malvernmugadzikwa
KEY Warriors midfielder Marvelous Nakamba got some much-need game time ahead of his return to international football as his Luton Town side went down 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford yesterday.
The 29-year-old midfielder is expected to fly out to Rwanda and link up with the Warriors, who return to international football when they play the East African nation in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in Huye on Wednesday.
Manchester United claimed a precious win over Luton but their victory came at a cost with Rasmus Hojlund and Christian Eriksen both substituted with injuries.
Victor Lindelof, preferred at centre-half alongside Harry Maguire to Raphael Varane, scored the game’s only goal shortly before the hour mark.
But United’s injury crisis took another turn for the worse with Eriksen withdrawn late in the first half after appearing to twist a knee, before Erik ten Hag lost Hojlund 12 minutes from time with an apparent muscle injury.
The Denmark striker was holding his right hamstring as he sat on the ground receiving treatment and was then seen discussing the problem with Ten Hag and United’s staff after coming off.
United have been plagued by injury problems all season and were already without defenders Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Jonny Evans, who has been ruled out for up to four weeks after suffering an injury during Wednesday’s 4-3 Champions League defeat to Copenhagen.
Nakamba, on the other hand, played the full 90 minutes but failed to inspire his side to a much-needed victory as the loss left the Bedfordshire County side, who currently sit 18th on the English Premiership League, table with just six points from 12 matches heading into the international break.
Wolves maul Tottenham
On the opposite end of said table, Wolverhampton Wanderers stunned Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 with stoppage-time goals from Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina, thwarting the visitors in their bid to reclaim top spot heading into the international break.
Gary O’Neil’s decision to bring on Sarabia as a late substitute paid off handsomely as the Spaniard scored the equaliser in the 91st minute and provided the pass for the 97th-minute winner.
The result left Spurs second in the standings behind Manchester City, while Wolves climbed to 12th on the table.
“It is an amazing feeling; we have been pushing so hard, and deserved this win,” Lemina told TNT Sports.
“We had the best tactics to play against them and we showed it today. I scored the winner and I’m really happy.”
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was forced to field a makeshift back-four due to injuries and suspensions, with the only regular in the starting line-up being Pedro Porro.
Wolves played positively in the second half, with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Rayan Ait-Nouri successfully taking on players with the ball several times, but they lacked the quality in the final third to produce an equaliser.
Results and Fixtures
Wolves 2-1 Tottenham
Arsenal 3-1 Burnley
Crystal Palace 2-3 Everton
Manchester Utd 1-0 Luton
Bournemouth v Newcastle (Played late)
Fixtures
Aston Villa v Fulham 4pm
Brighton v Sheffield Utd 4pm
Liverpool v Brentford 4pm
West Ham v Nottingham 4pm
Chelsea v Manchester City 6.30pm — Telegraph/Reuters
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter