The takeaway from a suitably intense, fraying and at times surprisingly open encounter is that good news continues to arrive for Manchester United. It was their fourth league win in a row and the latest confirmation that they had found a striker in Rasmus Hojlund worthy of the huge investment they paid Atalanta last summer. United looked to have laid the foundations for a successful night when the Dane scored twice in the first seven minutes to become the youngest player to score in six consecutive Premier League games.
That that did not happen is a huge credit to Luton and reflects the lessons that Erik ten Hag’s side still have to learn. They hit back through Carlton Morris, but their ambition and application afterwards would have been much greater had Ross Barkley’s header not hit the crossbar and instead scored a sensational equalizer in the final minute of stoppage time. I’m sure he didn’t complain either.
After such a rough start, United must have thought they might be the ones to emerge unscathed in a venue where all the top-flight giants are forced into dogfights. They cleared two goals thanks to further display of decisiveness from Heilund, whose early struggles in English football are a distant memory.
Luton’s defense also made a big contribution. When Casemiro made an early clearance up the field, there appeared to be little threat to Amari Bell, who was heading towards Luton’s goal when the ball bounced up. What should have been a simple pass to Tomas Kaminski turned out to be a frightening, scraping execution that the chasing Heilund had cleverly anticipated. Facing Kaminski, the Dane moved to his left and poured it into the empty net.
After just 37 seconds, United were starting to enjoy themselves, with Marcus Rashford’s deflected shot quickly testing Kaminski. Luton’s trademark aggression was only noticeable in its absence and they were punished again when Morris’ header from a corner looped out to the unmanned Alejandro Garnacho. His 18-yard volley went wide of the right-hand upright, but Heilund reacted brilliantly, rotating his upper body and deflecting it with his chest over the wrong-footed Kaminski. Ta.
The home team was left wide open, perhaps because center forward Ilya Adebayo, who sets the tone, was injured during warm-ups. All they had to have done was for Rashford to burst through the middle and check Kaminski for a second time before firing a shot wide of the target. However, there were signs that their left flank might still enjoy a useful afternoon as Luton moved the ball up the field and they quickly found their way back through that route.
It was indomitable wing-back Alfie Doughty who cleverly cut back to former United youngster Tahith Chong and fired home. Chong’s shot was deflected into the six-yard box by Harry Maguire, and Andre Onana’s star jump was tipped over by a stooping Morris.
The tone had changed dramatically. United did not always respond well to such changes in emphasis, and for the remainder of the first half they were unsettled by the biting and growling of their opponents. Added elegance to the midfield promptings of Barkley and Alfred Lokonga. Also the raw speed of Chiedozie Ogbene, who was bursting with energy when he booked and bought Luke Shaw.
Morris missed another heading opportunity, then moved forward and sent a shot just wide of target from 20 yards. Between the two games, a sloppy pass from Maguire forced Diogo Dalot to take evasive action before Cory Woodrow, who replaced Adebayo and started his first Premier League game since May 2014, scored. did not become.
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Doughty ran into the area but was wide, missing a golden chance to equalize before the interval. United will go into the game feeling both hurt and fortunate. Shaw was sent off with an injury before the whistle, but Casemiro, who was already booked, was lucky to avoid further punishment for his clumsy tackle on Barkley.
It was little surprise that neither Casemiro nor Maguire, who received yellow cards themselves for knocking down Morris, played in the second half. Scott McTominay and Jonny Evans were called upon to steady the ship, but Luton continued to force matters and Doughty’s center found its way across goal under sustained pressure. The talented Chung was then tricked into reaching the byline, but was unable to find his teammates. United hit back immediately, with Rashford forcing a sharp stop on Kaminski, who was on his own.
If United could regain their composure, they still had a chance. Bruno Fernandes had a goal in the period, but was denied by Lokonga’s heroic recovery block after going past Kaminski. Six minutes later, Garnacho was in much the same situation, with the combination of Bell and Kaminsky keeping the game alive. United may have shaken off their earlier headaches, but they also rejected some gifts.
Luton failed to find the cutting edge to match their lively approach play after half-time, but smelled an equalizer when the ball fell to Gabriel Osho six yards out, but the defender missed a clean strike. could not be taken away. Almost immediately, the formidable Kaminski brilliantly denied Heilund’s hat trick. It would have been a crucial moment if Barkley’s last-gasp header had been a few centimeters lower.
