EPL | Hojlund’s early double seals win for Man United at Luton

Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund celebrates after scoring his aspect’s opening objective in the course of the English Premier League soccer match between Luton City and Manchester United at Kenilworth Highway, in Luton, England, on February 18, 2024.
| Picture Credit score: AP

Rasmus Hojlund’s early double proved sufficient to safe Manchester United an absorbing 2-1 Premier League victory at Luton City on Sunday and push them nearer to the battle for the highest 4.

In-form Danish striker Hojlund pounced on a defensive error to present United the lead after 37 seconds after which made it 2-0 with solely seven minutes on the clock to place his aspect in management.

The 21-year-old has now scored in six successive Premier League video games — the youngest participant ever to take action.

Relegation battlers Luton dusted themselves down from Hojlund’s early salvo although and responded with Carlton Morris’s courageous header halving the deficit within the 14th minute.

The one shock then in a wide-open recreation was that there have been no extra targets as each side carved out good probabilities.

Sixth-placed United had been responsible of losing a number of gilt-edged alternatives within the second half whereas Luton’s Ross Barkley headed in opposition to the crossbar in stoppage time.

United’s fourth successive league win put them on 44 factors from 25 video games, 5 factors behind Aston Villa who’re fourth.

Hojlund took till December to attain his first Premier League objective since United paid 72 million kilos ($90.71 million) to signal him from Italian membership Atalanta in August.

However he’s now paying again that switch price, taking the warmth off supervisor Erik ten Hag and serving to United make a robust cost in the direction of qualification for the Champions League.

“We recruited him on character and knew he was a robust character,” Ten Hag mentioned. “He can carry out below stress and that is a ability you want as a United striker.

“You see it now, he has a variety of confidence and I am positive he’ll rating much more.”

His opening objective at Kenilworth Highway was the standard poacher’s effort, seizing on a horrible again move by Amari’i Bell earlier than rounding keeper Thomas Kaminski to attain.

United had been utterly dominant within the early exchanges and camped in Luton’s half and doubled their lead when Alejandro Garnacho volleyed in the direction of objective and Hojlund cleverly deflected the ball previous Kaminski along with his chest.

At that stage United appeared able to operating up a cricket rating however Luton got here to their senses and bought again into the sport when Morris dived to go in after Tahith Chong’s tried shot at objective bounced up and he beat Andre Onana to the ball.

With Luton’s confidence restored that they had probabilities to degree earlier than halftime with Morris and Alfie Doughty each taking pictures narrowly broad of the goal.

Casemiro was booked for United within the first half and was concerned in a number of different questionable tackles and was substituted together with Harry Maguire at halftime.

United actually ought to have secured the victory within the second half with Marcus Rashford going shut whereas each Bruno Fernandes and Garnacho did not convert after going clear on objective with solely Kaminski to beat.

These missed alternatives nearly value United expensive as the superb Barkley nearly nicked an equaliser.

Luton stay in seventeenth place with 20 factors from 24 video games though Everton may climb above them in the event that they get some extent in opposition to Crystal Palace on Monday.

“You’ll be able to’t give United a two-goal lead like that and we gave ourselves a mountain to climb,” supervisor Rob Edwards mentioned.

“We gave it a superb go and believed in what we do. Happy with how we responded and the way courageous we had been.”