Key talking points as United hold on to edge past spirited Luton

Manchester United continued their pursuit of the Premier League top four after squeezing past a spirited Luton at Kenilworth Road.

Rasmus Hojlund struck an early double before United's lead was halved by Carlton Morris during a crazy opening 15 minutes but the Red Devils held on for their fourth straight victory.

Here are all the talking points from an entertaining 2-1 victory for United.

Gift wrapped

Luton knew they could hardly put a foot wrong if they were to pull off a shock win, so the way they started did them no favours.

A hopeful ball upfield inside the first 40 seconds was poorly dealt with by Amari'i Bell, whose misplaced pass inadvertently put Hojlund through on goal.

And with the form the Danish forward is in, he confidently gobbled up the chance by rounding Thomas Kaminski and slotting home.

Treasure chest

Everything seems to be coming off for Hojlund right now and his second of the game was the result of a remarkable piece of improvisation.

At first glance, the 21-year-old did not look to have known much about the seventh-minute effort that saw him get a touch on Alejandro Garnacho's strike and wrong-foot the goalkeeper.

But replays showed he quickly swivelled his body as the ball came to him, brilliantly guiding it in with his chest.

Hojlund became a figure of fun for his lack of goals but the confident youngster now looks capable of burying any chance he gets.

Brave hosts

The thrilling Sunday afternoon encounter was yet another action-packed game involving Luton and their brave approach.

Most of Luton's first few Premier League games had perhaps been a little too reactive against their superior top-flight opponents — often resulting in narrow defeats despite spirited showings.

But a more positive approach in recent months has resulted in more points for the Bedfordshire club and certainly entertainment for the neutral watching on.

Though it occasionally led to more opportunities on the break for Erik ten Hag's side, Luton will certainly count themselves unlucky to end up with nothing.

Not the finished article

United have showed vast improvements of late and while they managed to secure another three points here but they are still not a fully firing unit just yet.

After a rapid start, the visitors faded and their poor game management allowed the Hatters back into the fixture.

With the crowd noise going up a level with every chance, United would undoubtedly have benefitted from a period when they slowed the game down and kept the ball from their opponents.

But that did not come, meaning the visitors were never in control of the encounter despite spending so much of it in front.

Hot pursuit

Though they should have killed Luton off earlier, United have come away with yet another victory which takes them within three points of Tottenham in fifth.

The Red Devils have taken maximum points from their last four games and will feel they have every chance of catching Spurs and Aston Villa in the race for the top four. 

But with a Manchester derby on the horizon after hosting Fulham next week, improvement will surely be needed if they are to keep this form up.

It is a second successive defeat for the Hatters but they remain out of the relegation zone ahead of a daunting trip to Liverpool on Wednesday.