Manchester United may well have had their worst start to a season in 38 years, but when it comes to keeping clean sheets they are doing rather well.
United have shut out their opponents on five occasions this term, with only Liverpool bettering them with six. United kept nine clean sheets in the whole of last season.
It’s the 15th time the Red Devils have kept five or more clean sheets in their opening 11 Premier League games. In seven of those seasons they went on to win the title, and their lowest finish was fifth in 2015-16.
Across Manchester, rivals City have struggled to keep their opponents at bay.
Guardiola’s side have only conceded one more goal (13) than United (12), but they have kept just two clean sheets in their first 11 league outings.
It’s their fewest clean sheets after 11 games since 2016-17 (two), which is the only other time a Guardiola side has kept two or fewer clean sheets after 11 top-flight games.
While we’re on the subject of defence, this season is the first since 2014-15 in which five of the previous season’s top six (Manchester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea) have conceded an average of more than one goal per game after 11 matches.
