Atlanta won 3-1 with less of the ball and far better chances

Atlanta United beat Toronto FC 3-1 at home after finishing a clear step ahead of the chances they made.

Aleksey Miranchuk was involved in two of Atlanta United FC's three goals before the hour was out. He set up Miguel Almirón in the 22nd minute, then scored himself in the 51st. He finished the night with the highest rating on either side, a 9, which shows how much the attack ran through him.

The more surprising figure is who had the ball. Toronto FC had 61% of possession, which is well above the 43.7% they average on the road, while Atlanta had 39%, below their usual 50.9% at home. Possession is simply the share of the game a side spends with the ball at its feet, and this time it belonged to the visitors.

Atlanta's chances were the real story. They had 20 shots, 16 of them from inside the box, against a usual 13.8 at home. Expected goals, a measure that adds up how likely each shot was to go in based on where it was taken, came to 4.27, far above the 1.46 they normally create. Toronto had 11 shots against their usual 13.4, and their expected goals sat a little under their away average of 1.43.

Atlanta turned those chances into three goals, which is more than the 1.3 they usually score at home, so finishing matched the quality of the openings. Almirón gave them the lead at 22, and Cooper Sanchez doubled it on 40 after a pass from Almirón, so the home side went into the break two up. Miranchuk's goal at 51 made it three, and the game was settled well before the end.

Toronto's only goal came from Lewis Morgan in the 79th minute, with Josh Sargent providing the assist. It was a consolation that arrived when the match was long gone. The visitors conceded three, against the 2.2 they usually concede on the road, but their goalkeeper kept the margin from growing. L. Gavran made five saves, more than anyone else on the pitch.

Discipline told a different story. Atlanta committed 14 fouls to Toronto's nine, yet none of their players were booked. Toronto picked up two yellow cards, one for Dániel Sallói in the 33rd minute and one for Alonso in the 90th.

Atlanta conceded just one goal, below the 1.7 they usually concede at home. Toronto's three goals against were above their away average, and the 3-1 scoreline left the visitors with less of the ball and fewer chances than the home side, but with a goal to show for it.

Player of the matchA. Miranchuk1 goal · 1 assist9.0

M. Almirón1 goal · 1 assist8.9

C. Sanchez1 goal8.0

L. Morgan1 goal7.8