Ed Aarons's match report
Thanks for joining me, and for your emails and tweets. Will see you next time. Bye!
Ole Gunnar Solskjær on the transfer window:
We’re working with the [players] we have at the moment, we’ll let you know if there are any changes.
Nathan Jones speaks:
For 85 minutes, I thought we were outstanding. It’s two counter-attacks at the end when we’re trying to score. But I thought the quality we showed, so proud of the team.
It was an unnecessary penalty. Stand up, stay on your feet. I’m beaming with pride though. Now we’re looking forward to the league, where we want to do something.
That’s Luton’s first defeat in 10 games. They are a useful side, joint top of the Championship at present. Will be interesting if they can keep up that form against Watford this weekend.
Friends in high places.
Rémy Cabella gives Krasnodar the lead and celebrates in style ✨
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 22, 2020
Jesse Lingard would be proud 🤝 pic.twitter.com/fjidCdeGPp
Manchester United will play one of Preston or Brighton (who play tomorrow) in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. They so easily could have been heading into a penalty shootout, if it hadn’t been for Henderson’s save and Bailly’s block with 10 minutes to go.
Full-time: Luton Town 0-3 Manchester United
This result flatters Solskjær’s side.
Updated
GOAL! Luton Town 0-3 Manchester United (Greenwood 90+2)
This kid is good at football. Greenwood drives infield from the right wing, throws a stepover and curls one into the corner. Shea should have done better really, I think there was a nasty bounce on the way through.
Updated
90 min: Two added minutes here. Greenwood feeds Lingard, who has another shot over the bar. He really needs a goal.
GOAL! Luton Town 0-2 Manchester United (Rashford 88)
Greenwood shows great awareness and strength to hold off his marker and slp Rashford in behind with a reverse flick. Rashford’s first touch does it all: out of his feet and an easy pass into the corner with his second.
Updated
86 min: “On a scale of Mourinho to Moyes, just how poor have United been? (You can make up which end of the scale is bad v abysmal).”
This has been very Mourinho. Generally quite poor, but have done enough to avoid embarrassment.
84 min: Yellow card for Hylton, who was high and late on Williams.
82 min: Remember, Luton need just one goal to take this to a penalty shootout.
80 min: Luton so nearly equalise! A free kick wide on the right is send in, Lockyer climbs above Matic to nod it down and Henderson scrambles to keep the ball out of his near post. Lockyer jumps on the rebound, booting it low towards goal, but Bailly throws his body in the way on the line! United desperately clear!
Updated
78 min: Manchester United respond with a TRIPLE change.
Greenwood, Rashford and Fernandes on (gulp)
Mata, Ighalo and Van de Beek off.
76 min: Luton have been drifting in this game, and they make some subs.
76' First game changers on for the Hatters...
— @LutonTown (@LutonTown) September 22, 2020
↪ Harry Cornick
↩ Jordan Clark
↪ Elliot Lee
↩ George Moncur
🟠 0-1 ⚫#CarabaoCup #COYH
Harry Cornick and his hair look like a cross between Jack Grealish and Henri Lansbury.
74 min: Van de Beek is next to have a go, pouncing on a loose ball inside the ball to slam the ball goalwards from a tight angle. Shea does well to save with his feet, it so easily could have squirmed under him.
72 min: Lingard should score, but he skies a glorious chance over! Some neat passing from Mata and Fred gives Lingard half an yard to get his shot off from around the penalty spot. But on his favoured right, he curls it three yards over. That’s poor, even if Jesse does claim a deflection.
70 min: “No-one should be too hard on the Man Utd ‘performance,’” emails Geoff Wignall. “It’d be unrealistic to expect anyone to crush Luton’s reserves by fielding a mere nine full internationals.”
68 min: Kioso goes on an adventure from right back, ending up as Luton’s most advanced player but slightly loses control of the ball and fouls Bailly rather badly in trying to win it back. Yellow card.
66 min: Just a reminder that we’ll go straight to penalties if there is a draw tonight. No extra time.
64 min: Matic tries his luck from range, powerfully struck inside the near post, but Shea is there to repel.
62 min: Luton clear the ball off the line! Mata, who has been the best player on the pitch, floats a great cross to the back post. Lingard is lurking, and gets a good connection on a volley from a tight angle. It beats Shea in Luton’s goal but Lockyer recovers to hook it clear!
59 min: Williams is very quick, isn’t he?
57 min: Yellow card for Brandon Williams, who cynically brings down LuaLua on a dangerous counter-attack for Luton. A good foul, as they say.
It’s all over at West Ham, who have beaten Hull City 5-1 in the other late Carabao Cup tie. Two late goals for Andriy Yarmolenko and Sébastien Haller.
Updated
53 min: Van de Beek latches onto a Mata pass, and feeds Lingard who drifts into a central area and looks to curl one … but it ends up in Row Z.
51 min: Both teams have very strong benches. Rashford, Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes feature on United’s, while Luton have star striker James Collins lurking on their sideline.
