Manchester City avoided going winless in five successive Premier League games for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign as Pep Guardiola's side won 2-1 against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.
The visitors were made to work hard for the three points, but a quickfire second-half double from Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish saw the champions reignite their title push.
Despite dominating the early exchanges and most of the first half, City found themselves behind at the break as Elijah Adebayo headed home from close range at the back post. After some fine work from Ross Barkley in midfield, Andros Townsend delivered a cross deep that the 25-year-old finished from just a few yards out after rising highest in the area.
But City weren't to be deterred and they resumed the second half on the front foot as they looked to close the gap to Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa in the standings.
First, Bernardo Silva struck with a lovely first-time finish into the far bottom corner before Jack Grealish then netted from close range at the back post after being found by Julian Alvarez.
Luton piled on the pressure late on but those two finishes proved to be enough for the away side even if they weren't at their brilliant best on a cold, wet afternoon in Bedfordshire.
MORE: EPL standings as Arsenal lead Man City and Liverpool
Luton vs Man City final score
| Score | Goal scorers | |
| Luton | 1 | Adebayo 47' |
| Man City | 2 | Silva 62', Grealish 64' |
Lineups:
Luton (3-4-3, right to left): Kaminski (GK) — Bell, Lockyer (Clark 89'), Mengi — Giles (Chong 83'), Barkley, Nakamba (Lokonga 72'), Doughty — Townsend (Morris 72'), Adebayo, Brown.
Man City (4-3-3, right to left): Ederson (GK) — Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol (Stones 68') — Rodri, Foden (Akanji 92'), Kovacic (Nunes 82'), — Silva, Grealish, Alvarez.
Where was Erling Haaland? Norwegian star sidelined through injury
Manchester City were without star striker Erling Haaland for their match against Luton.
The Norway international has been struggling with a foot problem and Pep Guardiola opted not to risk him for this fixture.
Since he's been with City, Haaland had missed just three Premier League matches before this one. Two of those still ended in victory for City but the other saw them lose 1-0 away to Brentford at the back end of last season.
The hope now is for Haaland to recover in time for the FIFA Club World Cup this month. You can get the latest on his injury here.
Luton vs Man City live updates, highlights, and commentary
FULL TIME: Luton 1-2 Man City
At the fifth attempt, Manchester City finally record another win in the Premier League but they were made to work hard for it by Luton. The hosts led late on in the first half thanks to a back post header from Adebayo but a quick fire double from Silva and Grealish turned this game around in the second half as Guardiola's side look to reignite their title push.
91st min: The home side get back-to-back corners but City do just about enough to clear the danger on both occasions. Akanji comes on for Foden as Pep looks to see out this win.
88th minute: Luton are struggling to make anything happen here as City look set to claim a valuable three-point haul.
83rd minute: A couple of changes to mention as Nunes replaces Kovacic for City, whilst Chong comes on for Luton at the expense of Giles.
80th minute: Ten minutes left for Luton to respond here at Kenilworth Road but City are looking good for their lead. The home side are beginning to leave gaps at the back which could cause them trouble.
75th minute: There's been no chances to talk of in the past few minutes as Rodri is booked. City will be hoping to see this one and get back to winning ways.
70th minute: Stones comes on for Gvardiol, as there's a VAR check for a red card as Brown lunges in on Foden. He escapes without a dismissal even though the challenge looked pretty reckless.
68th minute: CLOSE!!! Barkley takes on two players with some lovely skill before he hammers a shot just wide from 25 yards out.
64th minute: CITY LEAD JUST TWO MINUTES LATER!! GREALISH MAKES IT 2-1!!!
Just like that, Man City lead at Kenilworth Road. Luton make a mess of it at the back as Alvarez pressures Mengi into a mistake. The Argentine forward then sprints down the right before finding Grealish at the back post who slots home. What a turnaround that is.
SUPER JACK!!!
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 10, 2023
👒 1-2 ⚪️ #ManCity pic.twitter.com/0lNBq1iJcp
62nd minute: GOOOOAAALLLLL!!! CITY ARE LEVEL!! 1-1!!
