Manchester United 1-0 Luton Town: 5 Hits and Flops as Red Devils grind out win against Hatters | Premier League 2023-24

Manchester United found an unlikely hero in Victor Lindelof as he scored the only goal to hand his side a 1-0 win over Luton Town in the Premier League on Saturday, November 11.

Erik ten Hag made two changes to the side that lost to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League midweek. Jonny Evans and Aaron Wan-Bissaka missed out, with Lindelof and Sergio Reguilon taking their places.

Luton, on the other hand, was coming off a strong performance in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool. They named an unchanged starting lineup.

Both teams came close to opening the scoring in the goalless first half. Rasmus Hojlund squandered a golden opportunity to open his Premier League tally but missed from close range.

At the other end, Carlton Morris' header looked destined for the back of the net until Andre Onana produced a great stop to keep the scores level.

Manchester United finally broke the deadlock in the 59th minute. Marcus Rashford's cross found Scott McTominay but the midfielder could only produce a scuffed attempt. However, it fell to Lindelof and the Swedish defender blasted it past the goalkeeper to make it 1-0.

Luton failed to produce any notable threats thereafter to level the score as Manchester United made it two wins out of two in the league. Here are five hits and flops from the game.

#5. Hit - Harry Maguire

Maguire was under a lot of criticism at the beginning of the season and was close to a move elsewhere. However, he has played a key role in this campaign as United lost Lisandro Martinez to injury. The 30-year-old produced another solid performance as Manchester United kept a clean sheet.

Maguire had 97 touches of the ball and he attained a passing accuracy of 91 percent. He delivered 13 long balls, nine of which were accurate. Also, the 30-year-old made three clearances and blocked three shots.

#4. Flop - Marcus Rashford

The winger's disappointing run this season continued in a mediocre outing against Luton Town. He is now without a goal or assist in his last eight Premier League games and has just one goal and one assist to show from this season so far.

Deployed on the right instead of his usual left, he struggled to create much of an impact. He got the ball 55 times but couldn't make any key passes or deliver any accurate crosses. He also lost possession 15 times.

#3. Hit - Andre Onana

Onana has overcome a tough start to his Manchester United career and seems to be settling in well. After some early mistakes in the Champions League against Bayern Munich and Copenhagen, the Cameroon international has regained confidence.

He produced a splendid stop to deny Morris in the first half and made four saves overall.

#2. Flop - Rasmus Hojlund

Hojlund has been sensational for the side in the Champions League but has been unable to find his form in the Premier League. The Danish striker is the UCL's top scorer with five goals but is yet to register a goal or assist in the Premier League.

He missed a great chance to open the scoring and his misery was compounded after he was subbed off with an apparent injury. He touched the ball a meagre 18 times and had a low passing accuracy of 63 percent.

#1. Hit - Victor Lindelof

Questions were asked about the continued omission of Raphael Varane from the starting lineup as Lindelof was paired alongside Maguire in central defence. However, the Swedish defender justified his inclusion with a solid performance at the back and bagged the winning goal as well.

Apart from his match-winning strike, Lindelof was very active throughout the duration of the match, getting the ball 117 times and having a passing accuracy of 94 percent.