Erik ten Hag’s decisiveness saves Manchester United from themselves at Luton

A win is a win, and yet this was as wild and chaotic a win as Manchester United might experience all season. There were 43 shots, 28 fouls, eight yellow cards and somehow only three goals in a game that might have had 10. There were glaring misses and terrible mistakes, and in amongst it all there was some brilliant football, too, most frequently found at the feet of Luton’s Ross Barkley and United’s Kobbie Mainoo.

But Luton gave United a two-goal head start, and ultimately that is why they lost this breathless show 2-1.

Amari’i Bell presented Rasmus Hojlund with the first goal after 36 seconds; Luton failed to defend a corner and Hojlund’s improvised finish had made it 2-0 within seven minutes. Luton came back with the kind of gusto the Premier League is now well accustomed to at Kenilworth Road, and Carlton Morris’s opportunistic reply was well deserved.

From there Luton terrified United, so much so that the visitors were voluntarily taking bookings in order to kill off threatening attacks. Such was Erik ten Hag’s fear of those yellow cards soon becoming red that, by the start of the second half, he had substituted three of his booked players: Luke Shaw (for injury but no doubt he was already on thin disciplinary ice), Casemiro and Harry Maguire, senior stars effectively scared into submission. In hindsight, Ten Hag’s decisiveness steadied a sinking ship. “The game was going in one direction, there was a lot of pressure on the referee,” Ten Hag said afterwards. “We had good replacements in Scott McTominay and Jonny Evans.”

By 51 minutes, United were actively time-wasting. And although they carved a raft of second-half chances on the counterattack, you were left more convinced by Luton’s bid to stay in the Premier League than United’s ambition to finish in the top four. “We’re staying up!” rang around Kenilworth Road and, despite defeat here, you were inclined to believe them.