AS Monaco registered their first Ligue 1 win since October by defeating a dangerous Angers 3-1 away from home.
The Match
Coming to the Stade Raymond Kopa desperate for all three points after drawing three consecutive league matches, Les Monegasques produced one of their best performances of the season to get the victory.
Getting off to an ideal start through Myron Boadu, who scored his first league goal to give his side the lead on 25 minutes, it was positive to see the away team capitalise on their early dominance.
Niko Kovac’s men then doubled their lead through Sofiane Diop just before half time to give them a valuable two goal cushion.
Angers got themselves back into the game in the 55th minute, though, with an unfortunate own goal from Alexander Nubel after Azzeddine Ounahi’s shot fired back off the post into the German and into the back of the net.
Needing a goal to make things comfortable again, Axel Disasi netted in the 73rd minute to do just that, with that ultimately being enough to seal a deserved triumph for Monaco.
Kovac’s delight
There was no hiding the Croatian manager’s happiness with not only the result but also the overall display, with him clearly delighted with his side’s body of work. “I would first like to congratulate my players because we dominated almost the entire game, with and without the ball, and that’s what I love to see,” he gleamed.
“We put a lot of pressure on the Angers defense and that’s how I want to see my team evolve. I would say this is our best game of the season in Ligue 1. We have to maintain this level and already focus on receiving Metz on Sunday, but today I’m very happy.”
Key stats
The statistics backed up what an impressive showing Monaco enjoyed, for they held the upper hand on their opponents in many key metrics, including Expected Goals (3.87 to 1.05), possession (52% to 48%), shots (14 to 9), chances created (15 to 7), duels won (67 to 41), successful dribbles (13 to 10), successful tackles (21 to 5) and aerial duels won (13 to 7).
Volland shines
Kevin Volland marked his 50th league appearance for Monaco in style by bagging two assists and putting in an all-round classy effort. In addition, his five chances created, two shots and intelligent ability to find space for himself and his teammates further underlined his quality.
Looking forward
Following their vital victory, Monaco now move into seventh in the standings just five points away from the top three. Next up is the visit of Metz to the Stade Louis II at the weekend, where Les Rouge et Blanc will be looking to replicate their output from this outstanding win.