Manchester City had a game just like this last year. Around the same time of the season, too. Also sandwiched in between two potentially defining matches.
Sheffield United in the FA Cup. A semi-final at Wembley but relatively kind all the same. A chance for Pep Guardiola to make his changes, offer some rest to Rodri after Bayern Munich away and days before a title-tilting shellacking of Arsenal.
Sheffield United is what was different that season to all the others. The semi-final stages were Guardiola’s kryptonite, always in the middle of other huge occasions and City’s squad – packed full of quality but not depth in numbers – couldn’t cope once Guardiola rang the changes, losing three of them on the bounce. It was usually the day the Treble died.
Not last year and the freshness bought that day undoubtedly had a bearing on what would follow. Luton, in between a double date with Real Madrid, had that distinct feel. Teams who win the lot need afternoons like this, sticking the cruise control on. City ended it top of the Premier League for the first time since November.
Rodri complained of tiredness in midweek, not something he is prone to do, and was promptly given the afternoon off. Just as at Wembley. Bernardo Silva joined him for a jog late on, with City two goals clear, although the pair ended up just standing to watch on the sideline, celebrating wildly when the mesmeric Jeremy Doku passed in their fourth with three minutes left.
Man City returned to the top of the Premier League with a 5-1 win over Luton Town on Saturday
City opened the scoring within two minutes when Erling Haaland’s effort hit Daiki Hashioka
It was a hugely unfortunate goal for Luton to concede with Hashioka struck in the face by Haaland’s shot, which was heading wide of the goal and the defender required treatment
Mateo Kovacic made it 2-0 to City midway through the second half with a stunning strike
It was the Croatian midfielder’s first Premier League goal for the club since joining last summer
Matheus Nunes started only his seventh league game for the club, Mateo Kovacic was again involved before he reverts back to the bench in the weeks to come and everybody is back fit, thundering in City’s second on the hour. Rico Lewis was trusted, Julian Alvarez was given a nod, which is becoming rarer.
This could not have been more perfect for Guardiola, truth be told. That is not to do Luton down but a reflection on the table, with this City’s seemingly most comfortable game of the run-in. If there was a moment to shake things up slightly – and involving slight risk, with obvious caveats that don’t need explaining – then Luton at home was it.
Luton, who have lit up this division at various points and not adrift like their fellow promoted teams, do feel like something of a throwback to Blackpool all those years ago: gumption, a no-fear attitude and presenting a general surprise. Dial the brightness up on Luton’s shirts and you could be looking at the same team.
Like Blackpool, though, their run since Christmas is deeply alarming – despite the recent victory over Bournemouth – and there must be some concern that the tide cannot be turned sufficiently to avoid relegation. Actually in the squad during that Blackpool season, Rob Edwards saw firsthand how this league can swallow teams whole.
The difference between those two clubs is the head coach. While Ian Holloway’s stubbornness proved an undoing, Edwards is a tactician whose dexterity could yet haul Luton out of trouble.
Haaland made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after Jeremy Doku was fouled by Fred Onyedinma
Ross Barkley pulled one back for the Hatters after City gave the ball away when playing out
Jeremy Doku added the gloss to the result with a goal that his performance deserved
Josko Gvardiol made it five in injury time as the defender netted for the second time this week
Agitated, Edwards wore the look of a manager who believed that they could have affected proceedings more. Luton didn’t register a single touch in City’s box until the 66th minute, already town down, when Cauley Woodrow struck the bar. Shots rained down on Thomas Kaminski, flying around to thwart the returning Kevin De Bruyne – sick for Real on Tuesday – and Josko Gvardiol, who threatened to repeat his Bernabeu trick. He would manage that much later, thrashing in with his right foot again.
Daiki Hashioka had unwittingly given City a lead 66 seconds in, a wayward Erling Haaland volley smashing the Japanese defender flush in the face and deflecting past Kaminski. Haaland had initially fluffed the move when clean through before he later had his goal with 14 minutes left from the penalty spot. Jeremy Doku had been clipped by Fred Onyedinma and Haaland sent Kaminski the wrong way, soon then taken off. His father, Alfie, had suggested earlier that the criticism of the top scorer – this his 20th in the league – was driven by a Roy Keane ‘agenda’. And we all know what that means.
Matheus Nunes was handed a rare start and saw a first half effort hit the outside of the post
Rodri and Bernardo Silva were given a rest by Pep Guardiola after City’s hectic run of fixtures
Seconds after his substitution, Nunes gave cheap possession away and Ross Barkley worked an angle to strike across Ederson – back in for Stefan Ortega after injury – and Luton had their consolation that a more progressive second half probably deserved.
Doku, though, made his case and capped off a fine display by scaring Onyedinma again, the defender backing off to allow the Belgian to nestle into the far corner, while Gvardiol recorded his second in a week during stoppage time. Madrid here on Wednesday and then an FA Cup semi next Saturday. A big week indeed.
It was a tough afternoon for Rob Edwards and his heavily depleted Luton side at the Etihad
They remain in 18th following the defeat, but are just one point from Nottingham Forest in 17th