Hojlund helps Man U to a fourth straight EPL win
Rasmus Hojlund scored twice in the opening seven minutes, and Manchester United then withstood a spirited fightback to hang on for a 2-1 win at Luton yesterday and a fourth straight English Premier League (EPL) victory.
In the day’s other match, Brighton took full advantage of Mason Holgate’s early sending-off by cruising to a 5-0 win over last-place Sheffield United.
Hojlund extended his scoring streak to six straight league games when he seized on a defensive howler to net the opener after just 37 seconds – United’s quickest away goal in EPL history. He added the second with a slice of luck as a shot deflected off his chest and into the net to quieten the home crowd at the smallest stadium in the EPL.
That early double made it look like it would be a comfortable afternoon for United, but it was anything but after that.
Luton’s Kenilworth Stadium – which seats just over 11,000 – was soon raucous again as the hosts responded by dominating the rest of the first half, and captain Carlton Morris pulled one goal back with a close-range header in the 14th.
MISSED CHANCES
However, the hosts couldn’t capitalise on several chances and hit the crossbar in injury time as United clung on for a win that puts them just three points behind fifth-place Tottenham.
Hojlund failed to score in his first 14 league games for United but now has seven in his last six. The Dane, who
Femke Bol broke her 400-metre indoor world record yesterday at the Netherlands’ national championships, finishing in 49.24 seconds to shave twohundredths of a second off the record she set a year ago.
Bol, the 400-metre hurdles world turned 21 two weeks ago, became the youngest player to score in six straight EPL games, breaking Joe Willock’s previous mark.
He was gifted the first one by Luton, though.
Amari’i Bell mishit his attempted back pass, allowing Hojlund to intercept the ball and run clear through on goal. The striker calmly rounded goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski before slotting the ball into the empty net.
His second goal was even easier and was probably more luck than skill.
The ball fell to Alejandro Garnacho after a corner, and his shot from outside the area was heading wide but struck Hojlund in the chest and bounced into the net.
But Luton responded well and was right back in it when Tahith Chong’s blocked shot looped towards the net, and Morris beat Andre Onana to the ball to head it past the goalkeeper.
THIRD LEAGUE WIN
Meanwhile, in the other match, Sheffield were coming off just their third league win of the season against Luton last weekend, but any hopes of getting consecutive victories ended with Holgate’s reckless studs-up tackle on Kaoru Mitoma, which was upgraded to a straight red card after a VAR check in the 13th minute.
Facundo Buonanotte and Danny Welbeck then scored inside four champion, set the new record less than two weeks before the World Indoor Athletic Championships opens in Glasgow.
“I never get used to it, especially with all these people cheering on home soil. It’s a dream come true to run another world record, and it’s wonderful to have all these Dutch fans enjoying the most beautiful sport in minutes to put the visitors 2-0 up by the 24th, before three late goals in the second half – including two by recent Africa Cup of Nations winner Simon Adingra – padded the scoreline.
A point would have lifted Sheffield out of last place and above Burnley, but the loss left Chris Wilder’s team still rooted to the bottom. Brighton moved the world,” Bol said in her trackside interview.
She bettered her record from a year ago, which broke a 40-year-old record of 49.59 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova on March 7, 1982.
Lieke Klaver finished second yesterday behind Bol in 50.10 at the Omnisport stadium in Apeldoorn, and Cathelijn Peeters was third in 52.08. above West Ham and Newcastle into seventh.
The 2-1 win at Luton had given Wilder’s team faint hopes of escaping relegation, but any chance of building on that momentum disappeared with Holgate’s horror tackle, as he lunged in on Mitoma and caught the Japan international above the knee with his studs raised.