The case for the Dundee United defence was made stronger than ever as they went third with a Beautiful Saturday win over Hibernian.
It was their first victory at Easter Road in seven years as United’s impressive early season form continues.
That success has been built on solid foundations with Charlie Mulgrew superbly marshalling the Scottish Premiership’s meanest defence.
But where do they rank alongside other sides in the UK and what is making the case for the defence at Dundee United?
Courier Sport took a deep dive into Opta Stats and the results make interesting reading:
Dundee United: 5th best defence in UK
Saturday was significant in more ways than one for United.
It was their first win at Easter Road since February 2014 and their fifth victory of the season to move Tam Courts side into third.
They have overtaken Hearts as the Scottish Premiership’s strongest defence and are just three points adrift of leaders Rangers.
With just five goals conceded in nine games – two to both Aberdeen and Hearts and one at Celtic Park – Dundee United have already enjoyed six clean sheets.
That has put Benjamin Siegrist at the top of the clean sheet charts despite playing three games fewer than Hearts keeper Craig Gordon.
Trevor Carson kept two clean sheets in three games in place of Siegrist.
Only Inverness, with four goals against in nine games, have a better record than Dundee United in Scotland.
Down south, out of 92 teams, only English Premier League leaders Chelsea, Manchester City and Tranmere Rovers have conceded fewer.
Tranmere, ironically managed by former Dundee United boss Micky Mellon, have shipped just four goals in 12 games to push for a League Two play-off place.
Ryan Edwards: The Liverpool Wall
Mulgrew has rightly received a lot of plaudits since his arrival in the summer and a Scotland recall must be a distinct possibility.
But Mulgrew would be the first to point out how exceptional Ryan Edwards has been this year.
And the stats back up that assessment.
On Saturday, Edwards was such a man mountain that United fans created a series of hilarious social media memes of their hero.
Giant conquers Edinburgh.@RyanEdwards_5 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/ds1MH4Nvnw
— MC (@mockchopped) October 16, 2021
Put aside his stunning bullet headed goal and focus on how Edwards coped defensively.
Edwards made a staggering 16 clearances on Saturday.
It’s the first time a Scottish Premiership defender has achieved such a feat for 14 MONTHS.
The last outfield player to topple 16 clearances in 90 minutes was Ross County’s Alex Iacovitti. That came in a 1-0 loss to Livingston in August 2020.
Edwards also tops the overall clearance chart in the Scottish Premiership with 65, with Mulgrew in 8th place on 40.
And Mulgrew played his part on Saturday too, winning 100% of his nine duels.
Scott McMann and Kieran Freeman: The unsung heroes
Few could begrudge Kieran Freeman his moment as he celebrated his clinching third goal with the United crowd.
Freeman missed the best part of THREE YEARS of his early career due to a series of knee injuries and branded his celebration as ‘the best moment of my life.’
The energetic runs of Freeman were a feature of the Dundee United defence, as were the meaty challenges of Scott McMann.
McMann got the better of Hibernian speed merchant Martin Boyle, winning 60% of his 20 duels.
McMann had the most tackles and interceptions in the game – five and three respectively.
He also touched the ball 69 times, more than any other United player.
And he was United’s most creative force with seven crosses – including a delightful ball in for the Edwards goal.
With an average of 10.2 duels won per 90 minutes this term, only Hibernian’s Darren McGregor and former St Johnstone defender Jason Kerr have won more battles.
A special mention is reserved for Finnish winger Ilmari Niskanen, who set up Freeman’s goal.
Niskanen won the ball back six times – more than any other player on his team.
Ryan Edwards: Charlie Mulgrew is taking Dundee United to the next level