Harvey Elliott Scores on 100th Liverpool Appearance in 4-1 Demolition of Luton Town

 Liverpool came back from one goal down at half time to thrash Luton 4-1 at Anfield on Wednesday evening. The result moves the Reds four points clear at the top of the Premier League. 

Chiedozie Ogbene headed the Hatters into a 12th-minute lead, but Liverpool turned the game around by scoring two goals in three second-half minutes, with Virgil van Dijk nodding in from a corner and Cody Gakpo heading in from an Alexis Mac Allister cross.

Luis Diaz crashed in another goal after 71 minutes after Alfie Doughty’s sloppy clearance and Harvey Elliott celebrated his 100th Liverpool appearance in style by curling into the top corner in stoppage time. 

Diaz spurned the first opportunity of the game when Elliott picked out the Colombian with a chipped pass, only for the striker to curl wide after rounding Gabriel Osho.

Luton forayed forwards and created an opening of their own when Ogbene skipped down the right flank and passed to Albert Sambi Lokonga who rolled into Ross Barkley. From there, Tahith Chong received the ball between Liverpool’s defence and midfield, feeding Doughty who dragged a shot wide from the left side of the area. 

Town took a shock lead when Cauley Woodrow laid off to Chong whose fierce low shot was saved by the legs of home goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, but Ogbene was alert at the back post and held his nerve by nodding into the unoccupied net, sending the 3,000 away fans into raptures. 

Ogbene was at the centre of the action again when Ross Barkley’s raking crossfield pass put the wingback in behind the Liverpool defence. However, the Irishman’s left-foot shot was blocked by Van Dijk and Lokonga’s through ball to Woodrow was collected by Kelleher. 

Midway through the first half, Wataru Endo clipped over the top of the Town defence for the sliding Diaz who got his toe to the ball but could only poke wide. Despite Luton’s lowly position in the league table, Rob Edwards’ men appeared happy to play an expansive end-to-end game. 

In a remarkable phase of play, Lokonga shook off Mac Allister and Gakpo with brute strength and an elegant Cruyff turn and triggered a Luton attack. Seconds later, it was Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch charging through midfield, eventually passing to Diaz who was denied by Teden Mengi’s valiant sliding tackle. 

Ogbene orchestrated one last attack before the interval, rounding Joe Gomez on the halfway line and gliding upfield. Town’s no.7 crossed into Woodrow who had made an intelligent run across the front post, but he awkwardly volleyed over the bar with his thigh.

Edwards was forced into a change at half-time when Lokonga complained of an injury, replacing him with club legend Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu in midfield. Consequently, Luton lost all composure on the ball in the second half. 

Liverpool launched wave upon wave of attack from the start of the second half, beginning with marauding right back Conor Bradley poking to Diaz who saw his goalbound shot bravely blocked by the torso of Mengi. In the same phase of play another Diaz shot was blocked by the flailing arm of Osho, who was looking away from the ball. The Town defenders stared sheepishly at Andy Madley until the referee awarded a corner. 

Luton were living dangerously and had to rely on keeper Kaminski to preserve their one-goal advantage. The Belgian darted down to his left to save Gakpo’s shot. However, Liverpool would finally be rewarded from their dominance just seconds later when Van Dijk broke free of Mengi’s stewardship to powerfully head Mac Allister’s corner across goal and past Kaminski. 

The equalising goal brought the Anfield crowd to life and marked the beginning of a spell Reds manager Jurgen Klopp would later refer to as a ‘thunderstorm’ reminiscent of the 4-0 rout of Barcelona in the May 2019 Champions League semi-final second leg. 

Despite the absence of forwards Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah, Liverpool continued to carve open the Luton defence and took the lead on 58 minutes when Bradley’s quick throw-in caught the Town defence napping. Mac Allister volleyed across goal to Gakpo whose bullet header crashed into the roof of the net, sparking wild celebrations in the Kop End. 

This match was just the second with the fully redeveloped upper tier of the Anfield Road End open to supporters, and the pitch was engulfed in a cacophony of noise created by the majority of the 59,896 fans in attendance after Gakpo scored.

Kaminski displayed impressive agility when he flew to his left to stop a Van Dijk header with his left hand, although the referee stopped play after the Dutchman collided with Town striker Carlton Morris. 

Luton responded when Barkley surged through midfield and passed to Doughty on the left. The defender saw his effort blocked by Jarell Quansah, with the ball floating dangerously through the air and dropping agonisingly wide of Kelleher’s back post. 

Doughty was left to rue the opportunity missed when his aimless clearance across field was controlled by Bradley in midfield. With the Luton team dragged across to the one side of the field following a throw-in, many players were out of position when the Reds academy graduate passed to Diaz. The Colombian finally had his goal on 71 minutes when he danced beyond Mengi and drilled past Kaminski from seven yards. 

The host toyed with Luton in the final 20 minutes and could have won by a significantly wider margin but for the heroics of Kaminski, who dived down to his right to make a one-handed save from Diaz as the game entered its final stages. 

Luton have proven themselves to be one of the most resilient teams in the league and have scored many late goals this season. The Hatters came close to pulling a goal back when substitute Andros Townsend’s shot was deflected over the bar by Elliott. Barkley then took a quick free kick and weaved between Liverpool players before releasing a low shot which was easily collected by Kelleher.

Nevertheless, it was Liverpool who had the final say when Osho was dispossessed in midfield. The returning Andy Robertson tapped to Reds debutant Jayden Danns – the son of former Crystal Palace midfielder Neil Danns. The 18 year old threaded through to Gakpo who was blocked by an excellent last-ditch tackle by Mengi, but the energetic Elliott followed up to fire emphatically into the top corner. 

At full time, Klopp pumped his fist and saluted the clamorous fans on four stands of the stadium, full of belief that his final season at Anfield could have the dream ending. 

Rasmus Hojlund Double Gives Manchester United 2-1 Win at Luton Town

Rasmus Hojlund scored two goals in the opening seven minutes as Manchester United earned their fourth successive Premier League win on Sunday afternoon, beating Luton Town 2-1 at Kenilworth Road. 

Hojlund gave the Red Devils the lead after just 49 seconds when he capitalised on Amari’i Bell’s loose pass, and doubled the advantage when he showed quick reactions to chest in from Alejandro Garnacho’s volley. 

Luton halved the deficit after Carlton Morris headed Tahith Chong’s deflected shot past Andre Onana, and United were fortunate to clinch all three points after Ross Barkley’s last-gasp header landed on top of the crossbar.

 

The Hatters got off to the worst possible start in front of the Sky Sports cameras when Bell watched Raphael Varane’s clearance bounce over his shoulder and inexplicably scuffed a pass towards Thomas Kaminski. Hojlund intervened with ease and rounded the Town keeper before smashing into the net from just inside the box.

Before Luton could regain their composure they were two behind. Luke Shaw’s corner from the left was headed out to Garnacho on the edge of the box whose first-time volley was redirected across goal and over the line by the quick-thinking Hojlund. 

Musician and Manchester United fan Harry Styles was watching from the stands alongside Luton legend Mick Harford, and the pair were pictured sharing a pack of mints in the early moments at Kenilworth Road. 

The unlikely pair were given more action to enjoy when Luton pulled one goal back on 14 minutes. Alfie Doughty passed into Chong in the area who spun and shot. The effort was deflected into the air by Harry Maguire and Morris stole in to nod past the star-jumping Onana - netting his fourth goal of his last five Premier League appearances. 

Luton probed for a swift equaliser and came close when Morris dragged wide from the edge of the box. Then Casemiro should have been shown a second yellow card when he lunged in late on Ross Barkley, but the Brazilian was handed a reprieve by referee David Coote. 

The hosts continued to attack down the left flank when Chong, Morris and Doughty combined, resulting in the full-back shooting wide of the left post with his right foot.

Luke Shaw was withdrawn on the cusp of half-time by United boss Erik Ten Hag and replaced with Victor Lindelof. The precautionary move was taken after Shaw – who had fitness concerns leading up to the fixture – was shown a yellow card for flooring the pacy Chiedozie Ogbene. 

At half time, Ten Hag also removed the booked Maguire and Casemiro and introduced Jonny Evans and Scott McTominay. 

