Jordan Clark, a midfielder for Luton, said that he was frustrated by the lack of attention he was receiving from Belgian sensation Kevin De Bruyne, which led to his incredible goal against Manchester City on Tuesday night.
After being called back up from the squad that suffered a 4-1 loss to Liverpool in the Premier League on the previous Wednesday, Clark and his teammates found themselves behind early on. This was because the midfielder made a mistake that allowed De Bruyne to enter the area quickly and set up Erling Haaland for the first of his five goals for the game. Town was suddenly facing a 3-0 halftime deficit and a crushing loss to the holders, but De Bruyne was pulling the strings in the middle of the park, and he soon put Haaland away for a second, and then a third.
That in mind, Clark collected the ball himself, drove at the City defense, and found Ross Barkley, who toepoked a pass back to him while under duress. With a swift movement to his right, he fired a truly spectacular shot that whistled just inside the post and left City’s keeper Stefan Ortega speechless. Her finish was unquestionably brilliant. After the play-off final triumph over Coventry City, Clark hardly celebrated his first goal. He shook hands with Barkley quickly and returned to his own half for the kickoff that followed. He expressed his frustration to ITV after the game, saying, “I was a little bit mad with myself and I just thought you know what, why not, just whack it as hard as I can really.” De Bruyne left me a couple of times in the first half, which was obviously disappointing defensively for myself.
“Watching it go in the back of the net was satisfying, and it was good to have some momentum in the game heading into halftime. Having lost 3-0, I imagine everyone in the dressing room was feeling discouraged. We were quite encouraged by that, particularly heading into the second half, but anything can happen.
Town’s confidence was raised by the goal, and seven minutes after the break, they scored again, this time by a strike from Clark that was just as excellent as the first, if for slightly different reasons. When the ball found its way to that man Barkley once again, he looked up to see the former Accrington and Shrewsbury winger in motion and lofted the ideal pass over the top of City’s defense. Though there was still plenty to be done, Clark came through with a fantastic volley into the net’s roof after chesting the ball down to cut the score to one.
For a brief period, it gave Kenilworth Road hope for a historic FA Cup comeback. However, City and Haaland proved they were on another level, with the Norwegian scoring twice more and Mateo Kovacic securing a 6-2 victory in the closing minutes. Clark stated, “We got the second goal which we talked about in the dressing room, but obviously they scored more in the end.” When you give them half a yard, they almost always locate the space and make the correct pass, and the next thing you know, it’s in the back of your net.
“When we go back to 3-2, you might think we have a chance, but then the big man is there to tap it in like he usually does when a small ball gets in behind and has some quality. They are of the highest caliber; they just locate weak spots and overwhelm everyone, drawing you into places you would rather not go. The big guy (Haaland), they can simply play for a long time, and I felt Teden (Mengi) did a great job with him, but when he plays, it’s just on a different level.
Luton Town’s Clark admits that his outburst during Kevin De Bruyne’s masterclass was the source of his stunning performance against Manchester City.
Mike Simmonds’ fantastic first goal of the season was hardly celebrated by the midfielder.
Jordan Clark, a midfielder for Luton, said that he was frustrated by the lack of attention he was receiving from Belgian sensation Kevin De Bruyne, which led to his incredible goal against Manchester City on Tuesday night.
After being called back up from the squad that suffered a 4-1 loss to Liverpool in the Premier League on the previous Wednesday, Clark and his teammates found themselves behind early on. This was because the midfielder made a mistake that allowed De Bruyne to enter the area quickly and set up Erling Haaland for the first of his five goals for the game. Town was suddenly facing a 3-0 halftime deficit and a crushing loss to the holders, but De Bruyne was pulling the strings in the middle of the park, and he soon put Haaland away for a second, and then a third.
That in mind, Clark collected the ball himself, drove at the City defense, and found Ross Barkley, who toepoked a pass back to him while under duress. With a swift movement to his right, he fired a truly spectacular shot that whistled just inside the post and left City’s keeper Stefan Ortega speechless. Her finish was unquestionably brilliant. After the play-off final triumph over Coventry City, Clark hardly celebrated his first goal. He shook hands with Barkley quickly and returned to his own half for the kickoff that followed. He expressed his frustration to ITV after the game, saying, “I was a little bit mad with myself and I just thought you know what, why not, just whack it as hard as I can really.” De Bruyne left me a couple of times in the first half, which was obviously disappointing defensively for myself.
“Watching it go in the back of the net was satisfying, and it was good to have some momentum in the game heading into halftime. Having lost 3-0, I imagine everyone in the dressing room was feeling discouraged. We were quite encouraged by that, particularly heading into the second half, but anything can happen.
Town’s confidence was raised by the goal, and seven minutes after the break, they scored again, this time by a strike from Clark that was just as excellent as the first, if for slightly different reasons. When the ball found its way to that man Barkley once again, he looked up to see the former Accrington and Shrewsbury winger in motion and lofted the ideal pass over the top of City’s defense. Though there was still plenty to be done, Clark came through with a fantastic volley into the net’s roof after chesting the ball down to cut the score to one.
For a brief period, it gave Kenilworth Road hope for a historic FA Cup comeback. However, City and Haaland proved they were on another level, with the Norwegian scoring twice more and Mateo Kovacic securing a 6-2 victory in the closing minutes. Clark stated, “We got the second goal which we talked about in the dressing room, but obviously they scored more in the end.” When you give them half a yard, they almost always locate the space and make the correct pass, and the next thing you know, it’s in the back of your net.
“When we go back to 3-2, you might think we have a chance, but then the big man is there to tap it in like he usually does when a small ball gets in behind and has some quality. They are of the highest caliber; they just locate weak spots and overwhelm everyone, drawing you into places you would rather not go. The big guy (Haaland), they can simply play for a long time, and I felt Teden (Mengi) did a great job with him, but when he plays, it’s just on a different level.
Jordan Clark, a Town midfielder, is on the ball against Manchester City. Photo by Liam Smith
Jordan Clark, a Town midfielder, is on the ball against Manchester City. Photo by Liam Smith
Luton’s participation in the competition has come to an end, so they can now focus solely on their fight to stay in the Premier League. With 13 games remaining, they are currently in third place, four points behind Nottingham Forest, but they still have a game left to play. Saturday night, Town takes on Aston Villa at home in their first cup final. Clark continued, saying, “We need to pick up points, especially at home, because we know that’s our strongest threat.” We just must remain true to who we are; we won’t alter for anyone. We’ll get back up because Aston Villa is doing incredibly well as well. We simply need to be ourselves, go after teams, and defend better than we have in previous weeks because we know how difficult the game will be. I’m confident we’ll improve after this.
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