3 key passes, 5 tackles, 12 duels won: United livewire was too hot for Villa to handle

Manchester United lost 2-1 at Aston Villa in a close-fought contest which could have gone either way. A depleted United were the better side for large parts of the game but were twice undone by moments of Morgan Rogers brilliance while missing a series of gilt-edged chances. Dorgu back in the team With Amad on national duty with the Ivory Coast for AFCON Patrick Dorgu returned to the starting lineup, playing at left wing-back with Diogo Dalot shifted to the right. The young Dane looked wild and wasteful at times but was one of United’s most dynamic players, constantly getting up and down the flank and making his presence known in the process. No player on the pitch won more duels than Dorgu, who came out on top in 12 of 15 contested for an 80% success rate. This breaks down as ten successful ground duels from 12, and two successful aerial duels from three. Attacking promise His high pressing paid dividends late in the first half when he won the ball back high on the pitch and provided an assist for Matheus Cunha’s equaliser. He also completed one of two attempted dribbles and created two big chances as he grew into an effective attacking outlet for the Red Devils. Nobody made more crosses than the eight he put into the box, although only two found a target. Dorgu recorded an 81% passing success rate, finding his man with 21 of 26 attempted passes, and nobody on the pitch made more than his three key passes. Defensively involved Dorgu also turned up well in the defensive half of the wing-back role, where he made five tackles – this was matched only by Manuel Ugarte. He also chipped in with three clearances and one blocked shot, and wasn’t dribbled past once. PlayerPatrick Dorgu Goals0 Expected goals (xG)0.06 Assists1 Expected assists (xA)0.16 Big chances created2 Key passes3 Crosses (accurate)8 (2) Accurate passes21/26 (81%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)16/20 (80%) Passes in own half (acc.)5/6 (83%) Total shots1 Shots on target0 Shots blocked1 Touches57 Unsuccessful touches1 Dribbles (successful)2 (1) Was fouled4 Possession lost14 Defensive contributions9 Tackles (won)5 (3) Interceptions0 Clearances3 Blocked shots1 Recoveries4 Ground duels (won)12 (10) Aerial duels (won)3 (2) Dribbled past0 Fans were worried about United’s wing-back situation with Amad’s AFCON departure, but Dorgu and Dalot both played well enough to ease concerns slightly ahead of the busy festive period. Stats taken from sofascore. Featured image Alex Pantling via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social 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. He cut his teeth working in print media for local newspapers and entered football journalism covering the grassroots game for the Non-League Paper. Here he achieved a career high, interviewing United legend Sir Bobby Charlton to get his views on the lower echelons of the football pyramid. To kill time during international breaks Joe writes album reviews and has strong views on post punk for Plus One Magazine.