TEASY DOES IT FOR PEP
Classy champions silence cheeky Hatters fans
AT least the Luton Town fans seem to believe that the 115 charges levelled against Manchester City won’t actually stick.
There were 3,000 Hatters housed in the corner of The Etihad’s South Stand – and they appeared to be having a rare old time teasing the home fans despite being forced to watch their team being slowly pulled apart by Pep Guardiola’s champions. “Conference champions, you’ll never sing that,” they chanted, choosing to forget that there are those who would have City playing local derbies against
Oldham, Rochdale and Altrincham even before the Premier League commission being chaired by Arsenal season ticket holder Murray Rosen KC actually rules on whether the Blues have cooked the books at some point by the end of the year.
At least Luton’s travelling support were rewarded for their backing in the 81st minute when the tireless Ross Barkley dispossessed Matheus Nunes, sat Ruben Dias on his backside and fired a shot into the bottom corner of Ederson’s goal.
Barkley had earlier sent a shot against the crossbar.
But in truth this was business as usual for City, despite Guardiola deciding to ring the changes ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League return with Real Madrid.
Phil Foden, Rodri,
Grealish, Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake were on the bench. John Stones was given the afternoon off.
But in a race in which goal difference may prove to be decisive, the team going for an unprecedented fourth successive title might end up regretting playing most of the game in second gear.
Especially after taking just 66 seconds to break the deadlock through Daiki Hashioka’s unfortunate own goal.
“We’ve won it all,” sang
Luton’s fans before kick-off, reminding Mancunians that for all of City’s travails in the ’80s and ’90s the Hatters have had it much worse.
Luton’s only previous visit to The Etihad was for the Blue Square Bet Premier play-off final in 2011. They lost to AFC Wimbledon on penalties and had to wait another three years to return to the Football League.
But these two clubs do have history. City fans of a certain vintage will remember David Pleat dancing across the Maine
Road pitch in 1983 after Raddy Antic’s goal had kept them in the old First Division at the Blues’ expense.
When the home side were ahead in the blink of an eye, some inside The Etihad would have licked their lips in anticipation.
Luton boss Rob Edwards has been a class act this season. But he was a little naive to instruct his men to press City in the opening exchanges, especially when affording Kevin De Bruyne with more than the split-second he usually needs to find one of Erling Haaland’s galloping runs. Especially after seeing Haaland score five times at Kenilworth Road in the FA Cup in February.
De Bruyne’s pass was perfect.
Haaland’s first attempt was saved by Thomas Kaminski.
His second effort, after Jeremy Doku’s follow-up was blocked, was destined to land somewhere near the corner flag until it struck Hashioka flush in the face and flew into the net.
Luton hung in there until the 64th minute when Mateo Kovacic sent a sumptuous half-volley screaming into the roof of the net.
And when Haaland finally claimed his 31st goal of the season from the penalty spot, the home side’s appetite appeared sated with 15 minutes still remaining. But Barkley’s goal woke them up – and Doku and Josko Gvardiol made Luton pay for the privilege with two goals in the final three minutes.