Man United lack of control underlined by nervy win at Luton

LUTON, England – Manchester United found a way to beat Luton Town 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday, but their resurgent bid for UEFA Champions League qualification will surely only be successful if they can control the chaos.

Kenilworth Road may be a small, outdated stadium by modern standards, but it has proven a difficult journey for all the top teams this season: Arsenal needed a stoppage-time goal to win 4-3 here , Liverpool recovered a point at the death. During their visit, Manchester City came from behind to win 2-1 and Newcastle United were beaten 1-0. Yet United looked determined to have another busy afternoon despite going 2-0 up after just seven minutes.

Rasmus Hojlund scored United's fastest goal in the Premier League, in just 37 seconds. And in a sign of how much the Danish striker's luck has changed in recent times, he added the second goal by accidentally diverting Alejandro Garnacho's volley past Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski.

It should have been a comfortable afternoon from this position, but chaos ensued. Carlton Morris halved the deficit in the 14th minute with a close range header, and for the rest of the first half Luton were by all accounts the better team.

United held on for a win that allowed them to capitalize 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 passage between matches.

“We are improving but you also see that we have to stay focused throughout the match,” he said after the match. “I won't say 'stop', but when you do a little less, you get punished. We can't afford that. We have to be 100% focused at all times. Do your job together, together. “Inside and outside possession, and you can then control your games. What could have been an easy victory was now a difficult victory.

It was a fifth successive victory in all competitions for United but another which looked shaky for long periods, as was the case against Newport County, Wolves, Aston Villa and, to a lesser extent, West Ham United .

Ten Hag usually looks to the experienced backbone of his team to provide the composure required to fend off feisty but limited opponents like Luton. Yet Morris bullied Harry Maguire to an almost embarrassing extent while Casemiro was late and lucky not to be sent off, picking up a yellow card for fouling Amari'i Bell before catching Ross Barkley late on, to escape the censure of referee David Coote. Casemiro has been booked in four of his five matches since returning from injury. Bruno Fernandes wasted possession and Marcus Rashford looked trapped in the anxiety that threatens to consume his season.

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It was left to Kobbie Mainoo, at the age of 18, to bring a kind of sensibility to United's midfield, displaying speed and intelligence in tight areas to stand out from his older contemporaries. experienced.

Ten Hag saw enough to take out Maguire and Casemiro at the break, both on yellow cards and both put out of their misery. The United boss then suggested that “the game was going in one direction, there was a lot of pressure on the referee, both posed a risk of another booking.” Jonny Evans and Scott McTominay may have sorted things out a little, but the chaos took a different form in the second half: missed chances.

There is undeniable promise in the forward line of Garnacho, Hojlund and Rashford. They have only started together seven times in the league this season and United have averaged 2.4 goals in those games, remaining unbeaten, contrasting with the pace of one goal per game and nine defeats in 18 matches without them. Hojlund marked another moment in history, becoming the youngest player to score in six consecutive Premier League games, surpassing Joe Willock's record.

But the dynamic trio still remains too ineffective. Rashford saw a shot saved in the 57th minute, Fernandes was denied by a brilliant final block from Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Garnacho ran clear but tried to round Kaminski before Hojlund had a point-blank effort saved after Rashford and Garnacho. well combined to create the opening.

Luton knowingly exposed themselves to the sort of counter-attacking opportunities United crave, but almost saw the reward for their risk in stoppage time when Barkley's header clipped the top of the crossbar.

There were 43 shots in total from both teams, with Luton topping the total with 22. This figure of 43 is the second highest in a Premier League match this season (Fulham v Everton had 46) and is another measure of the lack of control. United had the opportunity to appear in three of the six best matches for shots.

Liverpool, City and Arsenal play with an authority that United simply cannot replicate. Achieving parity in this aspect of their game is a long-term goal, and the lack of control might not stop United from successfully pushing into the top four.

But they currently remain hostages to fortune to a greater extent than anyone at United would surely like.