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Manchester United were beaten on penalties by cross-town rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley.
Substitute Alejandro Garnacho broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute as he produced a brilliant finish but City restored parity just seven minutes later through Bernardo Silva.
A penalty shootout was needed and it was the reigning Premier League champions who ultimately prevailed.
United commanded 44% possession to City’s 56% share of the ball. Erik ten Hag’s men registered a total of eight shots, with two of these being on target.
City on the other hand had nice cracks at goal but only one required Andre Onana to swing into action.
United put together 400 passes with a pass accuracy of 85%. In comparison, City strung 504 passes with a completion rate of 87%.
One of United’s standout performers was Casemiro, who started in his favoured defensive midfield role.
The Brazilian had an individual pass accuracy of 84% as he successfully delivered 38 of the 45 passes he attempted. Two of his passes were key passes.
He had 65 touches of the ball to his name.
Casemiro attempted to find a United teammate with four long balls. He connected twice. The former Real Madrid man created one big chance.
He embarked on three dribbles but didn’t complete any. United’s No.18 delved into 16 ground duels, coming out on top on nine occasions.
Casemiro also won the single aerial challenge he contested. The 32-year-old drew two could and made as may clearances.
He made an astonishing seven tackles.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
Casemiro endured a poor 2023/24 season, in which clear signs of his drastic decline were evident. However, if his performance vs. City is anything to go by, the five-time Champions League winner still has plenty left in the tank.
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