Manchester United travelled to Kenilworth Road to take on Luton Town in yet another tricky test for Erik ten Hag’s men.
The United boss named an unchanged starting XI from the one that beat Aston Villa a week ago.
Andre Onana started in goal with a defensive four of Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw ahead of the shot-stopper.
Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes formed the midfield trio. Rasmus Hojlund led the line with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho on either wing.
Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 2-1 win against Luton Town.
Experienced players letting the team down
United got off to a fantastic start with Hojlund grabbing a sensational brace in the space of just seven minutes.
For his first, the Dane clutched on a poor pass from one of the Luton defenders before running through on goal. He rounded off the goalkeeper and then easily put the ball into the back of an open net.
Hojlund’s second goal saw the striker divert a Garnacho shot with his chest from close range, to beat Thomas Kaminski.
However, it was all downhill from there – at least from United’s perspective. The Hatters dominated the rest of the proceedings, partly due to some mistakes and errors from Ten Hag’s experienced stars.
Luton dominated the match and even fashioned the most chances. They mostly kept the Red Devils pinned inside their own half by just how well they kept the ball and moved it around.
They won most of the duels against United and were first to almost everything. The Premier League newcomers got their reward in the 14th minute when Carlton Morris capitalised on some poor defending on United’s part to half his side’s deficit.
Central to United’s below-par display especially in the opening 45 minutes, were the experienced players.
The likes of Maguire, Casemiro, Shaw, Rashford and Fernandes were all arguably at fault for just how poorly the team performed at Kenilworth Road.
At times, it seemed baffling just how much they put the team under pressure.
Shaw, for instance, got a daft and lazy yellow card for a reckless foul on Chiedozie Ogbene very early on.
The left-back was easily beaten after being caught flat-footed by the rapid Luton winger. He resorted to taking the forward down as a result and was instantly booked by the referee – rightfully so.
Maguire, like Shaw, also received a yellow card and luckily for him and the team, it wasn’t more than that. He committed four or five very blatant fouls before the referee finally got fed up and took his name.
In truth, the England international never looked comfortable and was a far cry from the impressive form he has demonstrated in recent games.
There was an instance in the first half in which United were awarded a free-kick after Maguire was brought down by Woodrow. In a hurry to resume play, Maguire tried to find Mainoo with a short pass but he only gave the ball away to Ross Barkley. The midfielder set Woodrow through on goal but Varane produced a block to prevent Onana from being required to intervene.
Casemiro was also treading a very dangerous line during the time he was on the pitch. He received what seemed like a dubious and underserved yellow card after a rival player dived without the Brazilian making much contact with him.
The five-time Champions League winner however didn’t make it easier for himself with one or two other fouls that undoubtedly tested the patience of David Coote.
The Luton players seemingly knew they had Maguire and Casemiro on edge by just how hard they protested whenever either of the two United men committed a foul.
Fernandes and Rashford on the other hand put the team on the backfoot by how often they kept losing possession and ceding the ball back to the Hatters.
There were one or two moments in which Fernandes and Rashford found themselves in promising positions but couldn’t make it count due to poor decision-making or awful execution.
Fernandes had chances to score but didn’t finish his opportunities. The best one came in the second half when he rounded off Kaminski but his shot afterwards was brilliantly blocked by Sambi Lokongo who diligently tracked back.
The frustrated Portuguese playmaker slammed the ball against the advertising boards in anger.
Perhaps wary of the danger of going a man down, Ten Hag elected to take off Maguire and Casemiro at the break. They were replaced by Jonny Evans and Scott McTominay respectively.
It’s deeply worrying both for supporters and the manager that the experienced and more seasoned players appeared to be the liabilities in the team.
Shaw can’t be relied on
In a second consecutive match for United, Shaw could not finish a game due to injury concerns.
Last Sunday vs. Villa, the 28-year-old was substituted at half-time and replaced by Victor Lindelof who was given a torrid time by Leon Bailey.
This time at Kenilworth Road, Shaw lasted just about 45 minutes yet again before he had to be removed and Lindelof brought on in his place once more.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Shaw is set to be subjected to medical tests in order to determine the nature and extent of his latest injury setback.
🚨🔴 Tests to follow for Luke Shaw after new injury today during first half vs Luton Town. pic.twitter.com/LFkm9fhBO2
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 18, 2024
What is clear is that the full-back simply can’t be relied upon. Far too often this term, he has been unable to remain fit and help his side when needed.
Even worse is that Shaw continues to pick up injuries during a time when his deputy, Tyrell Malacia, is also out undergoing his own recovery.
Shaw’s unreliability and lack of availability may become an issue that United need to address during the summer.
Lack of match control a concern
It’s worrying that United couldn’t have control of the game even against a club like Luton.
Other big teams have also found it hard to get something at Kenilworth Road but considering the Red Devils got off to a two-goal lead very early, some form of control and composure was warranted.
Sadly, United lacked this and whatever little calm and control they had only came from young Mainoo who stood head and shoulders above his teammates.
There were chances in the second period which fell to Fernandes, Garnacho and Hojlund but none of them could bury it and settle the game.
As has been the norm this season, United saw out the game very uncomfortably and on the edge.
One of the few positives was that the team was solid and had a response to every question Luton asked of them.
The introduction of Evans was very good and he combined well with Varane at the back.