The champions are level and it's a lovely finish from Bernardo Silva. Rodri sprints into the box and is tackled by Lockyer but the Portuguese midfielder is on hand to curve a first time effort into the far bottom corner. Game on!
BERNARDOOOOO 🙌
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 10, 2023
👒 1-1 ⚪️ #ManCity pic.twitter.com/iDwepCfzJ7
59th minute: OFF THE BAR!! City go close as Dias smashes a shot goal ward but Kaminski gets the slightest touch on it to redirect it onto the woodwork. What a save that is!
57th minute: Alvarez strikes but the Luton wall blocks his effort. From the resulting corner, Rodri knocks the ball down at the back post but the hosts clear again.
56th minute: Foden is hacked down by Nakamba on the edge of the box and this could be a great chance for City to equalise.
51st minute: The opening exchanges of this second half bring about more City possession but ultimately, don't lead to any chances again. Doughty goes down injured but he's alright to continue for Luton.
48th minute: An early corner for the home side but it doesn't lead to anything as Ake clears the danger.
KICK OFF: Luton get us back underway here in Bedfordshire. Can they hold on a famous win this afternoon?
HALF TIME: Luton 1-0 Man City
Despite dominating the first half, Pep Guardiola's side find themselves behind at the break at Kenilworth Road. The visitors have failed to make their chances count and a late Adebayo goal in the first half sees them lead 1-0.
47th min: GOOOAALLLLL!!! LUTON LEAD THE CHAMPIONS!! 1-0!!
Adebayo heads home at the far post to give the home side the lead. Townsend swings in a lovely ball to the back stick and in comes the Luton striker to out leap the defence and finish from close range.
INCREDIBLE HEADER! 🪄
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) December 10, 2023
🎩 1-0 🔵 (45+3) pic.twitter.com/MIMn8y8Pog
45th min: There'll be a minimum of two minutes of added time played here.
42nd min: Just a few minutes for Luton to hold on here before half time. They've been good value so far and have done really well to limit City in an attacking sense.
37th min: Grealish sees two shots blocked from range but Kovacic fires over. The visitors are getting closer but they're just missing finding that killer final ball at present.
34th min: Luton have their first shot on target but Ederson saves Townsend's long range effort with ease.
32nd min: Luton are doing well to hold out here but City are beginning to grind into gear more and more. Grealish finds Alvarez with a lovely pass in the box but the Argentine striker shoots just wide at the near post.
27th min: Foden hits a powerful drive from just outside the box but Luton's Belgian shot stopper is just about equal to it. That's a smart save.
26th min: For all their possession so far in this match, City are still yet to generate a big chance. Foden probably had the best of those early on in the half but there's not been too much since.
22th min: Gvardiol jinks through the Luton defence before seeing his shot blocked behind for a corner. Alvarez delivers from the subsequent set piece but Luton clear away the danger again with ease.
19th min: Foden, Alvarez and Silva combine to find some room in the Luton final third before Rodri unleashes a shot at goal from distance which is palmed away by Kaminski. The home side are struggling to clear the danger here.
15th min: Luton have a chance from a fire kick out wide but Doughty's delivery is headed clear by Gvardiol. The rain is beginning to pour down at Kenilworth Road now as the conditions worsen.
11th min: Alvarez is down in pain after a late challenge from Lockyer. The Luton defender is lucky to get away from that incident without a booking in truth.
7th min: Plenty of early possession for City here as Luton are yet to really have control of the ball. It's such a fluid system for the away side with Grealish, Foden and Silva all taking it in turns to come into the central areas and influence play.
2nd min: A first chance for the visitors as Silva releases Foden down the left and his shot on target is saved by Kaminski. Silva then volleys wide on the rebound.
KICK OFF: Manchester City get us underway here at a loud Kenilworth Road.
15 minutes to kickoff: Not long left to go until kickoff this afternoon then and Luton should feel confident given their strong form at Kenilworth Road. They grabbed a point vs Liverpool and pushed Arsenal all the way in midweek, but can they do it again here against the reigning champions? We'll find out shortly.
