Manchester United ease pressure on Ten Hag as Lindelöf sees off Luton

Erik ten Hag can breathe his latest sigh of relief as he and his Manchester United team head for the international break in good cheer. For this Victor Lindelöf should be thanked after a match-winner that ended a three-year wait since his last goal for the club and lifted Ten Hag’s team up to 21 points, three behind fourth-placed Liverpool, who have played a game fewer.

The goal came from a corner on the left. Bruno Fernandes took this, the move broke, and the ball was worked by Mason Mount to Marcus Rashford on the opposite flank. He drilled a cross in and there was the Swede to blaze beyond Thomas Kaminski.

Lindelöf had changed the mood from flat to joyful for the home congregation, who had previously seen little to cause much hope. United’s fifth 1-0 victory in all competitions was just about deserved.

Luton arrived with the same plan that nearly undid Liverpool on Sunday as Rob Edwards instructed his players to keep compact and look to knock United over on the counter. There is always a puncher’s chance of this working but the prevailing narrative, really, was of the numerous opportunities spurned by United.

Chief culprits were Rasmus Højlund and Rashford, who each wasted copious openings in the latest illustration of what is costing Ten Hag’s men this season: a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.

There is, too, a glaring need for flair, quicker speed of thought and passing, plus a lack of cohesion: all of which Ten Hag will argue can be better remedied when he has more players off the unavailable list – Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s illness making him the latest to join this.

When Sergio Reguilón conceded a 70th-minute free-kick in range you wondered if United might implode, again, as they did on Wednesday at Copenhagen. But the wall – and Harry Maguire’s nether region in particular – did the job as Ross Barkley’s effort was repelled and that was about it for the Hatters and the contest.

So at the final whistle – after eight minutes of added time – United had two consecutive Premier League wins for only the second time this term and Ten Hag wore a smile that not even a late booking for dissent could evaporate and which could be translated as relief that this stop-start season had got moving again.

For how long, though, who knows.

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