In-depth player stats: Manchester United vs West Brom
Man Utd v West Brom 15:00
Manchester United played out one of the most entertaining games of the Boxing Day season after winning against Newcastle in a sensational 4-3 encounter.
Goals from league joint top goal scorer Robin van Persie, Patrice Evra, Jonny Evans and a characteristic late winner from Chicarito Hernandez saw United extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table
Van Persie’s goal was his 13th of the season, having come from 63 efforts at goal with 53.7% on target, averaging 4.84 shots per goal.
While van Persie’s prowess in front of goal is often commented on, the work he does at the other end of the pitch is often less noticed. He has made 20 clearances so far this season, more than any other striker in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index
If you asked which of United’s goal scorers against Newcastle has the best shots per goal ratio in the league Jonny Evans’ name may not spring to mind, but with three goals from just five shots at goal Evans leads the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index in that respect
While Wayne Rooney may not have scored in United’s previous game against Swansea, his 7 shots on target is the joint highest by a player in a single game this season.
West Brom have enjoyed back to back 2-1 victories over the Christmas fixtures so far, with Chris Brunt scoring and then forcing an error from Rob Green for an own goal against QPR, and Gera and Lukaku on target against Norwich
Having been marginalized at Chelsea Romelu Lukaku has reveled in his role at West Brom, with his goal at Norwich his sixth of the season. Lukaku remains the most accurate shooter in the league, getting 81.25% of his 32 efforts at goal on target and averaging 5.33 shots per goal and a goal every 133 minutes
Zoltan Gera has made a habit of scoring important goals for West Brom, and his strike against Norwich was his fourth of the season, coming from just 16 chances meaning he needs just 4 shots per goal. Gera has also completed 233 passes in the opposition half this season, more than any other West Brom player.
Chris Brunt has been more of a supplier than a scorer this season, though the way he struck his goal against QPR wouldn’t have you believe it ws his first of the season. Brunt has 5 assists to his name this season compared to just 1 goal. IOt’s no wonder Brunt’s ‘assists’ column looks so healthy, when you consider he has delivered more crosses than any other West Brom player with 28 and is in the league’s top 30 crossers overall