Fifteen clearances. That was the number Curtis Nelson racked up as Milton Keynes Dons ground out a 0-0 draw at AFC Wimbledon in League One, a figure that tells the story of an afternoon spent almost entirely with his back to goal.
A shift without a single tackle won
What makes Nelson's outing stand out is the shape of it. He did not win a single tackle all match, yet still finished with a rating of 7.3. Instead of getting stuck in on the ground, he read the game from deeper positions, adding two interceptions and coming out on top in 12 of his duels.
It is the kind of performance that rarely makes the highlight reel but keeps a clean sheet intact. Every one of those 15 clearances was a moment where the ball could have ended up somewhere dangerous, and instead it did not.
The bigger picture
AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons could not find a breakthrough, with the match finishing goalless. For a defender, a 0-0 away from home is often the clearest evidence of a job well done, and Nelson's numbers back that up: heavy on clearances and duels, light on the ball-winning that usually grabs attention, but effective all the same.