Man Utd achieve Premier League first - by making no tackles in entire half

Manchester United failed to make a single completed tackle during the first half of their 2-0 win against Brighton at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.

It's the first time they've failed to do so in the Premier League this season.

Ralf Rangnick's side were booed at the interval - with the score goalless - before putting in a stellar performance in the second half to secure a much-needed win.

The result has lifted United, who have 13 Premier League fixtures remaining this campaign - up to fourth in the table.

West Ham, Arsenal, Wolves and Tottenham remain in the hunt for Champions League football. The Gunners are just four points behind United with three games in hand.

As collated by The Athletic, United's data is damning. They failed to complete a tackle until Anthony Elanga stole the ball from Leandro Trossard in the 50th minute.

Before then, the Red Devils lost eight duels - six of which were in the first half.

Perhaps most worrying is Fred's and Scott McTominay's respective contributions. Both players lost three battles each before Elanga showed them the way.

Having said that, McTominay's first successful tackle was pivotal - dispossessing Yves Bissouma in the 51st minute to set up Cristiano Ronaldo's opening goal.

It was - quite literally - a game of two halves for the Red Devils. After Elanga's successful tackle, they lost just one more duel before the full-time whistle.

One of the most important tackles was Elanga's dispossession of Lewis Dunk, which led to the Brighton defender's dismissal in the 54th minute.

"First half was Mr Hyde, second half Dr Jekyll and for a change it [the result] was different," admitted Rangnick after the game.

"In the end it was important to get the three points against an in