Man Utd 3-2 Roma: Roma did not have a shot after half-time
Manchester United were 2-0 down to Roma after 18 minutes at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, nine games without a win. They won 3-2.
Comebacks get explained by belief, the crowd and a bit of luck. The data says something more useful: after half-time, Roma did not have a single shot.
The 2-0 was fair
In the first half Roma had seven shots worth 1.60 expected goals (xG, Opta's measure of how likely each shot was to go in, from where and how it was taken). United had five shots worth 0.24. Matías Soulé scored after 11 minutes, Donyell Malen after 18, and Soulé hit the post just before the break. On the chances, Roma deserved their lead.
After half-time, Roma did not have a shot
In the second half United had ten shots worth 2.46 expected goals. Roma had none, not even a blocked one.
It was not that Roma never had the ball. They had 49% of possession in the second half. But in the first half they touched the ball eight times in United's penalty area, and in the second half not once.
Over the whole game United created 2.70 expected goals to Roma's 1.60. In one half, United created more than Roma did all night.
Opta's momentum line, which tracks which side is on top minute by minute, shows the same turn. Roma were on top for most of the first half. United were on top for nearly two thirds of the second.
