Luton Town v Manchester United: Premier League – live

Hello, good afternoon and welcome to what should be a tasty Sunday teatime. It’s Kenilworth Road, Luton v Man United, 17th v sixth, David v Goliath. It’s a Premier League game that feels more like a cup tie.

When it comes to form, there’s not much between the two sides. In the table for the past two months, as of this morning, United were sixth and Luton were eighth. Both clubs have been making things happen at both ends of the pitch. United’s cumulative score in the league since 18 December is 15-12, while Luton’s is 16-13. The form book is telling us this will be a nice open game that ends two-and-a-half all.

United have a record to preserve: they are formidable in February, unbeaten in 25 league games since Valentine’s Day 2018, when they were still trying to make things work with Jose Mourinho. Luton have a record to claim: after scoring in every league match since mid-November, they are poised to go 12 top-flight games without drawing a blank for the first time in their history.

The last opponents to keep a clean sheet against them in the league were … Man United, with a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture. The winner was scored by Victor Lindelof, who will probably only start today as a makeshift left-back, if Luke Shaw is unfit. Andros Townsend might like the sound of that.

Neither side can move up or down the table today, but there’s still more than enough at stake. Erik ten Hag needs a win to stay within shouting distance of Spurs, Villa and the Champions League. Rob Edwards could do with one to pull away from Everton and put pressure on Palace. And while United’s front three have finally come together to pose a consistent threat, Luton have worked out how to score goals against their biggers and betters, bagging four against Brighton and Newcastle and even managing three against Arsenal.

Kick-off is at 4.30pm GMT and I’ll be back soon with the teams. Meanwhile, here’s a face in the crowd.

Good to see you, @Harry_Styles! 👋pic.twitter.com/UrwIT2AeT1

— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) February 18, 2024