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Saturday May 11, 2024

Wolves dent Luton’s Premier League survival hopes with 2-1 win

By Reuters
April 28, 2024
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has pleaded for patience after a poor run of results. —AFP File
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has pleaded for patience after a poor run of results. —AFP File

MANCHESTER: Manchester United could muster only a point against Burnley on Saturday after substitute Zeki Amdouni scored a late penalty to rescue a 1-1 Premier League draw for the relegation-threatened side.

Burnley's 87th-minute penalty, awarded after goalkeeper Andre Onana fouled Amdouni in the box, cancelled out a late strike by Antony and leaves Erik ten Hag's team sixth in the standings.

The draw was a blow to United's fading hopes of a European qualifying spot, as they sit six points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur who have two games in hand.

Burnley, who are 19th, kept alive their survival hopes with the draw.

United squandered numerous chances and had Onana to thank for keeping Burnley off the scoresheet before Antony broke the deadlock in the 79th minute. The Brazilian intercepted a poor pass and sprinted into the box before finishing into the bottom corner. A fan handed Antony a Sonic the Hedgehog toy, which was hoisted aloft in celebration. The good mood at Old Trafford was short-lived as Onana punched Amdouni in the face while clearing the ball in the 87th minute. VAR confirmed the penalty which Amdouni calmly put into the bottom corner to give his side a valuable point.

"Result is very important for us, we knew that coming to Old Trafford would be difficult but at the end I think we deserved this point," Amdouni told Premier League Productions. "Never easy to take a penalty in the last five minutes at 1-0 down. But I took my breath and took it.

"We have three games (left of the season), I haven't seen the other results but we will play until the last game and we will play until the end."

Onana was pressed into several acrobatic saves, including two from Lyle Foster in the first half and a shot from Wilson Odobert seconds before the final whistle that the keeper stopped with his leg at the near post.

United had 27 shots to the Clarets' 16, with Alejandro Garnacho accounting for many of the home side's, including a second-half strike from the edge of the box that Arijanet Muric palmed over the crossbar.

Wolverhampton Wanderers handed relegation-threatened Luton Town yet another blow to their Premier League survival hopes with a 2-1 victory thanks to goals by Hwang Hee-chan and Toti Gomes at the Molineux Stadium on Saturday.

Luton made a positive start, but it was Wolves who opened the scoring in the 39th minute as Hwang capitalised on a counter-attack, receiving a pass from Matheus Cunha and driving down the left flank before cutting inside and unleashing a low shot that deflected off Luton defender Teden Mengi.