1. Joe Lewis was imperious in the heart of United's defence.
Not for the first time this season, Joe Lewis was imperious in the heart of the United defence. The former Wales Under-21 international stood up to the physical threat posed by Yeovil centre forward Adi Yussuf incredibly well with a highly disciplined display - as had he been booked he would have earned himself a fifth yellow card and a one-match suspension. This is due to the fact that the Gulls are yet to reach the cut-off point of 23 games for players who receive five yellows, which they are due to reach when they face Dagenham & Redbridge on January 8, 2022.
In addition to this, Lewis capped off a memorable display by heading home Connor Lemonheigh-Evans' cross in the 86th minute to score his fourth goal of the season - which makes him United's second highest scorer of the 2021-22 campaign.
2. Armani Little produced a disciplined display in the centre of midfield.
Like Lewis, central midfielder Armani Little was also treading the disciplinary tightrope after four bookings, but it was a challenge that Little came through with flying colours. With Asa Hall only deemed to be fit enough to be named on the subs bench, there were more defensive responsibilities being heaped on Little's shoulders as he formed a central midfield pairing alongside Tom Lapslie, in addition to captaining the side on the day. However, it was a test that Little came through with flying colours as he kept possession well and always looked to play the simple pass when it was on.
3. Lo-Everton's sending off proved to be a turning point
The ultimate turning point in the match came in the 65th minute when Yeovil attacker Sonny Blu Lo-Everton was dismissed for an off-the-ball incident with United midfielder Tom Lapslie. Watford loanee Lo-Everton appeared to kick out at Lapslie in a similar manner to which David Beckham kicked out at Diego Simeone when England played Argentina in the 1998 World Cup in France. Referee Scott Jackson initially hadn't seen the incident but after consulting with linesman Matt Eva then opted to issue a red card. Up until that point, the match had been fairly even, with Yeovil making a strong startto the second half.
In his post-match interview, Glovers' boss Darren Sarll described Lo-Everton's actions as 'petulant' - and Sarll also saw his side reduced to nine men after the final whistle after goalkeeper Grant Smith received a straight red card.
4. Jack helps to spark Gulls into life.
Exeter City loanee Jack Sparkes picked the perfect moment to score his first goal for the Gulls since arriving on loan from St James' Park. Sparkes found the back of the net with a volley from the edge of the area, which took a deflection off Yeovil left-back Morgan Williams that took it past Glovers' keeper Grant Smith. After appearing as a right wing-back for United in their last home match against Stockport County, despite being left-footed, Sparkes featured on the left-hand side of the Gulls' midfield on Boxing Day.
5. Moxey and Wright once again prove that there is no substitute for experience.
Despite being two oldest players on the pitch at 35 and 37 respectively, Dean Moxey and Danny Wright were two of United's top performers against Yeovil. Moxey formed a solid central defensive partnership with Joe Lewis and proved why he reached the Premier League earlier in his career with Crystal Palace with some of the balls which he played out from the back. Meanwhile Wright used all his positional sense and know how to deal with Yeovil centre back combination of Max Hunt and Luke Wilkinson, winning numerous flick-ons and knock downs for his younger colleagues. He also showed why he was such a big miss during his absences through injury in the 2020-21 campaign.
6. Only five survivors from their 6-1 win a year earlier featured.
A year ago, United routed the Glovers 6-1 in front of a limited crowd at Plainmoor, however only five players who featured for the Gulls on that occasion lined-up against Yeovil. They were goalkeeper Shaun MacDonald, experienced defender Dean Moxey, midfield duo Armani Little and Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and striker Danny Wright. Right-back Ben Wynter, who scored United's opening goal, missed out on that occasion through injury.
