Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest by a three-goal margin at City Stadium in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
The team scored goals thanks to Marcus Rashford, Wout Weghorst and Bruno Fernandez.
In what was an authoritative indicator that would give United a comfortable cushion before the second leg at Old Trafford, United had 68% possession against Forest’s 32%.
In terms of shots, the two sides weren’t that much different from each other. United had 15 shots, just two more than the opponent.
The Red Devils made 620 passes with 87% passing accuracy. Forest made 287 with a 73% success rate.
One of the players who excelled in the victory was Lisandro Martinez.
The Argentine has 199 touches of the ball.
From the position of central defender, where he partnered Victor Lindelof, Martinez made an astronomical 95 passes.
It also had an excellent transmission accuracy of 92%.
The World Cup winner was a rock in the back, from where he helped United to zero.
He won five ball selections and made four important ball takeaways. The 25-year-old was the dominant force in the air. He won three of the four duels he participated in in the air.
Martinez made two interceptions and one block. The incredible technique of the defender has reappeared. He successfully gave away three goals to his teammates, one of which almost led to a goal when he found Fernandez in Forest’s penalty area.
Lisandro Martinez’s game by numbers vs. Nottingham Forest:
119 touches
95 passes completed
92% pass accuracy
5 tackles won
4 clearances
3 long balls completed
3/4 aerial duels won
2 interceptions
1 block
0 goals concededBrilliant. 🔪 pic.twitter.com/vZmgVvCvJw
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) January 25, 2023
Martinez’s performance against Forest showed why he is one of the team’s most important players. It looks like he has recovered from his exploits at the World Cup with Argentina and is now guaranteed to be in the starting lineup again.
