Today’s talk starts the day with shampoo

Were it to come off, it would be the daddy of all transfers but Kylian Mbappé and his move to either Real Madrid, Liverpool or whoever else wants to pay €200m-plus may be approaching. Or it may not, as there is a growing sense that the flying Frenchman may choose to stay at PSG for the moment while continuing to explore his options for escape. Were Mbappé to stay in Paris, then he might have a new teammate in Chelsea’s Antonio Rüdiger, who may be set for a loan move or even sold for the cash that could bring Declan Rice in from West Ham.

Whatever happens with Mbappé, Liverpool seem likely to be busy in the closing days of the transfer window both with ins and outs. Harry Wilson is linked with Burnley, and Rhian Brewster is with Sheffield United. Georginio Wijnaldum looks for the off, too, having turned down a new contract and with Thiago Alcântara added to Jürgen Klopp’s squad. Ousmane Dembélé is also said to be the subject of a loan enquiry to Barcelona.

Related: Luis Suárez wins fight to join Atlético Madrid after Barcelona agree £5.5m fee

• First bid of £11m rejected by Manchester United
• Centre-back spent last season on loan at Roma

Roma are stepping up their pursuit of the Manchester United centre-back Chris Smalling and are expected to submit a second bid for the 30-year-old this week.

A first offer of £11m was rejected out of hand by United, who are hoping to bolster their transfer budget with at least £18m.

Related: Men's transfer window summer 2020 – all deals from Europe's top five leagues

Ole Gunnar Solskjær started the evening demanding a vastly improved performance but ended it extremely thankful for Dean Henderson’s match-winning save on his debut as Manchester United eventually overcame Luton Town.

The goalkeeper spent last season on loan at Sheffield United but nine years after joining from Carlisle as a teenager he was finally handed a first appearance for United as he bids to put pressure on David de Gea and England’s Jordan Pickford this season.

Related: David Moyes and two players leave West Ham game after Covid-19 positive tests

Related: UK government ready to rescue up to eight sports facing financial black hole

• Carabao Cup updates from the 8.15pm BST kick-off
• Live scoreboard: all the latest details from Tuesday’s ties
• And you can contact Michael by email or on Twitter
  

9.52pm BST

76 min: Luton have been drifting in this game, and they make some subs.

76' First game changers on for the Hatters...

↪ Harry Cornick
↩ Jordan Clark

↪ Elliot Lee
↩ George Moncur

0-1 ⚫#CarabaoCup #COYH

9.48pm BST

74 min: Van de Beek is next to have a go, pouncing on a loose ball inside the ball to slam the ball goalwards from a tight angle. Shea does well to save with his feet, it so easily could have squirmed under him.

9.47pm BST

72 min: Lingard should score, but he skies a glorious chance over! Some neat passing from Mata and Fred gives Lingard half an yard to get his shot off from around the penalty spot. But on his favoured right, he curls it three yards over. That’s poor, even if Jesse does claim a deflection.

9.44pm BST

70 min: “No-one should be too hard on the Man Utd ‘performance,’” emails Geoff Wignall. “It’d be unrealistic to expect anyone to crush Luton’s reserves by fielding a mere nine full internationals.”

9.43pm BST

68 min: Kioso goes on an adventure from right back, ending up as Luton’s most advanced player but slightly loses control of the ball and fouls Bailly rather badly in trying to win it back. Yellow card.

9.41pm BST

66 min: Just a reminder that we’ll go straight to penalties if there is a draw tonight. No extra time.

9.40pm BST

64 min: Matic tries his luck from range, powerfully struck inside the near post, but Shea is there to repel.

9.39pm BST

62 min: Luton clear the ball off the line! Mata, who has been the best player on the pitch, floats a great cross to the back post. Lingard is lurking, and gets a good connection on a volley from a tight angle. It beats Shea in Luton’s goal but Lockyer recovers to hook it clear!

9.38pm BST

59 min: Williams is very quick, isn’t he?

9.33pm BST

57 min: Yellow card for Brandon Williams, who cynically brings down LuaLua on a dangerous counter-attack for Luton. A good foul, as they say.

