Sameer Khan
Manchester United took a trip to Kenilworth Road as Erik ten Hag and his men tried to close the gap at the top of the table. Their last game was a close affair and United only pulled ahead thanks to a second-half goal by Victor Lindelof.
The Red Devils have been on a tear ever since 2024 kicked off and no one expected them to lose heading into this game. Manchester United did not disappoint and held onto their early lead to get the three points.
Manchester United got it going early and scored within the first minute of the game. The Red Devils added another after just six minutes to make it 2-0. However, Luton Town were quick to take one back and closed the gap during the 14th minute.
From there on the first half was mostly dominated by Luton Town and Manchester United couldn’t do much but defend. The second half was a little better for the Red Devils but the forwards were very wasteful and the game ended as a 2-1 draw in favour of United.
Here are WAFU’s ratings of Manchester United players in the game against Luton Town
Andre Onana: 7
Ran off the line to try and reclaim the ball but was too slow and got beaten by Carlton Morris. Did well to not concede another throughout the rest of the game.
Diogo Dalot: 8
Made a terrific interception in the first half to stop the Luton Town attack dead in its tracks. Was positive throughout and moved the ball forward well. However, his recovery on defence left a little to be desired which allowed Tahith Chong to whip a few balls into the United box. However, he more than made up for it with his performance in the second half.
Raphael Varane: 8
Did a terrific job and displayed his class throughout the game. Cut out key passes, didn’t give the ball away and was a big reason behind United only conceding once despite Luton’s relentless attack. He was a constant thorn in the Hatters’ attacking line.
Harry Maguire: 5
Cheaply gave the ball away in the first half which almost led to a goal for Luton Town. Did a terrible job at defending set pieces and gave away plenty of free headers in front of the goal. Should have done a much better job. Taken off at half-time and rightfully so.
Luke Shaw: 6
Couldn’t keep up with the pace of Carlton Morris, and even committed a cheap foul on him which led to an early booking. Didn’t get a lot of playing time and was replaced before the first half ended. Yet another injury?
Kobbie Mainoo: 8
An absolute positive for Manchester United. Made a crucial tackle on Ross Barkley during the second half and positioned himself well throughout the game. Even hit a cheeky backheel to give Garnacho a look at goal but it came to nothing in the end. Erik ten Hag should be very happy with how Mainoo is developing this season. Was a little unlucky to get booked during the second half.
Casemiro: 3
Yet again was booked during the first half of the game thanks to his terrible timing. Wasn’t even noticeable in the midfield and did nothing to impact the game. Not the kind of performance that the United fans expect from their Brazilian superstar.
Alejandro Garnacho: 5
Got an assist that he didn’t deserve. Also, squandered a golden opportunity to score, all he had to do was shoot the ball but overplayed it after beating the goalkeeper. For someone who gives away possession as often as him, Garnacho sure does like to dribble a lot.
Bruno Fernandes: 2
Bruno Fernandes made all the wrong decisions in transition. Manchester United lost multiple counter-attacking opportunities thanks to his poor eye for passes, it almost looked like Fernandes didn’t want his team to score. Terrible performance from the Portuguese skipper.
Marcus Rashford: 3
Did nothing to impact the game, and took two dives in the box after giving the ball away. Tries to dribble around defenders to no avail. Rashford would be much better if he passed the ball a little more in the final third. However, he prefers to dribble into two defenders at once and give possession away. Showed moments of brilliance but failed to do anything.
Rasmus Hojlund: 10*
Showed good awareness by cutting off Amari’i Bell’s pass in the first minute of the game which also led to a goal. Guided an off-target shot towards goal using his chest to grab his second goal just a few minutes later. Man United would not be contesting for a top-four spot if it wasn’t for Hojlund.
Substitutes:
Victor Lindelof: 5
Came on right before half-time for Luke Shaw who has left the game at half-time two games in a row now. Was a little lost on defence and did nothing to help the Manchester United offence.
Scott McTominay: 6
Came on for Casemiro who picked up an early yellow. Failed to have an impact on the game and was a non-factor. Scott ‘clutch’ McTominay was nowhere to be found today.
Jonny Evans: 7
Good defensive performance from Evans. came on for Harry Maguire at half-time and provided a big boost to Ten Hag’s defensive line. More than once he made good clearances to kill Luton Town’s momentum.
Sofyan Amrabat: N/A
Did not warrant a rating.
