Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder praised his side’s character as they put last week’s thrashing by Aston Villa behind them to claim a first away win of the season at Luton.
The 5-0 loss at Bramall Lane last Saturday left the Blades 10 points adrift of Premier League safety, but they bounced back with a deserved 3-1 victory at Kenilworth Road.
Luton could not summon the intensity with which they dispatched Brighton 4-0 here 11 days previously. Instead, and despite dominating the ball in the first half, they allowed the visitors the spaces they needed to take control of the game by the break.
First, Cameron Archer recovered his composure after slamming wide from eight yards to seconds later give his team the lead, charging defender Gabe Osho off the ball before turning a clever finish inside Thomas Kaminski’s near post.
James McAtee doubled the lead from the penalty spot after a pitchside VAR review ruled handball against Reece Burke, as the Blades took a two-goal lead for the first time this campaign.
Carlton Morris got one back from 12 yards, another onfield review adjudging that Vinicius Souza had handled at a Luton corner.
But the Brazilian redeemed himself to net the clinching goal 18 minutes from time, rounding off a clinical counter-attack to slam home the Blades’ third and cut the gap to safety to seven points.
“It’s been long time coming,” said Wilder of his team’s first win on the road. “It shouldn’t be February. The club have come close on quite a number of occasions.
“It’s been a difficult week. I didn’t think they would have expected it to be any different, in terms of (my) message.
“It’s going to be there for a while that (Villa) result and performance, and the whole feel of it. So hopefully we can use last Saturday night, no hiding place. You have to own it as a manager. The players have to own it.
“What do you do? You work a little bit harder, tune in a little bit more to your week’s work, deliver good training sessions which they have done right the way through.
“I believe there was a steely attitude (against Luton), you feel it sometimes as a manager. There was desire to put what went wrong last week in today’s performance, and we did.
“Last week was certainly not how we set up this club since 2016 and through my time and through (former boss) Paul’s (Heckingbottom’s) time. It’s not what the club is built on, it’s not what we cherish.”
Luton boss Rob Edwards reflected on a missed opportunity against the league’s bottom side to add to the 11 points his team had taken from their previous six games.
“Tough day for us,” he said. “We made a couple of costly errors. It doesn’t matter how much of the ball you have, it’s what you do with it that counts.
“Goals change everyone’s emotions in a game. Key moments today we came up a little bit short.
“When we had loads of possession in the final third, we were not precise or quick or slick enough. We didn’t work the goalkeeper enough.”
Ten Hag bemoans late Burnley equaliser - 'It's so unnecessary'
Erik ten Hag was left frustrated as Manchester United "gave it away" against a spirited Burnley, who held them to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were on course to claim all three points when Antony pounced on Sander Berge's error to open the scoring in the 79th minute, as they looked to close the gap on fifth-place Tottenham to four points.
However, the hosts could not hold on as Andre Onana was penalised for a foul on Zeki Amdouni, who picked himself up to level from the penalty spot and salvage a point for the visitors three minutes from time.
Ten Hag was made to rue his side's wastefulness as they converted just one of their 27 shots on goal throughout the contest.
"We put ourselves in a winning position and, over long courses of the game, we dominated," he told the BBC. "We played some good football - creating loads of chances - and then to give it away in the end in the final minutes, it's so unnecessary.
"Every team gives up opportunities. But, when it is up to us, it is weird. We created loads of chances as well. We are one of the most dynamic and entertaining teams in the league at this moment. We are creating loads of chances by playing good football.
"We lost control in the second part of the first half when we conceded some chances, but the rest of the game was ours. We were in a winning position, and we gave it away."
Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany saluted the character demonstrated by Burnley, who boosted their Premier League survival hopes by moving to within two points of safety with three games remaining.
"We are where we are in the league for a reason, so not everything can be perfect, but the mentality was perfect - the togetherness, the sacrifice for each other," the Clarets boss said.
"There is tremendous consistency in the club and the approach to each game, even in tough times. We've earned the right to believe and hope."
Salah: There will be 'fire' if I speak after Klopp clash
Mohamed Salah refused to talk to the media following a touchline clash with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, saying there would be "fire" if he spoke.
