Rasmus Hojlund’s quick brace set Manchester United on course for a thrilling 2-1 win against Luton Town in the Premier League clash on Sunday, edging them closer to the top four battle.
The Danish striker, in fine form, capitalized on a defensive slip-up to put United ahead just 37 seconds into the game. He then swiftly doubled their lead just seven minutes later, firmly placing his team in control.
Luton, fighting relegation, showed resilience and swiftly responded as Carlton Morris bravely headed in to reduce the deficit in the 14th minute.
Despite the game being wide open, with both sides creating good chances, it was surprising that there weren’t more goals.
United, sitting in sixth place, squandered several clear-cut opportunities in the second half, while Luton’s Ross Barkley’s header hit the crossbar in stoppage time.
This fourth consecutive league victory takes United to 44 points from 25 games, just five points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Hojlund’s scoring streak continues, marking him as the youngest player in Premier League history to achieve this feat, effectively erasing any memories of his early-season struggles.
His first goal, a typical poacher’s finish, came after seizing upon a dreadful back pass by Amari’i Bell and calmly rounding goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski to slot it home.
During the early exchanges, United completely dominated, with Alejandro Garnacho’s volley deflected by Hojlund’s chest to extend their lead.
While United appeared poised for a landslide victory at that point, Luton fought back, with Morris diving to head in after Tahith Chong’s attempted shot was parried by Andre Onana.
As Luton’s confidence grew, they had opportunities to level the score before halftime, but Morris and Alfie Doughty both narrowly missed the target.
Casemiro received a booking for United in the first half, being involved in several contentious challenges, and was substituted along with Harry Maguire at halftime.
United had numerous chances to secure victory in the second half, with Marcus Rashford going close and both Bruno Fernandes and Garnacho failing to convert when through on goal.
These missed opportunities nearly proved costly, as Barkley came close to equalizing with an excellent effort.
