LUTON, England – Manchester United found a way to beat Luton Town 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday, but their UEFA Champions League qualification revival will surely be successful only if they can control the chaos.
Kenilworth Road may be a small and dated stadium by modern standards, but it has proven to be a difficult journey for all the top teams this season: Arsenal needed an injury-time goal to win 4-3 here, Liverpool saved a point in death. On their visit, Manchester City came back to win 2-1 and Newcastle United were defeated 1-0. However, United looked set for another tense afternoon despite racing into a 2-0 lead after just seven minutes.
Rasmus Hojlund scored the fastest away goal in United's Premier League history, timed in just 37 seconds. And in a sign of how much the Danish forward's fortunes have changed of late, he added the second when he somewhat fortuitously deflected Alejandro Garnacho's volley past Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski.
It should have been a comfortable afternoon from that position, but chaos ensued. Carlton Morris halved the lead in the 14th minute with a close-range header, and for the rest of the first half Luton were undoubtedly the better team.
United held on for a victory that ensured they capitalized on Tottenham Hotspur's home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers a day earlier to move within five points of the top four, but manager Erik ten Hag recognized the need to find a smoother pace. throughout the games.
“We are making progress, but we also see that we have to stay focused throughout the game,” he said after the game. “I won't say 'turn off', but when you do a little less, then you are punished. We can't afford this. We have to always be 100 percent focused. Let's do our job together, inside and outside. “You have possession and then you can control your games . “What could have been an easy win was now a tough win.”
It is United's fifth consecutive victory in all competitions, but another that felt fragile for long periods, as was the case against Newport County, Wolves, Aston Villa and, to a lesser extent, West Ham United.
Ten Hag would normally call on the experienced backbone of his team to provide the composure needed to keep energetic but limited opponents like Luton at bay. However, Morris bullied Harry Maguire to an almost embarrassing degree while Casemiro was off the pace and was lucky not to be sent off, receiving a yellow card for fouling Amari'i Bell before catching Ross Barkley late, only to escape the censure of referee David Coote. Casemiro has been booked in four of his five games since he returned from injury. Bruno Fernandes squandered possession and Marcus Rashford looked trapped in the angst that threatens to consume his season.
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It fell to Kobbie Mainoo, as an 18-year-old, to bring some sensibility to United's midfield, showing quick feet and intelligence in tight areas to stand out from his more senior contemporaries.
Ten Hag saw enough to bring on Maguire and Casemiro at half-time, both with yellow cards and both put out of their misery. The United manager later suggested that “the game was going in one direction, there was a lot of pressure on the referee, they were both at risk of another booking.” Jonny Evans and Scott McTominay perhaps calmed things down a bit, but the chaos took a different form in the second half: missed opportunities.
There is undeniable promise up front in Garnacho, Hojlund and Rashford. They have started together just seven times in the league this season and United have averaged 2.4 goals in those games, remaining unbeaten, in contrast to the pace of one goal per game and nine defeats in 18 games without them. Hojlund marked another historic moment by becoming the youngest player to score in six consecutive Premier League games, surpassing Joe Willock's record.
However, the dynamic trio is still too inefficient. Rashford had a shot saved in the 57th minute, Fernandes was denied by a brilliant late block from Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Garnacho ran clear but tried to round Kaminski before Hojlund had a close-range shot saved after Rashford and Garnacho. combined well to create the opening.
Luton knowingly left themselves exposed to the kind of counter-attacking opportunities United crave, but almost saw the reward for their risk in stoppage time when Barkley's header hit the top of the crossbar.
There were 43 shots in total from both teams, Luton top scoring with 22. That figure of 43 is the second-highest in a Premier League match this season (Fulham vs. Everton had 46) and is another measure of the lack of control. United have appeared in three of the top six shooting games.
Liverpool, City and Arsenal play with an authority that United simply do not replicate. Achieving parity in that aspect of their game is a longer-term goal, and a lack of control may not stop United from successfully cracking the top four.
But they currently remain hostages to fortune to a greater extent than surely anyone at United would like.
