Baseya's red card at six minutes left Alverca a man short all game

Arouca beat Alverca 1-0 after the hosts lost a player in the sixth minute, and that early exit shaped everything that followed.

Steven Baseya was sent off for Alverca in the sixth minute, and it is hard to read this win for Arouca without starting there. Alverca spent almost the whole match with ten men against eleven, which changed what each side could do. Every figure that follows has to be read with that in mind.

Arouca were the side on the ball, and it was the side with the extra man that kept it. They had 71% of possession, well above their usual away share of 48.9%, while Alverca were pushed back to 29%, against a home average of 41.6%. Arouca completed most of their passes, which is what a team does when it spends most of its time in the other half.

The more telling story is the quality of the chances. Arouca had 15 shots to Alverca's 10, but the measure that weighs how good each chance was, called expected goals or xG (a score based on how often shots from that spot go in), tells the fuller story. Arouca's figure was 1.99, far above their away average of 0.82. Alverca managed 0.43, against a home average of 1.57.

The only goal came in the 24th minute. Taichi Fukui finished after a pass from Javi Sánchez, and Fukui, who had three shots and two of them on target, was rated 8.2 for his efforts. Sánchez, who set up the goal, earned the same mark, and both were among the best of the afternoon by the ratings.

Arouca's chances were worth more than Alverca usually concede at home, by the same measure. Alverca have averaged 1.6 goals at home this season and scored none here, while Arouca have conceded 0.9 on their travels and conceded none. The league as a whole averages 2.8 goals per match, so a single goal was a quiet return by its standards.

Ten men were not enough to stop Arouca's pressure from building, but they were enough to keep Alverca in the game for long stretches. Alverca remain eighth, with 11 points from eight matches, and Arouca sit fifth on 14.

Player of the matchJavi Sánchez1 assist8.2

T. Fukui1 goal8.2

O. Lebedenko1 chance created7.6

José Fontán3 duels won7.4