9.32pm BST

It’s all over at West Ham, who have beaten Hull City 5-1 in the other late Carabao Cup tie. Two late goals for Andriy Yarmolenko and Sébastien Haller.

9.29pm BST

53 min: Van de Beek latches onto a Mata pass, and feeds Lingard who drifts into a central area and looks to curl one … but it ends up in Row Z.

9.27pm BST

51 min: Both teams have very strong benches. Rashford, Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes feature on United’s, while Luton have star striker James Collins lurking on their sideline.

9.24pm BST

49 min: Referee Tim Robinson has noticed that there is still a cone on the pitch from half-time, so there’s a brief, but exciting, stoppage in play.

@michaelbutler18 a cone? Surely Man Utd's half-time substitution of Fred

9.22pm BST

47 min: Hylton flashes a low centre across United’s six-yard box, but there is nobody to tuck the ball home.

9.20pm BST

Peeeeeep! We’re off again at Kenilworth Road.

9.20pm BST

West Ham are still playing, 3-1 up against Hull.

There is also this story from earlier.

Related: David Moyes and two players leave West Ham game after Covid-19 positive tests

9.19pm BST

Some upsets, of sorts:

Newport County 3-1 Watford

9.11pm BST

Luton should feel like there is not much to respect there, with all due respect to Manchester United.”

Another zinger from Darren Fletcher at half-time in the Sky studios.

9.06pm BST

Half-time looking:

Related: David Squires on … Gareth Bale's second coming at Spurs

9.03pm BST

Luton are still very much in this.

9.02pm BST

45 min: One minute added on here. Nathan Jones will be gutted that his side couldn’t get to half time goalless.

9.01pm BST

Shea dives right, and Mata curls it into the other corner. Was definitely a penalty, but Williams was smart in inviting the contact.

9.00pm BST

42 min: Moncur with a very clumsy challenge on Williams!

8.58pm BST

40 min: Five minutes to go in this first half. Manchester United have created one chance, by my count. Shea’s save from Mata. It’s now quite uninspiring stuff. Lingard boots a cross straight out for a goal kick. Solskjær looks glum in the stands.

8.56pm BST

38 min: Hylton is doing a fine job of holding the ball up against Bailly. Whenever Luton are pressed at the back, they always have the option of hitting it long, and are having a lot of joy with their No 9 in the air.

8.55pm BST

36 min: The camera pans to … Luton legend Mick Harford on the sidelines. He has on a black gilet and a fine head of hair.

8.53pm BST

34 min: Kioso looks a very solid player at right back for Luton. Lingard, who started brightly but has faded somewhat on the left wing, has failed to get the better of the Irishman a couple of times recently.

8.50pm BST

West Ham are now 3-0 up against Hull. Andriy Yarmolenko with a penalty.

8.48pm BST

30 min: Whisper it, but Luton are the better side at the moment. Clarke cuts in off the right wing, zooms past a couple of black shirts and lets fly. Deflected behind for another corner, which is cleared.

8.45pm BST

27 min: “In answer to your poser: Who do you think is more one-footed: Fred, Matic or Mata?” asks Nick Chronnell. “Is the answer Tony Valencia?”

Correct.

8.44pm BST

25 min: Another corner for Luton, who are evidently trying to put some pressure on Henderson. It’s floated to the back post, where some shocking United marking allows Bradley a free header. Blocked! Shinnie volleys the rebound goalwards! Blocked! Kioso has a shock from range … wide!

8.42pm BST

22 min: Tunnicliffe, who came through the academy at Manchester United and played a couple of times for them in the League Cup a few years ago, is playing like a man possessed in Luton’s midfield. Very fired up and not short of quality either. Luton have felt their way into this match and earned a corner.

8.39pm BST

Elsewhere, Newport County are now 3-1 up against Watford, it’s West Brom 2-2 Brentford and West Ham 2-0 Hull City. All those games are in the second half.

8.37pm BST

18 min: Fred goes close! He unloads from 25 yards, it catches a deflection and just flies wide! Shea was stranded but it remains goalless.

8.36pm BST

17 min: Chance for Luton! The home side break on the counter-attack and pour forward in numbers. Tunnicliffe slips Hylton in down the left, but the striker shoots poorly wide, when he surely should have passed the ball across the face of goal. Tunnicliffe certainly thinks so.

