The League One match between Exeter City and Port Vale, that took place on December 9th, 2023, was a keenly fought contest with both sides digging deep. While the scoreline ultimately read a 1-0 victory for Port Vale, the statistical evidence clearly highlights some interesting aspects to this match.

From the onset, one can see that Port Vale drew first blood rather early in the game at the 29th minute mark, which set the tone for the remaining duration of play. Exeter City, despite having their backs to the wall from the start, wasn't without their fair share of opportunities.

The home team had control over the corner kicks with a noteworthy count of 12, doubling Port Vale’s tally of 6. From a statistical perspective, this suggests that Exeter City was able to apply substantial pressure on Port Vale and create openings for scoring. However, their inability to capitalize on these set piece opportunities clearly impacted the outcome.

In terms of disciplinary actions, there was a spate of yellow cards on both sides during the second half. Exeter received three yellow cards compared to Port Vale's two. More concerningly, Exeter City witnessed two straight red cards. This resulted in Exeter City being two men down and thus made it incredibly challenging for them to claw back into the contest.

Looking at the offsides, Exeter City accounted for 4, whereas Port Vale only had 1. This indicates that Port Vale was more disciplined in their forward play and adopted a more balanced approach compared to Exeter's forward thrusts that were constantly being caught offside.

To sum up, while Exeter City showed resilience and had the lion's share of set pieces, their lack of efficacy in front of the goal, multiple bookables, and offsides hampered their ability brutally. On the other hand, Port Vale’s early goal, superior discipline, and fewer offside violations were key factors in deciding the outcome. Their staunch defense, effective approach, along with the advantage of extra men on the field ensured they held on to their slender lead securing all three points. Despite the closer-than-it-seems scoreline, the granular statistical evidence cements the fact that Port Vale were deserved winners on the day.

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