45 minutes to kickoff: With his start confirmed today, Nathan Ake will make his 100th appearance for Man City. The Dutch defender has been crucial to his side's success of late and has improved massively during his time at the Etihad.
55 minutes to kickoff: And here's how the hosts line up to face Pep Guardiola's side. Lokongo comes back onto the bench after he missed Luton's midweek outing against Arsenal.
Your Hatters to take on the champions. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/SDVO8KZFEK
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) December 10, 2023
1 hour to kickoff: Here's the Manchester City line up and confirmation that Haaland misses this match through injury. Alvarez takes his spot upfront, whilst Grealish and Rodri come straight back into the starting line up after both missed their side's loss to Aston Villa in midweek through suspension.
Your City line-up! 📋
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 10, 2023
XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Kovacic, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Alvarez
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Stones, Gomez, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/cq7BSwCVKh
1 hour 30 mins to kickoff: There's big news ahead of this match as it's been reported that Manchester City's Erling Haaland will miss out here through injury. That'll certainly give Luton a boost!
🚨 Manchester City are without Erling Haaland for today’s trip to Luton Town. Blow for #MCFC not having top scorer as they bid to end run of 4 PL games without a win + close gap on Aston Villa, Arsenal & leaders Liverpool. W/ @SamLee @TheAthleticFC #LUTMCI https://t.co/Gq7XhhAcIT
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) December 10, 2023
2 hours prior to kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the Premier League clash between Luton and Manchester City. The Hatters have given Liverpool and Arsenal severe problems on their own patch this season. Can they land another dent in City's title defence, with Pep Guardiola's side winless in their past four matches?
On the grind! 👊 pic.twitter.com/0UT9IMRzYL
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 7, 2023
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Luton vs Man City lineups, team news
Albert Sambi Lokonga was ineligible against parent club Arsenal in midweek but is fit for the first time since February and could feature, although City loanee Issa Kabore is unavailable for the same reason.
Tom Lockyer (back) and Marvelous Nakamba (knee) are each pushing for a return after being recently sidelined. Cauley Woodrow (calf) is a doubt, while Mads Andersen (hamstring), Reece Burke (thigh) and Dan Potts (ankle) are all out.
Luton (3-4-3, right to left): Kaminski (GK) — Bell, Lockyer, Mengi — Giles, Barkley, Nakamba, Doughty — Townsend, Adebayo, Brown.
Luton subs: Krul, Andersen, Berry, Morris, Chong, Mpanzu, Clark, Lokonga, Johnson.
Rodri and Jack Grealish each missed out through suspension at Villa Park and come straight back into the starting XI but Haaland misses out with a knock.
Jeremy Doku missed out due to a thigh injury versus Villa and will be assessed. His international teammate Kevin De Bruyne has stepped up his recovery from hamstring surgery but is not yet ready to return to action.
Man City (3-2-4-1, right to left): Ederson (GK) — Walker, Dias, Ake — Gvardiol, Rodri — Foden, Kovacic, Silva, Grealish — Alvarez.
Man City subs: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Stones, Gomez, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Lewis.
Luton vs Man City live stream, TV channel
The Luton vs. Manchester City match from the Premier League kicks off at 2:00 p.m. local time from Kenilworth Road in Luton.
Below are the corresponding times, TV channels, and live streams to watch the match in selected regions around the world
IN CANADA: Watch this match in 4k on Fubo Canada (on 4k devices)
| Date | Kickoff time | TV | Streaming | |
| USA | Sun, Dec. 10 | 9:00 a.m. ET | — | Peacock, |
| Canada | Sun, Dec. 10 | 9:00 a.m. ET | — | Fubo Canada |
| UK | Sun, Dec. 10 | 2:00 p.m. GMT | Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event | Sky GO, Now TV |
| Australia | Mon, Dec. 11 | 1:00 a.m. AEDT | — | Optus Sport |
USA: This game is being streamed via NBC's Peacock service.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
UK: This match is available for live broadcast via Sky Sports with streaming options on Sky GO and Now TV.