Rasmus Hojlund’s shooting ability proved key in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Luton Town | OneFootball

Manchester United managed to hold for a 2-1 victory in what was a tightly-contested match against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Sunday evening to earn a valuable three points.

While United ultimately struggled to get the upper hand against the underdogs for much of the game, it was the away side’s strong start to the match that earned them the lead they needed to secure the win. At the heart of this attacking effort was the high-flying Rasmus Hojlund.

Only half a minute was on the clock when Hojlund raced half the length of the pitch to collect a Casemiro clearance that was squandered by Luton defender Amari’i Bell. The Dane showed composure under pressure to control the loose ball, race past the keeper, and bury the ball in the back of the net to hand United the perfect start to the match. This was the sixth consecutive Premier League match in which Hojlund scored, making him the youngest player to achieve this feat.

Still, United’s lone striker wasn’t done just yet. Only six minutes later, he got on the end of an Alejandro Garnacho shot, deflecting the ball into the net with his chest to grab his and United’s second goal of the afternoon.

Although that was the end of United’s scoring for the match, Hojlund continued to impress, proving strong on the ball and an effective team player.

In total he had three shots on target and two off target. Given that two of his shot resulted in goals, this shows that Hojlund not only has great accuracy but is also clinical enough to deliver the end product at the elite level of club football. This is further proven since his expected goals for the match sat at 1.17, falling short of his end result.

With 56 touches, Hojlund was far more involved in United’s build-up play than he usually is. Although he only managed to complete 27 of 39 passes for a 69% pass accuracy, his link-up play with Garnacho remained as strong as it typically is while his chemistry with Marcus Rashford also appears to be developing.

Hojlund made two key passes, almost resulting in goals, while intriguingly, all four of his long balls were completed, making for a particularly good accuracy for a striker who is expected to typically be on the receiving end rather than being the supplier.

The 21 year old proved fairly strong in the air, winning three of his five aerial duels, however, he wasn’t at his best with the ball at his feet, winning just three of his six ground duels. He also lost possession 18 times, signalling that he perhaps needs to work on his performance with the ball in training.

Interestingly, Hojlund also showed up in defence, making a tackle as well as one clearance to safeguard United’s lead. He was also never dribbled past, thus signifying his high work rate both in and out of possession.

Ultimately, Hojlund was United’s matchwinner, making the most of his few scoring opportunities yet again to help his team secure three points.

With his seventh goal in his last seven Premier League outings, Hojlund’s red-hot form continues with this win over Luton as he continues to prove himself worthy of being United’s first-choice striker. One can’t help but imagine that he will be crucial to United’s efforts to close out the season on a high as the club continues its rebuild.

(Stats via Sofascore)