Updated
49 min: Referee Tim Robinson has noticed that there is still a cone on the pitch from half-time, so there’s a brief, but exciting, stoppage in play.
@michaelbutler18 a cone? Surely Man Utd's half-time substitution of Fred
— John Hubbard (@john19hubbard) September 22, 2020
Updated
47 min: Hylton flashes a low centre across United’s six-yard box, but there is nobody to tuck the ball home.
Peeeeeep! We’re off again at Kenilworth Road.
West Ham are still playing, 3-1 up against Hull.
There is also this story from earlier.
Full times in the other Carabao Cup matches
Some upsets, of sorts:
Newport County 3-1 Watford
West Brom 2-2 Brentford (Brentford win 5-4 on pens)
Updated
Luton should feel like there is not much to respect there, with all due respect to Manchester United.”
Another zinger from Darren Fletcher at half-time in the Sky studios.
Half-time looking:
Half-time: Luton Town 0-1 Manchester United
Luton are still very much in this.
45 min: One minute added on here. Nathan Jones will be gutted that his side couldn’t get to half time goalless.
GOAL! Luton Town 0-1 Manchester United (Mata 43 pen)
Shea dives right, and Mata curls it into the other corner. Was definitely a penalty, but Williams was smart in inviting the contact.
Updated
Penalty to Manchester United!
42 min: Moncur with a very clumsy challenge on Williams!
Updated
40 min: Five minutes to go in this first half. Manchester United have created one chance, by my count. Shea’s save from Mata. It’s now quite uninspiring stuff. Lingard boots a cross straight out for a goal kick. Solskjær looks glum in the stands.
38 min: Hylton is doing a fine job of holding the ball up against Bailly. Whenever Luton are pressed at the back, they always have the option of hitting it long, and are having a lot of joy with their No 9 in the air.
36 min: The camera pans to … Luton legend Mick Harford on the sidelines. He has on a black gilet and a fine head of hair.
34 min: Kioso looks a very solid player at right back for Luton. Lingard, who started brightly but has faded somewhat on the left wing, has failed to get the better of the Irishman a couple of times recently.
West Ham are now 3-0 up against Hull. Andriy Yarmolenko with a penalty.
Updated
30 min: Whisper it, but Luton are the better side at the moment. Clarke cuts in off the right wing, zooms past a couple of black shirts and lets fly. Deflected behind for another corner, which is cleared.
27 min: “In answer to your poser: Who do you think is more one-footed: Fred, Matic or Mata?” asks Nick Chronnell. “Is the answer Tony Valencia?”
Correct.
25 min: Another corner for Luton, who are evidently trying to put some pressure on Henderson. It’s floated to the back post, where some shocking United marking allows Bradley a free header. Blocked! Shinnie volleys the rebound goalwards! Blocked! Kioso has a shock from range … wide!
22 min: Tunnicliffe, who came through the academy at Manchester United and played a couple of times for them in the League Cup a few years ago, is playing like a man possessed in Luton’s midfield. Very fired up and not short of quality either. Luton have felt their way into this match and earned a corner.
Elsewhere, Newport County are now 3-1 up against Watford, it’s West Brom 2-2 Brentford and West Ham 2-0 Hull City. All those games are in the second half.
Updated
18 min: Fred goes close! He unloads from 25 yards, it catches a deflection and just flies wide! Shea was stranded but it remains goalless.
17 min: Chance for Luton! The home side break on the counter-attack and pour forward in numbers. Tunnicliffe slips Hylton in down the left, but the striker shoots poorly wide, when he surely should have passed the ball across the face of goal. Tunnicliffe certainly thinks so.
16 min: Lingard has been tidy thus far. If he does leave, I’m not entirely sure where he’ll go. Not good enough for Spurs, no room at Everton anymore … West Ham? Stinks of West Ham doesn’t it.
14 min: Chance! Lingard makes a run to the byline down the left, cuts back towards Van de Beek, who dummies, and Mata is there on the penalty spot to sweep the ball towards the far corner. Shea is at first unsighted, but gets down well to palm it behind!
12 min: Luton captain Sonny Bradley, born in south London and previously of Swedish third-division side IK Frej, has a very impressive array of neck tattoos.
Updated
10 min: Maguire, the only player that played against Palace to start tonight, is allowed to gallop up to the edge of Luton’s box with the ball at his feet, so the England defender laces one at goal, which ends up 20 yards wide.
8 min: Who do you think is more one-footed: Fred, Matic or Mata?
6 min: An email from Matt Richman. “Clearly this is not a shared opinion, but I rate Ighalo rather highly as a centre forward. Not only is he an excellent athlete, but he has the nous and ability to hold his own in the box and score some fun goals. Furthermore, he clearly enjoys every goal he scores in a United shirt; here’s hoping he has something to celebrate today.”
