Matheus Cunha finally opened his Manchester United account to help the Red Devils beat Brighton and Hove Albion 4-2 in the Premier League.
The Brazilian was one of three big-money arrivals in the summer to bolster Man Utd’s attack. But he had had a rough start to life at Old Trafford, struggling in front of goal but also suffering a minor injury.
There were a lot of eyes on Man Utd’s game against Brighton, with the Red Devils looking to win a third consecutive game in a row. And Cunha was key to securing that victory.
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What was Matheus Cunha’s Squawka Score?
Cunha’s performance saw him earn a Squawka Score of 73%, among the best wingers so far this weekend. He was outshone by teammate Bryan Mbeumo (80%) but the Cameroonian did score two goals. Cunha was excellent at pretty much everything he did and was well deserving of the plaudits.
The Squawka Score is our proprietary performance rating, combining multiple Opta stats into a single percentage. It benchmarks players against their positional peers, allowing quick comparisons. Learn more about how it works here: https://www.squawka.com/en/news/squawka-score-explained/
Matheus Cunha’s long wait
A lot has been made about Cunha’s lack of luck in front of goal. Going into the game, the Brazilian had taken 17 shots in the Premier League posting 1.39 Expected Goals. Only two players had taken more shots in the league this season without finding the net.
Including last season, Cunha had taken 34 shots in the Premier League without scoring. With his 36th shot (19 this season), Cunha finally ended the drought.
Naturally, the goal came from outside the box — Cunha’s party piece. The Brazilian has scored six Premier League goals from outside the box since the start of last season, more than any other player.
It was a lovely finish from the Brazilian, curling the ball into the bottom right corner having been set up by compatriot Casemiro.
Key shooting stats:
- Shots: 2 (Ranked 3rd)
- Shots on target: 2 (Ranked =2nd)
- Expected Goals: 0.09 (Ranked 4th)
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Matheus Cunha pulling the strings
When you look at touch numbers in modern football, you’ll generally see centre-backs on the ball most. That’s because more teams are building out from the back, and the centre-backs are the deepest outfield players. It’s a similar case for defensive midfielders, as they are the next line on the pitch.
It’s not often that you see attacking midfielders among the top two or three touches in a match. But against Brighton, that’s exactly what happened with Cunha.
The Brazilian had 60 touches against Brighton, with only Bruno Fernandes (61) having more during Cunha’s time on the pitch.
Cunha wasn’t dropping deeper either. A large portion of his touches came in the opposition half, with the Brazilian very much involved on the left.
When on the ball, Cunha was tough to get off it. The Man Utd man completed two of his three attempted take-ons, asking a lot of questions of the Brighton defence.
Key touches stats:
- Touches: 60 (Ranked 2nd)
- Dribbles attempted: 3 (Ranked joint-3rd)
- Dribbles completed: 2 (Ranked 3rd)
Matheus Cunha’s on-ball threat
On top of his dribbling, Cunha was a creative threat. And very reliable on the ball. He completed 30 of his 34 attempted passes, with 88.24% success rate.
And they weren’t boring passes either. Cunha attempted 15 passes in the final third, completing 13 of them, always looking to get Man Utd closer to goal — or at least maintain pressure.
Cunha created two chances for his teammates with 0.41 Expected Assists, more than any other player on the pitch. He was just unfortunate that he didn’t actually record an assist.
The Brazilian also attempted four crosses, more than any other Man Utd player. When he came off with nine minutes left to play, it looked like the job was done. But Man Utd made it nervy. And they could have done with Cunha to keep things calm while also providing a threat futher forward.
Forunately Man Utd did hold onto the win, so Cunha’s performance won’t be forgotten.
Key passing stats:
- Passes attempted: 34 (Ranked 6th)
- Passes completed: 30 (Ranked 5th)
- Chances created: 2 (Ranked joint-1st)