Count Doku!!!
It wasn't a vintage performance, but it was a totally dominant one where we managed to do what we needed for the win, increasing our goal difference in the process, whilst resting several players. All in all, it was a good afternoon.
We had a great, if fortuitous start with a very early goal via a wicked deflection from a Haaland effort. Was that the God's apologising for giving two deflections against us vs Real?
Luton played a 5-5 formation with the intention of keeping the goal difference down, in the hope of snatching something on the break. It was tough getting through the low defensive block, & the game & mood at the ground reflected Luton's stubborn resistance, which held out until half time.
Luton kept up their stubborn defensive resistance, until the ball found it's way to Kovacic from a corner, for a brilliant volley from outside the area to double our lead.
We kept on pressing & my MoTM Doku kept torturing the Luton defence. He dribbled & jinked his way into the box, bamboozling the Hatter's defence, & drew the foul for a penalty, which Haaland dispatched with brutal efficiency for our third.
We then had a ropey 5 minutes. A pass from the returning Ederson which was a bit strong & slightly miscontrolled by Nunes, allowed Barkley to nip in, beat a defender & slot past the retreating Ederson for 3-1.
We got back on it & Doku continued to taunt the Luton defence. He twisted & turned their defence inside out, shifted the ball to his right & curled in a brilliant fourth to restore our three goal advantage.
Gvardiol rounded off a decent win with another curling rocket from outside the box to seal the comfortable 5-1 win.
There were decent performances all round, from Doku, KDB & Gvardiol in particular.
Nunes showed some decent flashes, but I still maintain the only use I can see him being is as part of a double pivot in matches like this, as he doesn't excel at anything else in particular. With Pep preferring a smaller squad, we need better than average players, as opposed to squad fillers which Matheus has mostly been.
Kovacic was decent throughout, as was a more defensively disciplined Rico. I thought the ref showed leniency toward Luton, where Barkley should've got a booking for impeding Ederson & he should've had a closer look at Haaland's penalty claim.
Gutted we conceded a needless goal, & couldn't get a sixth, but we've done what we needed to do, increased or goal difference by four, had no injuries & rested key players for Wednesday.
Job done, roll on Real Madrid...
