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Rob dawsonCorrespondent
At the start of a season that will be busier than any he has known before, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got to see what he has in store in a 3-0 win against Luton Town in the Carabao Cup.
If the loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday exposed the shortcomings of their first eleven, the trip to Luton Town gave the Norwegian a glimpse into his supporting cast. Manchester United did enough to win and secure a spot in the fourth round of the tournament thanks to a penalty from Juan Mata and a late double from substitutes Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood, but it was a job done and not something spectacular.
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Luton coach Nathan Jones later said the scoreboard “flattered” his high-profile visitors and that it would be difficult to argue with him. On the other side of the touchline, Solskjaer called for “a reaction” at Kenilworth Road after a lousy performance in the Premier League opener and while there was no exciting performance, he did at least get a better result. Anything else would have been unthinkable against a Championship team that finished 19th last season, particularly ahead of a difficult streak of matches that includes matches against Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton.
Mata said starting the new season with two losses would have been “a mess.” A first win of the season should at least mean United head to Brighton on Saturday with repaired confidence after Palace damaged them so badly.
There was a period in the first half where it was felt that Luton, who had started his season with four straight wins, smelled a surprise in the cup, but his only late chance to draw was magnificently avoided by goalkeeper Dean Henderson. The 23-year-old, who made his United debut after returning from a two-year loan to Sheffield United, did well to stay awake during a largely boring adventure, let alone make a wonderful reflex save. at his near post after a Tom Lockyer header.
“That’s probably the job our goalkeepers have to do sometimes,” Solskjaer said. “You have to stay focused and make stops when necessary and David [De Gea] He’s done that for years and Dean did it today.
“Passing is the important thing. There are some positives, the goalkeeper does his job, we scored some nice goals towards the end and apart from that it was good training.”
It may not be enough to oust De Gea for now, but it was a timely reminder of what Henderson can do. Solskjaer says his situation as a goalkeeper will be “interesting” this season and it was a good enough save to make it a bit more. Arriving in the 80th minute with the score at 1-0, he also allowed Rashford and then Greenwood to close the score and avoid the lottery which is a penalty shootout.
Solskjaer will be happy that Rashford, in particular, has his first goal of the season after looking rusty and without confidence against Palace. It was the first time he encountered the net since mid-July, as he continues to seek his best form after a serious back injury. The fact that Rashford, Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes were needed showed just how awkward Luton was for much of the night.
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Mark Ogden reacts to Manchester United’s 3-0 win at Luton Town in the Carabao Cup.
They were spurred on by former Old Trafford academy graduate Ryan Tunnicliffe, whose father once cashed £ 10,000 off a £ 100 bet that his son, then nine, would play for United. He did it twice before leaving in 2013.
Meanwhile, Solskjaer can be happy with the contribution of Mata, Jesse Lingard and Eric Bailly. Mata wasn’t even on the bench against Palace, but he showed here that he still has a role to play. At 32, the Spaniard knows he won’t start every week, but his touch, movement and vision still offer something different to Solskjaer’s other fast and direct forwards. United could have done it with their art against Palace, who were happy to deny Rashford, Anthony Martial and Dan James space at the top.
Meanwhile, Bailly made a big block down the line after Henderson’s opening stop to cap off a guaranteed performance alongside Harry Maguire, the lone survivor of the loss to Palace, who will put further pressure on Victor Lindelof. Lindelof played a major role in all three of Palace’s goals at the weekend and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if faster and stronger Bailly is preferred in Brighton.
Ultimately, Lingard was brilliant and energetic, especially in the first half, but it remains to be seen if Solskjaer can offer him enough opportunities to keep him happy. At 27, Lingard is desperate to play soccer regularly and it was telling that afterward, Solskjaer refused to rule out a play before the window ran out.
However, the key question remains whether someone else will enter.
“We are working with what we have now and then let’s see what happens”, was the response of actions of the now United manager.