After the break, Rashford raced forward and jinked onto his left foot before unleashing a fierce shot towards the bottom right corner. Kaminski darted down to his left and held out a strong left hand to stop the shot and collect the ball at the second attempt. 

Luton had gained plenty of territory and possession in pursuit of the elusive equalising goal, but United repeatedly sprung forward on the counter attack and should have netted a third when Garnacho passed to Fernandes. He rounded the stranded Kaminski but saw his shot blocked by Albert Sambi Lokonga. When all seemed lost, the Town midfielder lunged towards the ball and denied Fernandes with an outstretched right foot.  

Kaminski came out to smother a Hojlund shot at the end of another blistering counter attack on 77 minutes, but almost undid his fine work by passing straight to Fernandes as the clock ticked towards stoppage time. Much to the Belgian’s relief, Fernandes drilled his shot inches wide of the far post. 

In one final roll of the dice, Luton substitute Luke Berry swung a corner across from the left flank in stoppage time. Barkley did brilliantly to meet the ball at the front post and steer his header across goal, but the attempt landed on top of the crossbar and bounced behind, with Barkley left holding his head in his hands.

James McAtee Stars as Sheffield United Beat Premier League Relegation Rivals Luton

James McAtee played an instrumental role in Sheffield United’s 3-1 win over Luton Town, scoring a first-half penalty in an action-packed relegation six-pointer at Kenilworth Road. 

Cameron Archer opened the scoring on the half-hour mark when he slotted past Town keeper Thomas Kaminski, and United doubled their lead through McAtee’s penalty after Reece Burke was controversially punished for handling in the area. 

Luton pulled one goal back after another dubious penalty decision resulted in Carlton Morris rolling in from the spot, but the Blades wrapped up all three points Vini Souza struck into the bottom left corner on 72 minutes. 

Chris Wilder’s side were determined to get back to winning ways after their humiliating 5-0 loss to Aston Villa last time out, and the Blades could have taken the lead inside the first 30 seconds when Gustavo Hamer flicked Jaden Bogle’s pass into the path of McAtee who curled inches wide of the post. 

Luton failed to heed the warning and could have easily conceded when Vini Souza headed over the top of the home defence. Archer had plenty of time to pick his spot but somehow dragged his volley wide, much to the amusement of the Town fans in the Kenilworth Road End.

Seconds later, Archer beat Gabe Osho to the ball on the left flank and raced past the Luton defender. The Blades striker then sprinted into the box and fired into the bottom left corner, silencing the home fans with a taunting celebration. 

Six minutes later, Sheffield United were awarded a penalty after Souza’s header struck Burke’s outstretched arm. The Town defender was unsighted and standing little more than a yard in front of the Blades midfielder at the point of contact. After a VAR delay, McAtee stepped up and struck into the bottom right corner, sending Kaminski the wrong way. 

Luton assistant manager Paul Trollope was sent off during the interval for dissent after he aggressively remonstrated with referee Chris Kavanagh, and the officials made another dubious decision seven minutes into the second half. Alfie Doughty’s corner from the left was met by the head of Elijah Adebayo, with the ball rebounding off the raised arm of Souza. Just like McAtee in the first half, Morris deceived the goalkeeper and rolled into the bottom right corner. 

Despite encouraging recent results, Luton lacked intensity from the outset against United. The Blades on the other hand played with a desire to prove the critics wrong and restore some pride in the shirt. And they achieved exactly that when Souza struck the fatal blow with 18 minutes remaining.  

Luton had committed more players upfield in search of an equalising goal, and when Osho failed to clear his lines after tackling Archer, Ben Osborn passed to Souza who was all alone on the edge of the box. The Brazilian took one touch out of his feet and lashed a right-foot into the bottom left corner. 

Luton were frustrated in their effort to get back into the game by the resolute Blades defence, but the Hatters did come close to scoring when Doughty’s corner fell at the feet of Adebayo, but Wes Foderingham rushed out quickly to smother the shot. 

In one final attempt, Tahith Chong cut in from the right flank and curled a left-footed shot narrowly wide of the far post, but it was a day that ended in disappointment for Rob Edwards and his team, having missed a prime opportunity to pull four points clear of the relegation zone.