Dundee United rode their luck to claim a gutsy 0-0 draw against Motherwell.
The Tangerines have goalkeeper Carljohan Eriksson to thank for the stalemate, with the Finland international denying Kevin van Veen from the penalty spot in the first half.
Van Veen also hit the bar, while Ryan Edwards — superb throughout, in spite of giving away that spot-kick for handball — cleared a Sean Goss drive off the line and blocked another goal-bound van Veen drive.
It resembled The Alamo at times but, when all was said and done, United left North Lanarkshire with a precious point and a maiden domestic clean sheet of the campaign.
The Terrors remain at the foot of the Premiership but have shown signs of life in the last two games.
Courier Sport was at Fir Park to analyse a few of the key talking points.
The direct approach
There has been little time for interim head coach Liam Fox to truly make his presence felt on the training ground in terms of sweeping tactical changes.
Jack Ross only officially departed last Tuesday and there have been two matches in that time.
Nevertheless, it is evident that United have swiftly reverted to the shape and style that served the club so well last term — a stoic 3-5-2; don’t give anything away.
The possession-based style Ross was seeking to implement has been binned.
❌Stalemate at Fir Park.
Here are the highlights of the match between Motherwell and Dundee United⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Wwq0etE16G
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) September 3, 2022
Against Motherwell, United attempted 256 passes. Just 152 of those were successful.
For context, Ross’ Terrors attempted 471 (382 accurate) passes in their 3-0 defeat against St Mirren, 439 (334 accurate) in the 4-1 reverse at Hearts and 495 (397 accurate) as Livi won 1-0 at Tannadice on August 7.
United’s most common passing combination at Fir Park was Carljohan Eriksson to Steven Fletcher (on eight occasions).
The focus on finding the big No9 saw Fletcher involved in a staggering 31 duels. That was more than DOUBLE his nearest challenger in that metric, Motherwell’s Sondre Solholm Johansen.
Initially, this is a more functional, solid United — an understandable means to an end as they seek to stem the bleeding and stabilise.
But adding attacking impetus will undoubtedly be an aim ahead of hosting Hibernian next Saturday.
Redemption for Saku
What a cathartic afternoon for ‘Saku’.
Eriksson — a January arrival from Swedish side Mjallby — shipped 13 goals in his first three matches for United, including nine in that dire defeat against Celtic.
A damaging experience for any stopper.
However, he was excellent for United at Fir Park; the Tangerines’ man of the match.
Eriksson made a fine penalty save to deny van Veen, produced further stops to thwart Blair Spittal and van Veen, and repeatedly parried dangerous deliveries across the face of goal to safety.
He was also whippet-sharp off his line, showing a decisive streak to sweep up behind the United back-three when required.
One can safely assume that the 2021 Allsvenskan goalkeeper of the year didn’t become a ropey stopper overnight — and this is likely to be the performance that secures the No1 spot at Tannadice.
Just what the doctor ordered
The Terrors were fortunate not to lose the match against Motherwell. Let’s be clear about that.
This was not a case of a defensively perfect United unit shutting out the Steelmen. The hosts had ample clear opportunities and should have scored at least one goal.
Motherwell’s xG (expected goals) was 3.28. To not ripple the net from that score is an eye-catching rarity.
Nevertheless, to ride their luck and survive a barrage of pressure may be just what the Tangerines need.
So often this season, it has seemed that United ship a goal every time the opposition step into their penalty area. A bit of luck; last-ditch defending; goalkeeping brilliance — all have been completely absent in recent weeks.
This was an imperfect showing and Fox is acutely aware that they must improve while in possession but, in the context of this campaign, it may be exactly what this group requires to rebuild confidence in their own resilience.
What next?
United have a free week of training prior to the visit of the Hibees.
Given owner Mark Ogren has stated that the search for a new manager will not be a brief one, expectations are that Fox will continue to oversee preparations.
He will discuss the plan for the coming days with sporting director Tony Asghar imminently.
There is also uncertainty regarding the make-up of the staff.
That would leave the Terrors with just Fox and goalkeeping coach Craig Hinchliffe overseeing sessions; a skeleton crew.
It has been noticeable that United legend Dave Bowman — head of loan developments — has been in the dugout during the last two matches, while there are several highly-regarded coaches within the academy set-up.
So, temporary reinforcements are there should they be required.
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