78 per cent possession. 34 attempts. 13 attempts on target. Seven big chances.
There are no two ways about it, those statistics are usually reflected within an emphatic winning margin. But, despite amassing an 'expected goals' total of 4.15 across their meeting with Omonia Nicosia at Old Trafford on Thursday night, this wasn't quite the case for Manchester United.
For context, Liverpool amassed an expected goals total of 3.81 as they defeated Bournemouth 9-0 in the Premier League in late August. Yet, on Thursday night, United could only manage a single goal. And it took until second half injury time to take the lead in the match, when substitute Scott McTominay found himself with a shooting opportunity inside the opposing penalty area.
That McTominay, who replaced Casemiro - one of United's standout performers - as the defensive midfielder in the latter stages, was so far forward from an open play phase was an indictment of the desperation forced upon Erik ten Hag's side. It was ultimately a substitute goal-scorer that made the difference again; seven of United's last eight goals have now been scored by players introduced off the bench.
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With regards to the game's flow, there are no two ways about it: United were completely dominant. From the outset, the approach was positive - much like against Everton last weekend as they impressed en-route to taking three points away from Goodison Park.
United promptly settled into a rhythm, holding the ball well and sustaining pressure on Omonia's defence.
It was a front-footed display in almost every regard, contributing to United hemming Omonia back into a deep shape, avoiding any repeats of occasional breakaways afforded the week prior. In the away fixture, the Cypriot side were able to score twice, including taking the lead during the first half. United did well to ensure their opposition weren't able to be as expressive on their venture to Manchester.
The intensity was high from the home side, with United ensuring that they won the ball back quickly after losing it while shifting it with poise when in possession. Omonia were allowed very few avenues to win the ball and then sustain any kind of foothold.
United were certainly at their most threatening when the ball was shifted quickly, with a production of consistent attacking patterns. Despite Omonia being content to remain deep and defend, United were able to find openings inside the final third and engineer space in and around the penalty box. This scope to create was a feature throughout the affair, hence United's almost absurd shots tally.
Marcus Rashford was an individual that particularly caught the eye again. He embodied United's sharpness in attacking areas - very much a legacy of his replenished confidence. He was a shadow of himself last season, but he has emerged from that shadow again and is starting to excel in a United shirt once more. The situation is quickly becoming one where full-backs are wary of him again, owing to his directness and explosiveness (both of which are returning to his game again).
Rashford looked the most likely United player to get on the scoresheet for large periods of the match. The intricate nature of his game is evident again at present, with his vast skillset and dynamism crucial in his ability to find himself in goal-scoring positions. For a while too, he looked as though he had limitations to his game. But he is starting to appear well-rounded much like his earlier years, offering value in link-up play and not just one-dimensionally looking to run and shoot.
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On another day, the chances are Rashford could have had a number of goals to his name - just as he did in Cyprus as he scored twice off the bench. He took 10 shots, with only one off-target; five of his efforts were saved, while he saw four blocked.
It was the story of United's night that end product was awry. However, plenty of that did come as a consequence of Omonia's resistance defensively, plus a goalkeeper in supreme form (which seems to happen very often at Old Trafford). Of United's 34 attempts, 10 were blocked and a further 12 were saved by Francis Uzoho.
Nigerian international Uzoho makes no secret of his adoration for United, with a catalogue of past tweets confirming his staunch allegiance to the club as a supporter. It was his dream to feature at Old Trafford when the Europa League draw was made, and it just so happened that first-choice goalkeeper Fabiano sustained a shoulder injury that saw him miss the trip. And so, Uzoho, whose hero is David De Gea, stepped up to the mark and produced a performance that he will remember for the rest of his life.
He set the precedent after only a minute after acrobatically denying a curling effort from Rasford. Then the defining image of the night came as Cristiano Ronaldo was pictured laughing after being denied by Uzoho as part of a second double save in as many minutes at the start of the second half. For a long while, throughout both the first and second half despite United's largely sustained impetus, he seemed impenetrable.
McTominay's late goal prevented Uzoho from the perfect display (as a 9.9 rating from SofaScore would suggest). But "a dream come true" was how Uzoho described his night in a post-match interview in which he sported a smile that couldn't be wiped from his face, even in spite of the last gasp concession.
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Uzoho took the limelight for his denial of a number of opportunities - rightly so. But United's finishing still was far from being up to par, particularly indicated by their 11 shots off-target. While Omonia's resistance was impressive and a genuine factor in preventing United from scoring from chances that they may have otherwise converted, individuals were still culpable of being profligate.
There were parallels with the first meeting with Omonia, in which United likely should have been comfortably ahead by the break but found themselves trailing. Similarly, a nervy end to proceedings against Everton last weekend was somewhat self-inflicted after chances were squandered in relative abundance.
Issues with regards to the final ball also riddled the showing somewhat. Some of the decisions taken were wayward, with too many lofted balls at times. The odd inaccuracy in the final phase of build-up held United back at times, which wasn't symptomatic of the display as a whole whereby there was security in possession.
At times, it also felt as though there was too much onus placed on crossing the ball. For the most-part, these crosses were either over-hit, under-hit or driven across the face of goal without anyone on hand to attack the ball.
Conversely, there were certain instances where an opportunity to cross the ball was missed. Antony for one displayed a hesitance in terms of using his weaker right foot to cross the ball, with difficulty when it came to delivering in-swinging left-footed crosses due to his reliance on cutting inside meaning he was read on numerous occasions.
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It was a strange match - largely positive even though the winning margin was only a single, late goal against a Cypriot side not really even standing out domestically at present. Given the strength of the side which Ten Hag named, with only a pair of changes to that which beat Everton, there was an expectation for United to cruise to victory.
And, in all honesty, the performance was actually deserving of a comprehensive win. That may have been the case on another day.
Positive for United is that they have started to look more like an 'Erik ten Hag side' in recent matches. They are growing more proactive in possession, with a simultaneous ability to create more chances evidencing that staples which underpin Ten Hag's philosophy have been put into action. There is a higher tempo on display in addition to more of a defined structure - both of which lacked last term.
It is fair to say the case is not that United are short of any urgency or invention, merely execution as a result of wavering final third quality. Against Omonia, an early goal for United would, in all likelihood, have opened up the opposing defence, in hand opening the floodgates.
Until impatience became a factor in the closing exchanges prior to McTominay's goal, it was almost never a case of United struggling to break down Omonia. A clinical edge has to be established in order to gain merit for otherwise encouraging performances. At the end of the day, the result of high possession is the most important thing.
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Another laudable aspect of Thursday's showing is that United never gave in. They showed resilience to continue to apply duress on their opposition, ultimately gaining reward for this and taking three points that keep their hopes of topping Group E alive.
It is essential that United - already qualified for the knockout stages - avoid finishing second in their Europa League group in order to prevent an additional knockout tie against a third-place Champions League side. Currently, Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Juventus are among sides third in their respective groups.
United almost certainly still have to beat Real Sociedad in their final group stage match in order to progress from top of the Group E standings. But at least that chance remains alive.
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