Dundee United boasted the fourth best defensive record in the UK three weeks ago – then they played Hearts.
United picked up six clean sheets from their opening nine games as the soared into the top three of the Scottish Premiership.
It took them nine games to concede their first five goals of the season.
On Saturday it took them under 90 minutes to ship five again.
But has Dundee United’s defence suddenly capitulated overnight or was it a one-off?
Courier Sport has been delving into the Opta stats to find out:
Ryan Edwards and Jeando Fuchs: The chart-toppers
Let’s start with the positives.
Even allowing for Saturday’s 5-2 loss at Hearts, Dundee United are still leading many Opta metrics in the Scottish Premiership.
Fans’ favourite Jeando Fuchs hasn’t met his incredibly high standards in recent weeks but he is the No 1 player for interceptions.
Fuchs is ahead of ex-Dundee United defender John Souttar and Aberdeen’s Scott Brown with 25 interceptions this term.
The goal starts fae a Jeando Fuchs diving heeder. He needs appreciated massively for all he does n' did today. pic.twitter.com/Iy50Sz7ehI
— SHEDHEDS 🇮🇹🏴 (@shedheds) September 20, 2021
Fuchs is also sixth in the charts for tackles, underlining his status as a ball-winning midfielder.
Similarly, Ryan Edwards has made more clearances than any player in the top flight.
With 89 clearances he is ahead of Dundee defender Lee Ashcroft, 82.
Liverpool-born Edwards has won 71.6% of his aerial duels – third highest in the league – and is in the top ten for blocks.
Hearts nullified Dundee United’s high-pressing game
A feature of Dundee United’s success has been the way they have imposed their game on the opposition.
Managers often speak about ‘defending from the front’ and that’s been integral to United’s play.
At Celtic Park, the high-press on the home defence was key to United’s win.
The front three of Peter Pawlett, Ilmari Niskanen and Nicky Clark continually forced errors out of the Celtic backline.
However, on Saturday, as the average position of the United team shows, Tam Courts’ side retreated at Hearts.
At Celtic Park, Pawlett made 52 touches and won an impressive 81.8% of his duels. That number reduced to 45 touches and 33.3% on Saturday.
Dundee United wings clipped by Hearts
Kieran Freeman and Scott McMann have made a real impact for Dundee United.
Freeman’s outstanding cross set-up Nicky Clark to score on Saturday.
But Hearts put the brakes on the foraging runs of Freeman and Scott McMann.
The pace and movement of their front free Barrie McKay, Josh Ginnelly and Ben Woodburn made it an uncomfortable afternoon for the vistors.
McMann found it difficult to get forward and found a team-mate with just 36.4% of his passes in the Hearts half.
That compares to 70.5% in last week’s 1-0 loss at home to St Johnstone.
And Freeman’s attack-based passing accuracy levels dropped to 35.3% from 63.6% the previous week.
A case for the Dundee United defence: The stunning stats behind UK’s 5th meanest backline
