Luton vs Man City LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as City survive scare
Luton 1-2 Man City: Grealish and Bernardo’s second-half strikes secured a comeback win for City
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Manchester City ended their four match run without a win as they edged past Luton Town 2-1 at Kenilworth Road in a contest that threatened to end in another negative result for Pep Guardiola’s men.
Without Erling Haaland in the squad, the visitors struggled to capitalise on their possession the first half and, aided by some fine saves from Thomas Kaminski, Lutin kept them at bay. Elijah Adebayo leapt above everyone else to nod home the opener just before the half-time break and Luton took the lead.
In the second half, Man City picked up where they left off and pushes the Hatters deep. Bernardo Silva curled in a superb left-footed strike just after the hour mark to equalise before Jack Grealish slotted home to decisive goal to secure the points for the champions.
Relive the action from Kenilworth Road below:
Pep Guardiola needs drastic measures to solve Manchester City’s case of ‘Rodri-dependencia’
Pep Guardiola has made several contributions to the footballing lexicon but among the more famous is one he has come to regret. “The Harry Kane team,” his infamous description of Tottenham, was intended as a compliment but, as Guardiola himself would concede, was incorrect long before a Spurs side shorn of Kane scored three goals at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
It does, however, raise the possibility the same tactic can be used to brand his side. Erling Haaland may have scored 52 goals last season but there are days when Manchester City are “the Rodri team”. And if treble winners can be called a one-man team, they are a very different side without that one man. A 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa marked the fourth match Rodri has sat out due to suspension this season. City have lost all four.
They can feel further from curing their Rodri-dependencia. They mustered a mere two shots at Villa Park, the fewest ever attempted by a Guardiola side in a league match. And if a defensive midfielder might not seem integral to the attack, City have a lone goal in those four outings without Rodri. It is a sign of his ubiquity.
Pep Guardiola is suffering from an incurable case of ‘Rodri-dependencia’
Whether it involves changing the tactics, the personnel or the mood, the City manager must deploy his managerial skills to fix a broken midfield
Rodri’s return set to sideline Kalvin Phillips again
Man City will have midfielder Rodri back at Kenilworth Road after he completed his latest ban. The Spaniard has now missed four games through suspension this season and Pep Guardiola’s side have lost them all.
The manager decided not to play Kalvin Phillips when selecting his side against Aston Villa, fuelling further speculation the England midfielder could leave the club in January.
Guardiola said: “I don’t know what will happen. I feel so sorry for my decisions for him. He doesn’t deserve for one second not to have minutes but it’s just that I visualise things and struggle a little to see him.”
Guardiola on City’s recent form
Manchester City are going through a rare spell of indifferent form with three wins and a loss from their last four league games. Pep Guardiola addressed his team’s form ahead of their trip to Luton saying:
“It’s not about complacency. Complacency is arriving late to training, not training good, not doing a good job, it not mattering what happens.
“I’m talking just about bad results. Bad results help you to understand. When you lose games, it is necessary. It’s necessary to live that.
“After, [you] make a step forward. It’s the only way.”
Timing is everything
When Luton secured their promotion to the Premier League via last season’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final, their fans were able to dream of the days when English football’s aristocrats would head for Kenilworth Road.
hey could be forgiven for watching through their fingers when Manchester City make the trip on Sunday.
City, for the first time in seven years, have not won in four league games, but the Hatters have managed only two top-flight victories all season. Few will give the hosts much chance of improving on that statistic this weekend.
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City needed reality check after fourth game without a win
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola believes the club’s recent slump has delivered a much-needed reality check.
Guardiola says he and his treble-winning players have enjoyed being stroked “like a cat” for too long after their recent successes and it was time they were given a shake.
City were not only beaten but outplayed at Aston Villa on Wednesday – a result which extended their winless run in the Premier League to four games and saw them slip to fourth in the table.
Pep Guardiola says City needed reality check after fourth game without a win
City’s loss at Aston Villa on Wednesday extended their winless run in the Premier League to four games and saw them slip to fourth in the table.
Luton vs Manchester City prediction
After a lean spell of three draws and one defeat Manchester City should return to form with a sizeable away win at Kenilworth Road in spite of the Hatters performing admirably at home of late.
Luton 1-5 Manchester City
Luton vs Manchester City predicted line-ups
Luton XI: Kaminski; Bell, Osho, Mengi; Ogbene, Barkley, Mpanzu, Doughty; Townsend, Adebayo, Morris.
Manchester City XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake; Stones, Rodri; Foden, Silva, Alvarez, Grealish; Haaland.
Early team news
Loanee Issa Kabore is ineligible as Luton face his parent club, but Tom Lockyer and Marvelous Nakamba are nearing returns after injury.
Manchester City will be boosted by the return from suspension of Rodri, sorely missed in the Aston Villa defeat, while Jack Grealish is also back available after serving a ban. Jeremy Doku did not feature at Villa Park due to a knock but could be back in the matchday squad.
How to watch Luton vs Manchester City
Luton vs Manchester City is due to kick off at 2pm GMT on Sunday 10 December at Kenilworth Road.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage on the former channel from 1pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via Sky Go.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Luton vs Manchester City
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of today’s Premier League games. Luton are back in action as they host Manchester City at Kenilworth Road.
Rod Edwards will be hoping his team can continue their impressive displays at home with the added twist of taking some points away from the Premier League champions.
Three draws and a defeat from their last four outings has seen City slip down to fourth in the table and leaves Pep Guardiola with the task of reigniting their season.
More dropped points this afternoon would leave them seven behind current leaders Liverpool and there would be little room for manoeuvre.
We’ll have all the latest updates, team news and match action throughout the afternoon so stick around as we build up to kick off at 2pm.
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