Liverpool's Premier League title hopes are hanging by a thread following a 2-2 draw at West Ham on Saturday, and much of the discussion after the game centered on a flare-up between Salah and Klopp in the latter stages of the contest.
Salah, dropped from the starting XI for the visit to the London Stadium, was involved in a furious confrontation with Klopp prior to being substituted on, with the pair having to be separated by Joe Gomez and Darwin Nunez.
Following the game, Salah made a comment as he walked through the media area, refusing to conduct interviews with the press.
"If I speak today there will be fire," Salah stated as he refused to discuss the incident.
Klopp was also not very forthcoming on the confrontation after a draw which leaves his team two points off leaders Arsenal and a point behind second-placed Manchester City having played at least a game less than both of their title rivals.
When asked about the Salah dispute, Klopp told TNT Sports: "I'm not in the mood to talk about that to be honest or look at that at all."
Klopp has just three games left of his Liverpool tenure, and despite the success he has endured at Anfield, including a Premier League title and Champions League glory, it's at risk of ending in a damp squib.
Klopp hopes his team can avoid that disappointing conclusion by finding their form again over the remainder of the campaign.
"We had to win here, we knew that, and we didn't," Klopp continued. "Now we have a little bit more time between now and the next game.
"We try to get the boys ready again and we will go again."
Wolves 2-1 Luton Town: Hwang on target as Hatters' relegation fears grow
Hwang Hee-chan ended his four-month goal drought to help inspire Wolves to a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Luton Town at Molineux on Saturday.
Hwang opened the scoring late in the first half at the end of a lightning counterattack, his strike deflecting off Teden Mengi and nestling in the bottom corner.
A clever set-piece routine allowed Wolves to double their lead after 50 minutes as Toti Gomes nodded in from Mario Lemina's cross, though Luton set up a grandstand finish when Carlton Morris fired home.
However, they failed to find an equaliser in the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time and stay 18th, one point adrift of Nottingham Forest in 17th. Wolves, meanwhile, move into the top half with 46 points.
Luton started brightly and Ross Barkley called Jose Sa into action just five minutes in, but the Wolves goalkeeper dived to his right to palm his strike away from danger.
Hwang then made a superb run in behind as Wolves showed their teeth, but he shot down the throat of Thomas Kaminski after latching onto Lemina's throughball.
Luton should have gone ahead after 39 minutes as Jordan Clark teed up Morris, but he could only power his header into the hands of Sa.
They were made to pay just 18 seconds later as Matheus Cunha picked out Hwang inside the box. The Wolves forward cut back onto his right before shooting low, and his deflected effort found its way into the bottom-right corner.
Five minutes after the break, Lemina was found on the edge of the box from a short corner, and his sensational first-time cross allowed Toti to send a bullet header into the net.
Nelson Semedo should have made it three for Gary O’Neil’s side as he found himself one-on-one with Kaminski, but the Luton goalkeeper rushed off his line to make a strong stop.
Luton pulled one back after 80 minutes as Alfie Doughty’s cross was nodded back into a dangerous area by Reece Burke, and Morris pounced to volley home.
However, Wolves clung on through six added minutes to end their six-match winless run.
Hwang ends long wait
It’s four months to the day since Hwang last found the net in the Premier League, with injuries and international duty frustrating him since he scored twice against Brentford on December 27th.
He looked back to something approaching his best on Saturday, working the channels effectively and settling Wolves' nerves with his opener, which came after a strong start from Luton.
The victory takes Wolves into the top half ahead of Bournemouth facing Brighton on Sunday, though they remain some seven points adrift of the top seven and a potential European place.
Luton’s survival hopes dented
Luton could have climbed out of the relegation zone with three points against Wolves, but they remain in 18th place, one point behind Forest and just one clear of Burnley.
Some soft defending cost the Hatters on Saturday, and they have kept just two clean sheets in their 35 Premier League games this campaign.
With just three games remaining, Rob Edwards will be desperately hoping his side can turn things around after a tricky run, their defeat at Molineux making it three losses in a row.
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