Standard equalised with ten men, but Genk's pressure won it

Genk beat Standard Liège 2-1 at the Cegeka Arena, with the visitors a man short from the 33rd minute and Genk's shot count well above their usual.

Standard Liège played most of this game with ten men, and still came back to level it. Junya Ito gave Genk the lead in the 27th minute, then M. Epolo was sent off for Standard six minutes later. Andi Zeqiri equalised at the 65th, but Aaron Bibout put Genk back in front in the 77th, and the home side held on at 2-1.

Start with the ball. Genk had 69% of possession, and their usual share in home games is 53.6%, so they held it roughly fifteen points more than normal. Standard had 31% away from home, against an away average of 51.9%. A side that normally shares the ball this evenly ended up with most of it, and that is the first sign of how the afternoon went.

Genk also had far more shots than usual. They took 20, against a home average of 12.1, and 15 of those came from inside the box. Standard managed 10, below their away average of 13.4. Expected goals, or xG, gives each shot a value for how likely it was to go in, then adds them up. Genk's total was 3.27, roughly double their home average of 1.61 and well above the league figure of 1.28 per side. Standard's 1.38 sat close to their away average of 1.53, so their chances were ordinary rather than poor.

The goals were more ordinary. Three went in, and the league averages 3.1 per match, so this was a normal scoring game. Genk scored two, close to their home average of 1.9, and conceded one, better than their usual figure. Standard scored one, below their away scoring average, and conceded two, which is in line with what they usually concede away. Lucas Pirard made two saves in the Standard goal.

Standard's chance quality stayed close to its usual level even after the sending off, which is the part of the afternoon that surprises most. Genk also finished with ten men, after D. Heymans was sent off in the 90th minute, so both sides ended the match a man short. Standard had to defend against a side that kept creating chances, and the chances kept coming.

Junya Ito's rating of 8.5 was the highest on either side, and his goal in the 27th minute was the first of the three. He was the clearest example of Genk's attacking edge in a match where the shots and the ball both went their way. The winner came from a substitute, which fits a game where the home side kept the pressure on.

Genk move to 15 points from nine games, and Standard stay on 11 from nine, having come back to level with ten men and still left without a point.

Player of the matchJunya Ito1 goal8.5

Joris Kayembe2 chances created8.2

Ibe Hautekiet1 assist7.6

Dimitri Lavalėe5 duels won7.5