He’s an excellent finisher, there’s no getting around that. And sometimes, for a top drawer team, that’s enough. But United are not that yet, and are not going to win the league with him in the starting XI.
4 min: Good turn from Lingard on the half turn, and he drives through the heart of Luton’s midfield impressively, before laying off to Mata, who shoots tamely towards the near post. Shea saves.
2 min: United popping it about. I think Luton have touched the ball once in the opening two minutes.
The teams are out, Luton in their tangerine and blue, United in their changed black and white number. The players of both sides take a knee and away we go. Peeeeeeeeeeep!
Ten minutes into the second half and Watford are still 2-0 down to Newport County.
Darren Fletcher, a Sky pundit tonight, says “Manchester United are the biggest team in the world.”
Updated
BREAKING NEWS: Covid outbreak at West Ham
As stated on the club website:
West Ham United can confirm that David Moyes, Issa Diop and Josh Cullen have returned positive tests for Covid-19.
The club’s medical team were informed of the test results as the team were at London Stadium preparing for this evening’s Carabao Cup third round tie against Hull City. The manager and both players immediately left the stadium and have returned home.
All three, who are asymptomatic, will now follow Public Health England and Premier League guidelines and protocols.
Everyone at West Ham United send their best wishes to David, Issa and Josh.
Tuesday’s match will go ahead as planned, with Assistant Manager Alan Irvine taking charge of the team.
West Ham have taken a 1-0 lead at home to Hull, with Robert Snodgrass volleying a Andriy Yarmolenko cross into the corner.
Updated
Ed Aarons is our man in Luton tonight. The heady days 2014-15, ladies and gentleman!
Spotted in the toilets at Kenilworth Road pic.twitter.com/kOYTEenoQl
— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) September 22, 2020
As for Watford, they are one of three other Carabao Cup matches on tonight. They are … 2-0 down to League Two’s Newport County. Yikes.
Elsewhere in the early kick offs, it’s West Ham 0-0 Hull City (a first league start for Jack Wilshere in over a year) and West Brom 0-0 Brentford.
Gareth (“Watford fan...obviously”) has sent the first email of the night: “Luton have made nine changes because their cup final is on Saturday. The game against Watford will be their biggest game for 14 years, bless them.”
You can send me a mail on michael.butler@theguardian.com or tweet me @michaelbutler18.
The teams
Luton have made NINE changes from the side that beat Derby. Mostly a B-team in progress, with starts for George Moncur (son of John), striker Danny Hylton and Jordan Clark, who has impressed off the bench of late.
🎩 Your Hatters to take on @ManUtd tonight in the third round of the @Carabao_Cup 👇#COYH pic.twitter.com/iAaGegPj6l
— @LutonTown (@LutonTown) September 22, 2020
Manchester line up in a 4-2-3-1. Henderson makes his competitive debut, over nine years after he joined the club. The font looks a bit more frightening than that attack, save for VDB.
🚨 Here's how we line up to face Luton in our #CarabaoCup third-round encounter 📋#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 22, 2020
Updated
Preamble
The last time Manchester United visited Kenilworth Road, it was 1992 and Alex Ferguson still hadn’t won a league title in England. That day, a Lee Sharpe opener was cancelled out by a Mick Harford header in a disappointing 1-1 draw for the away side, the Luton legend pouncing on a rebound after he had crashed an outrageous header off the crossbar.
Fergie pinpointed Harford – by then a 33-year-old journeyman striker playing for a team that would that season be relegated from the top flight – as one of the biggest reasons United didn’t win the title that season, prolonging their 25-year wait as Leeds pipped them down the home straight. Not only did Harford cost United two points that day in April – deflated from that draw, they would lose three of their final four games as Leeds leapfrogged them into first place – but Fergie had actually tried to sign Harford that season, only to be rebuffed by Luton.
In his first autobiography, Fergie wrote:
“Our pitch [at Old Trafford] was terrible. That’s why I tried to sign Mick Harford. To try and play football on that pitch was impossible and I thought if I got Mick, we could have just played it up there and let Mick whack the centre-halves out of the road. That was a mistake. We should have signed him … if I had acted as purposefully as I should have done, we would have won the league”.
Things have changed since then. The pitch is nicer at Kenilworth Road, the stands are empty and United have since won 13 top-flight titles. So tonight’s Carabao Cup match should suit United better than it did in 1992. Still, you suspect Luton have a chance here.
United looked woeful in defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend and face a tricky trip to in-form Brighton on Saturday, so Ole Gunnar Solskjær may well be cautious with his team selection. If he does, Luton could spring a shock: they have won all four of their matches this season and since Nathan Jones was reappointed as manager in May, Town have lost just once in 13 competitive matches. Woof.
What is more, Harford is still there, as Luton’s chief recruitment officer, with his summer signing, Jordan Clark, scoring the winner in the past two matches, including most recently against promotion hopefuls Derby on Saturday. The spirit of Harford lives on! Beware.
Kick-off: 8.15pm BST.
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