Vancouver took the better chances in a 2-0 win at Montreal

Vancouver Whitecaps beat CF Montreal 2-0 on the back of a far stronger attacking night than either side usually manages.

Vancouver took sixteen shots at Saputo Stadium and Montreal managed seven, but the more telling detail is where the Whitecaps shot from: twelve of their efforts came inside the penalty area. Expected goals, usually shortened to xG, scores each chance by how good it was, so a close-range effort counts for far more than a speculative one from distance. Vancouver's total of 1.99 is well above the 1.45 they average when playing away this season. Montreal's 0.92 is actually higher than their usual 0.76 at home, so their few chances were reasonable ones; they simply had too few of them.

Possession tells the same story from a different angle. Vancouver had 64% of the ball, comfortably above the 52.1% they average away from home, while Montreal were held to 36%, well below their usual 47.6% at home. The home side's shot count was also down, which means they had fewer opportunities to work with than they are used to. Possession alone would not settle a match, but here it lines up with where the shots ended up.

The breakthrough came in the 50th minute through Cheikh Sabaly, whose three shots included two on target. He also created four chances for team-mates with passes that led directly to a shot, the most of anyone on the pitch. It was the kind of goal that comes from a sustained spell of pressure in the box rather than a single moment of luck, and the numbers back that reading up.

Montreal's goalkeeper, S. Keita, made six saves, the most of either keeper and a sign of how many good chances Vancouver were creating. At the other end, Vancouver's keeper, Y. Takaoka, made three saves and kept a clean sheet, against an away average of 1.3 goals conceded. Both goalkeepers were busy in ways their sides rarely ask of them, which is worth noting given how little the scoreline suggests it.

Montreal's goal came in the 83rd minute, when M. Gherasimencov finished from Bruno Caicedo's assist to seal it. Montreal's own goal tally was nil, against a home average of 0.7 per game, and their recent run makes the picture harder still: four defeats in their last six, with 13 goals conceded across those six. They did at least keep the score down on this occasion, conceding two against the 2.3 they usually concede at home, so the problem was going forward rather than at the back.

Vancouver now sit top of the table, with 61 points from 33 matches, 18 wins and 72 goals scored. The game itself produced just two goals, where the league typically sees 3.3 per match.

Player of the matchC. Sabaly1 goal8.2

M. Gherasimencov1 goal7.7

Bruno Steven Caicedo Quiñonez1 assist7.5

S. Keita6 saves7.5