Victor Lindelof secured Manchester United a much-needed win heading into the international break but there is plenty of work to do after Erik ten Hag’s side edged past promoted Luton. The Dutchman’s second season in the hot-seat began with nine defeats in 17 matches, leading pressure to mount on a side looking to avoid a first ever Old Trafford defeat to the Hatters. But United bounced back from Wednesday’s Champions League disappointment in Copenhagen as Lindelof’s second-half strike proved enough to secure a 1-0 win against Rob Edwards’ well-drilled side. It was not the prettiest victory for Ten Hag’s under-fire team but felt key heading into the November internationals – a period when Sir Jim Ratcliffe could finalise a deal to become minority shareholder. There were protests against the Glazer family before kick-off and chants against the United owners throughout Saturday’s match, which saw Sir Alex Ferguson’s return after his wife’s death last month. The former United boss will have not enjoyed large periods of the game, but defender Lindelof – in for the injured Jonny Evans – at least ensured a forgettable afternoon ended with three points. Unfancied Luton were on the backfoot from the outset at Old Trafford, where thankfully there was no kind of grim chants like those heard during last week’s match against Liverpool. Luton boss Edwards stuck with the same side that impressively secured a 1-1 draw against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds and had to batten down the hatches early doors. Town goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski was an impressive last line of defence throughout and spread himself well to prevent Rasmus Hojlund scoring his first Premier League goal from a deflected Marcus Rashford cross. Scott McTominay headed over, Alejandro Garnacho curled over and Gabe Osho deflected a Rashford stinger just wide of his own goal as the one-way traffic continued. But United’s frustration grew as the half wore on. Chiedozie Ogbene’s shot from distance was easily dealt with, but Andre Onana had to be alert to brilliantly stop a powerful Carlton Morris header in the 36th minute. The United goalkeeper denied Andros Townsend’s hopeful follow-up and there were groans when dilly-dallying Garnacho was closed out at the other end. Injured Christian Eriksen had to be replaced by Mason Mount before half-time, with play continuing in much the same way after the break. Hojlund glanced a Bruno Fernandes free-kick across the face of goal four minutes after the restart and on top United finally made their pressure count in the 59th minute. Morris prodded a low Fernandes corner clear, but a deflection sent it to Mount and the substitute played it straight onto Rashford on the right-hand side of the box. The forward took a touch before driving in a ball that was stopped on the edge of the six-yard box, falling nicely for Lindelof to hammer home in front of the Stretford End. United should have wrapped up a much-needed victory 11 minutes later. Antony’s introduction in place of Garnacho was met by a smattering of boos but the often ineffective Brazil international did well to slip Rashford in. The 26-year-old looked well-placed to finish but fired straight at Kaminski – the kind of chance he would have buried last season. Injured Alfie Doughty had to be replaced as Luton sought a leveller, with Hojlund soon going off with an issue of his own. United managed the game well in the closing stages – not something they have been particularly known for. McTominay saw an effort stopped, Diogo Dalot drove over and Fernandes failed with a free-kick. Ten Hag was booked in stoppage time, which ended with home cheers. Read More Everton edge Crystal Palace in five-goal thriller Ben Stokes and Joe Root give England hope of ending World Cup on a high From Covid to the Copper Box: Maia Lumsden relishes her ‘unbelievable’ return On this day in 2015: Stuart Lancaster resigns as England head coach Mauricio Pochettino: Easier for new players at Man City than ‘evolving’ Chelsea Don’t worry about it – Ange Postecoglou brushes off series of Spurs setbacks

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It just shows how well observed Steve Coogan’s comedy character Alan Partridge is, when time after time broadcasters and pundits continue to accidentally resemble North Norfolk’s finest DJ. We have Dan Walker to thank for an instant classic “accidental Partridge” moment, when the host asked a question about an 11-year-old with a knife which has sent social media into hysterics. The Channel 5 news reader posed a question to his followers on Twitter which left most people baffled – and bore more than a passing resemblance to something Partridge would ask on his radio phone-ins. “If an 11-year-old is brandishing a knife… is it ok to taser them?” Walker wrote. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Not only did it remind us of a classic viral video, but it also had people reacting in their droves online. “Sorry, is this an actual live situation you’re in?” one asked, to which Walker replied: “Thankfully not Bruce.” Another joked: “What kind of sandwich are they making?” “Let them butter their toast first,” one more said. The tweet was seemingly in relation to an incident which took place earlier this week. The police watchdog is investigating after an 11-year-old boy holding a knife was tasered during a stand-off at a holiday park. Police were called to reports of a disturbance at Craig Tara Caravan Park near Ayr at about 11.15pm on Wednesday March 22. Walker isn’t the only one to have been compared to Partridge over recent weeks. