Manchester United’s Juan Mata had a claim to the man of the match reward after his performance vs Huddersfield in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Spaniard was involved in the first goal of the game, assisting Romelu Lukaku in a match that concluded 2-0 in the away team’s favour.
United weren’t impressive in the first half but grew into the game and it was partly down to Mata why they eventually overpowered their opponents.
The attacking midfielder played on the right wing but floated all around the pitch as he normally does, connecting the pieces for his teammates.
If it weren’t for Lukaku’s brace, the man of the match reward could’ve very easily have gone to Juan instead who will certainly be looking to keep his place in the side.
Mata's game by numbers vs. Huddersfield:
1 assist
2 chances created
2 tackles
3 dribbles
36 passes
100% dribbles completedOne goal chalked off.
#MUFC pic.twitter.com/nA5p1vnFHL
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) February 17, 2018
Perhaps more impressive than anything is the playmaker’s dribbling success rate, having completed all his dribbles in a match where Huddersfield were pressing all over the pitch.
It was also nice to see Juan Mata ready to put his foot in and win the ball for his team and still create two chances for his teammates.
36 passes is a pretty decent number for someone playing out wide and not in midfield, making it a pretty complete performance from the former Chelsea man.
A goal was the only thing that was missing but it wasn’t for a lack of effort after Mata saw his goal ruled out for offside by VAR.
The new technology was tested during the match but the decision was still very much debatable and it was unfortunate that Juan missed out on what he deserved.