MAN UNITED PLAYER RATINGS: Harry Maguire was the BEST player on the pitch at Old Trafford but Christian Eriksen struggled and limped off with an injury in the Red Devils’ much-needed 1-0 win against Luton

• Manchester United beat Luton Town 1-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon 
• Victor Lindelof’s first club goal since 2020 enough to squeeze them past Hatters
• Why Luton are the team that can stay up from promoted clubs: It’s All Coming Up

A rare goal from Victor Lindelof was enough to see Manchester United squeeze past Luton and move to within three points of a Champions League spot.

The win eased pressure on United boss Erik ten Hag following their midweek loss to Copenhagen and ensured the Red Devils go into the international break free of unwanted headlines. 

Despite the victory, there will still be some concerns over the performance that saw the home side struggle against their newly-promoted opponents. But given United’s inconsistency, beggars can’t be choosers. 

As for the Hatters, they suffered another gutting narrow defeat after a resilient display. Rob Edwards will be frustrated but they’ll be plenty of positives to take from their trip to Manchester.  

Here, Mail Sport takes you through who thrilled and who had an afternoon to forget at Old Trafford.

Victor Lindelof fired home after 59 minutes after the ball deflected to him inside the area

Lindelof’s goal saw Man United climb up the Premier League within three points of the top four

Rob Edwards (left) saw his side come unstuck by the narrowest of margins once again

Manchester United (4-2-3-1)

Andre Onana 7

Made a really impressive diving save to deny Carlton Morris’ header at 0-0 but didn’t have much else to do.

Will have been glad to get another clean sheet under his belt after shipping four in Copenhagen.

Sergio Reguilon  6

Chose gloves despite far from freezing conditions and it was a limited display from the full-back.

Was hooked before full-time in favour of Raphael Varane. Will have better days.

Harry Maguire 7.5

The biggest compliment to Harry Maguire right now is that his place in the side, on form, cannot be questioned.

Was again the most dominant defender across the back-line.

Victor Lindelof 6.5

Bagged his fourth goal for Manchester United – his first in front of United fans since 2019 – and few will have brought as much relief as his goal here.

Ended up being shifted out to left back when Raphael Varane replaced Reguilon for the final 12 minutes.

Andre Onana (left) and Victor Lindelof (right) formed a crucial part of the United defence that kept Luton at bay on Saturday afternoon.

Harry Maguire has solidified his place in the team since coming back into the starting XI

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Diogo Dalot  6

Wasn’t caught out in the same way he was at Copenhagen a few days ago but this was a frustrating display from a player fans have seen do so much more going forward this season.

Christian Eriksen 5.5

Forced off with a knee issue and went straight down the tunnel. Doesn’t seem to have the energy left to fulfil the role United need from a midfield axis in front of the defence.

Needs transitioning into a cameo role to get the best out of him.

Scott McTominay 7

Offers much more consistent work rate in the middle of the park than Eriksen does and was in the thick of things when Lindelof scored.

United need to find more ways to get him involved further forward – which he has shown for Scotland is where he can shine brightest – but this showing produced more positives than negatives.

He appears to have Ten Hag’s trust and looks unlikely to be dropping out of the team any time soon.

Alejandro Garnacho 6

Simply had to score when picked out unmarked inside the area by Rasmus Hojlund.

Took way too long and it was snuffed out. No doubting his potential but he needs to deliver more consistently to merit starts.

Christian Eriksen also limped off injured in the first half with an injury in another blow to United

United’s attacking talents failed to find their scoring touch as Marcus Rashford blanked again

Bruno Fernandes 6.5

Actually looks to make things happen, even if they don’t always come off.

Sprayed the ball around well and did a lot of the mopping up too, with Eriksen limited before he went off.

Nobody can accuse him of not trying.

Marcus Rashford 6.5

Cut a frustrated figure to start at the end of what has been a tough week for him following the red card in Copenhagen.

But good players find moments and he was pivotal in United’s goal after drifting onto the right before fizzing a ball in that eventually broke for Lindelof.

He just badly needs a goal to get a smile back on his face.

Rasmus Hojlund 6

Was given the thankless task of slugging it out up top on his own with four defenders at times honing in on him.

He had a golden opportunity in the early stages to break his Premier League goal drought, only to see the ball cannon off his thigh and into the chest of Thomas Kaminski in the Luton goal.

The big sour note for United on the day was the sight of Hojlund substituted off and heading straight down the tunnel with a calf complaint. United will hope that’s nothing serious when they return to action at Everton after the international break.

Erik ten Hag 6

Another victory, much like Fulham, which feels like papering over the very large cracks.

Deserves credit for going with Lindelof ahead of Varane given the Swede’s goal but the absence of a clear playing style, or plan, still leaves fans scratching their heads.

Should get some respite during the international break with this win, though.

Subs:

Mason Mount 6.5

Brought on to provide a bit of impetus in place of an injured Eriksen, Mount found life tough against Luton’s low block.

Feels like he still has some way to go to re-establish himself in the starting XI after seemingly falling out of favour.

Antony 6

Had a couple of stepovers on the edge of Luton’s box but continues to look wholly predictable when he cuts in from the right.

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

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