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was compared to him after discussing his favourite band… The Beatles. The PM was asked to name his favourite musical group, and he told GB News reporter Darren McCaffrey that his favourite band was the fab four. In one telling scene from I’m Alan Partridge, the Norwich-based radio DJ is asked what his favourite Beatles album is. “Tough one. I think I’d have to say the best of the Beatles,” he replies. The beef between Mick Lynch and Richard Madeley also recently took another development after the union boss said the presenter should be cast in an “Alan Partridge pantomime” – referring to his frequent Partridge-isms on air. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Manchester City were often described as the best team in the world, even before the Champions League that had long eluded them gave them a greater claim to that title. It was more contentious when their chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, called them “the No 1 football brand in the world”. The alternative argument is that City are not even the leading football brand in Manchester. But at a point when Manchester United is up for sale and the Glazers want $6 billion, it was notable that Al Mubarak described the value of the City Football Group as over $6 billion. The picture he painted in his end-of-season address was of financial and footballing success with some of the world’s best executives, scouts and sporting staff. Certainly that description applies to Pep Guardiola. And yet this could not simply be the celebration of a transformation, a 15-year journey from a team who were in the relegation zone at Christmas a few months after Sheikh Mansour’s takeover to one who demolished Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, to the situation where Erling Haaland signed a contract and told Al Mubarak he would win him the Champions League. “To show you where Erling is going, this is the beginning,” Al Mubarak said. “And the scary part, this is just the beginning for him.” In a way, it is just the beginning for City, too: just not quite in the same respect. Al Mubarak said it was “very frustrating” the treble has come against the backdrop of 115 charges by the Premier League. The Emirati promised a “very blunt” response, but only when the legal process has happened. The question if these are tainted, tarnished titles will linger; perhaps forever, certainly until a case is finally heard. Some might argue there is an irony there. Al Mubarak had claimed Sheikh Mansour has given “passion to the club”; that the Champions League final was just the second game the owner had seen in the flesh might suggest he has a different way of showing it but, with his billions, he has been the architect of a rise. But if sportswashing is intended to launder reputations, City instead find their achievements and character impugned. The issues, however, do not surround the all-conquering 2022-23 season as much as how City got here; how they constructed the platform that took them to such heights and whether the financing that allowed them to build to this point amounted to repeated and deliberate breaches of regulations. On the pitch, City attract admiring glances. Al Mubarak claimed that, at a Uefa dinner the night before the Champions League final, he was asked what was special about City. “The winning mentality,” he replied, and that is not something that can simply be bought. He reflected on the hunger of Haaland, who reacted to his five-goal salvo against RB Leipzig by thinking he should have scored seven or eight, and the humility of the World Cup winner Julian Alvarez. He talked about how City have executives that rival clubs are trying to hire and the excellence of their medical staff. “Unheralded heroes,” he said. There was a point to the praise. There is a misconception that City can call upon a vast pool of players. “We have a high-quality small squad,” Al Mubarak countered. “But it’s not what I think is the perception, which is that we operate with a huge squad; that is not the case.” It is partly Guardiola’s preference but they are operating with around 18 top-class options, some of them very expensive, not a cast of thousands, like Chelsea. “People will throw at us, ‘the biggest spenders’, ‘you have the biggest squad,’” he said. Yet City should have few problems with Financial Fair Play now. “Look at our net spend figures,” Al Mubarak added. In a summer when they signed Haaland, they made a transfer-market profit, partly because of the departures of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, partly because they banked around £50 million by selling four youth-team products to Southampton. There were years of vast outlay. Now City has become a business with revenue streams. “We have a commercial machine that is one of the best in the world,” Al Mubarak said; some may disagree – many of their sponsorships come from the United Arab Emirates, some from companies connected to Sheikh Mansour – but City’s problem is not the present or the future, but the past and how they got here. For now, they have Guardiola tied up for another two years – Al Mubarak said he was “never concerned” before the Catalan extended his contract – an outstanding team and the opportunity to strengthen it. The outlook should be sunny but there are still clouds on the landscape. Read More Man City chairman vows to give ‘very blunt views’ on FFP charges once concluded Saudi Arabia can help Chelsea solve headache — but talks raise more questions than answers Sportswashing is about to change football beyond anything you can imagine