Manchester United held on for a 2-1 away win at Luton Town in what was a hotly-contested Premier League match on Sunday evening.
Three points would be crucial in this away fixture as Erik ten Hag’s side look to close in on Tottenham Hotspur in fifth place, trailing by six points.
With less than a minute on the clock, United were off to the perfect start as Casemiro cleared a threatening ball out that fell to Hojlund after a defensive error. The Dane slotted it past the Luton keeper to grab an early lead for the visitors. It was an effective show of composure by the striker as he became the youngest player ever to score in six consecutive Premier League matches.
Soon after, United were back on the attack, as Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski reacted quickly to parry a thunderous one-time shot by Marcus Rashford.
Still, it was only a matter of time until United would find the back of the net yet again as a corner kick was deflected out to Alejandro Garnacho on the edge of the box. The winger hammered a shot into the box, which bounced off Hojlund’s chest and into the Luton net to hand the 21 year old his second goal of the match.
Eight minutes in, Harry Maguire made a powerful tackle to wrestle the ball off Ross Barkley. Maguire charged up with the ball, passing it to Rashford while deciding to join in on the counter. Ultimately, Rashford decided to take a shot for himself, which Kaminski caught with ease.
In the 11th minute, Luton got a rare goalscoring opportunity when Chiedozie Ogbene got on the end of a cross to make a volley. Still, Onana was tracking the ball, easily saving the speculative effort.
Moments after the restart, Garnacho took a shot from distance that the Luton keeper saved low down. Clearly, United were hungry for more goals.
Still, the home side remained determined to get on the scoresheet, earning their just reward in the 14th minute as a cross came hurtling toward Carlton Morris. While Onana sprung toward Morris with his arms outstretched, it was too late as the ball rolled into the back of the net. The game was back on as Luton were suddenly trailing by just one goal.
From the moment that Luton’s goal went in, the underdogs looked in control, taking four shots between then and the 28th minute while United failed to make a single attempt during the 14-minute window. Clearly, the visitors would need to ramp things up in order to maintain control.
30 minutes in, Harry Maguire made an almost crucial mistake when he accidentally passed the ball to the Luton attackers. Fortunately, Raphael Varane was able to track back in time to block the subsequent shot.
Three minutes later, Amari’i Bell was racing away from United’s defence when Casemiro made a wreckless tackle from behind to receive a yellow card.
Nine minutes from the break, Morris looked to double his goal tally as his shot veered past the far post, out of Onana’s reach. While the United keeper was at full stretch, the ball may have just snuck into the corner if it hadn’t gone wide, giving United plenty of reason to breathe a sigh of relief.
Moments later, Casemiro made another wreckless challenge, this time on Barkley on the edge of the box. The Brazilian would need to calm down if he hoped not to be sent off.
Struggling to get back into the driver’s seat, it was clear that tempers were flaring at United as Maguire recklessly pulled down Morris on the edge of the box to earn himself a yellow card as well. While the free kick came from a threatening position, United were fortunate that Alfie Doughty’s shot hit the wall.
Trouble hit United as Luke Shaw went down injured two minutes into the four minutes of stoppage time. He was replaced by centre-back Victor Lindelof, who would have to adjust to left-back.
Once the whistle blew for half-time, it became clear that Ten Hag would need to change things up and perhaps make some substitutions in order to inject some fresh energy into his team as they faded after their promising start to the match.
During the half-time break, Scott McTominay replaced Casemiro, while Harry Maguire was taken off for Jonny Evans. These appear to be precautionary substitutions by Ten Hag with both Casemiro and Maguire carrying yellow cards.
Immediately after kickoff, Luton looked hungry to score as they piled on some attacking pressure. Still, United were quick to counter, with Bruno Fernandes’ well-struck shot unluckily hitting McTominay’s legs on the way toward goal. Moments later, Diogo Dalot was away on goal, only for the Luton shot-stopper to pounce on the ball just in time to extinguish the threat.
Unwilling to allow the match to get away from them, the home side continued to push United, earning a corner kick that Varane did well to head away. In the 56th minute, United were back on the attack, with Rashford’s shot being well-saved by the Luton goalkeeper.
62 minutes in, Fernandes played a cheeky low cross from a corner to Garnacho, who struggled to get a hold of the ball. After taking a touch, he took a shot on goal that was comfortably saved. It was a pity that Garnacho was unable to take a shot with his first touch in what was otherwise a well-engineered move.
A minute later, Garnacho received the ball on the edge of the box again, turning and taking a quick shot that sailed over the top. Clearly, United were feeling more urgency to extend their lead as the match remained hotly contested.
65 minutes in, Garnacho missed a prime opportunity to score when he got on the end of a Rashford through ball. While he managed to beat the keeper by making a sharp turn, his shot hit the defender’s legs before being belted to safety.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, Andros Townsend brought down Rashford, handing United a free kick from a threatening position. Fernandes fired in a blistering shot, only for the keeper to punch it out of danger. United subsequently got a corner, however, they were unable to capitalize on it. Still, it was a better showing from United, who started to exhibit far more attacking threat than in the latter stages of the first half.
In the 76th minute, Luton came close to scoring as Gabriel Osho hit a grounded shot that hit Varane’s legs. While the ball continued to roll goalwards, Fernandes was able to clear it out of danger.
Moments later, United were away on the counter, with Hojlund coming inches within scoring his hat-trick as Kaminsky was able to make the save.
With five minutes left on the clock, Hojlund was substituted for Sofyan Amrabat with Ten Hag evidently looking to protect United’s lead going into the final minutes rather than extend it. Whether this conservative tactic was the right call remained to be seen.
87 minutes in, Fernandes missed a sitter, hitting the ball wide from close range as Luton appeared to suffer a loss in focus. This lasted very briefly, however, as soon the home team were back in United’s half where they won a corner.
After United dealt with the corner, the board lit up with four minutes of added time. Seconds later, Amrabat did well to dispossess Jordan Clark to send the ball out for a corner.
Dalot did well to head the ball out of the box, and while another corner was given, this time United countered hard, with Garnacho getting dispossessed by the Luton keeper to earn a corner on the other side of the field.
While Luton got the ball back upfield, it was too little too late, as the referee blew the full-time whistle and United breathed a sign of relief after holding on for three points in what was a closer contest than first expected.
Starting XI: Onana, Maguire, Fernandes, Rashford, Hojlund, Garnacho, Casemiro, Varane, Dalot, Shaw, Mainoo
Subs: Lindelof, McTominay, Evans, Amrabat
