but he can’t expect the same from United’s next match.
Next weekend the Red Devils travel north to face Newcastle United, whose midfield is notoriously dynamic and tough – Casemiro may well feature, but will have to be on his toes in a way which he wasn’t quite required to be today.
Stats taken from sofascore.
Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
