Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku vs Chelsea’s Alvaro Morata – A Statistical Comparison

Romelu Lukaku vs Alvaro Morata – A Statistical Comparison

This season was always going to be Romelu Lukaku vs Alvaro Morata, after the circumstances in which their respective clubs signed them.

Manchester United have been pursuing the Spaniard for a long time and were determined to sign him, but with Real Madrid not willing to budge down on their humungous transfer fee demands, the Red Devils quickly turned their attention to the former Everton man.  

Lukaku at this time, was being chased with intent by Antonio Conte and Chelsea, but when United swooped in, he was happy to join forces with Jose Mourinho for a £75million fee, leaving Chelsea hanging. The red-faced Blues, then decided to sign Morata from Madrid for a considerably lesser fee than what the Spanish giants were demanding from United.  

The way things had panned out in that month, it was bound to happen that both the strikers would be under the scanner and get compared with each other. Three games into the Premier League, let’s take a look how the two have fared and who has stood out so far.

Manchester United are off to a flier in the Premier League, and Lukaku has had an important role to play in the positive start. The Belgian striker has already netted thrice in three starts in the top-flight. Morata, on the other hand, too has started off strongly, notching up 2 goals and 2 assists each in three league outings (2 starts).

Not very similar in the way they operate, their numbers are very much similar in the opening legs of the new season though. Both Lukaku and Morata have a shot accuracy of 60% so far in the new term, although the Belgian has had more shots at goal (10) than the Spanish international (5). They have created 6 and 5 clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities for their teammates respectively.

The former Everton man has a pass accuracy of 67% (44 of 66 passes) with an average pass length of 11m, whereas the former Real Madrid man has found his teammates more accurately at 73% (30 of 41 passes), his average pass length being 10m. 

When it comes to aerial duels, one would expect Lukaku to have the upper hand over Morata, however, that is not exactly the case. The Spaniard has won 75% of his headed duels (6 successful, 8 attempts), while Lukaku has emerged on top in 46% of his attempts (16 successful, 35 attempts). The numbers are skewed, given the large difference between the number of attempts the two have made and a better comparison of this parameter can be made a little deeper into the season.

Lukaku edges out Morata when it comes to take-on attempts against an opponent. The Belgian has completed 3 of his 5 take-ons successfully, whereas the Spanish international has just attempted two take-ons, both of which have failed. The former Chelsea striker has made 2 clearances and a solitary block so far for the Red Devils, while the current Blues forward has made 2 clearances.  

As far as the numbers go, it wouldn’t be too wrong to say that it is too early in the season to have a fully drawn out comparison. Both Lukaku and Morata have started off well and there isn’t a whole lot to differentiate the two at this point. But it remains to be seen as to who will come out on top when the season draws to a close.