8.34pm BST

16 min: Lingard has been tidy thus far. If he does leave, I’m not entirely sure where he’ll go. Not good enough for Spurs, no room at Everton anymore … West Ham? Stinks of West Ham doesn’t it.

8.32pm BST

14 min: Chance! Lingard makes a run to the byline down the left, cuts back towards Van de Beek, who dummies, and Mata is there on the penalty spot to sweep the ball towards the far corner. Shea is at first unsighted, but gets down well to palm it behind!

8.30pm BST

12 min: Luton captain Sonny Bradley, born in south London and previously of Swedish third-division side IK Frej, has a very impressive array of neck tattoos.

8.27pm BST

10 min: Maguire, the only player that played against Palace to start tonight, is allowed to gallop up to the edge of Luton’s box with the ball at his feet, so the England defender laces one at goal, which ends up 20 yards wide.

8.26pm BST

8 min: Who do you think is more one-footed: Fred, Matic or Mata?

8.25pm BST

6 min: An email from Matt Richman. “Clearly this is not a shared opinion, but I rate Ighalo rather highly as a centre forward. Not only is he an excellent athlete, but he has the nous and ability to hold his own in the box and score some fun goals. Furthermore, he clearly enjoys every goal he scores in a United shirt; here’s hoping he has something to celebrate today.”

He’s an excellent finisher, there’s no getting around that. And sometimes, for a top drawer team, that’s enough. But United are not that yet, and are not going to win the league with him in the starting XI.

8.22pm BST

4 min: Good turn from Lingard on the half turn, and he drives through the heart of Luton’s midfield impressively, before laying off to Mata, who shoots tamely towards the near post. Shea saves.

8.19pm BST

2 min: United popping it about. I think Luton have touched the ball once in the opening two minutes.

8.16pm BST

The teams are out, Luton in their tangerine and blue, United in their changed black and white number. The players of both sides take a knee and away we go. Peeeeeeeeeeep!

8.15pm BST

Ten minutes into the second half and Watford are still 2-0 down to Newport County.

8.12pm BST

Darren Fletcher, a Sky pundit tonight, says “Manchester United are the biggest team in the world.”

7.54pm BST

As stated on the club website:

West Ham United can confirm that David Moyes, Issa Diop and Josh Cullen have returned positive tests for Covid-19.

The club’s medical team were informed of the test results as the team were at London Stadium preparing for this evening’s Carabao Cup third round tie against Hull City. The manager and both players immediately left the stadium and have returned home.

7.49pm BST

Ed Aarons is our man in Luton tonight. The heady days 2014-15, ladies and gentleman!

Spotted in the toilets at Kenilworth Road pic.twitter.com/kOYTEenoQl

7.46pm BST

As for Watford, they are one of three other Carabao Cup matches on tonight. They are … 2-0 down to League Two’s Newport County. Yikes.

Elsewhere in the early kick offs, it’s West Ham 0-0 Hull City (a first league start for Jack Wilshere in over a year) and West Brom 0-0 Brentford.

7.43pm BST

Gareth (“Watford fan...obviously”) has sent the first email of the night: “Luton have made nine changes because their cup final is on Saturday. The game against Watford will be their biggest game for 14 years, bless them.”

You can send me a mail on michael.butler@theguardian.com or tweet me @michaelbutler18.

7.29pm BST

Luton have made NINE changes from the side that beat Derby. Mostly a B-team in progress, with starts for George Moncur (son of John), striker Danny Hylton and Jordan Clark, who has impressed off the bench of late.

Your Hatters to take on @ManUtd tonight in the third round of the @Carabao_Cup #COYH pic.twitter.com/iAaGegPj6l

Here's how we line up to face Luton in our #CarabaoCup third-round encounter #MUFC

6.58pm BST

The last time Manchester United visited Kenilworth Road, it was 1992 and Alex Ferguson still hadn’t won a league title in England. That day, a Lee Sharpe opener was cancelled out by a Mick Harford header in a disappointing 1-1 draw for the away side, the Luton legend pouncing on a rebound after he had crashed an outrageous header off the crossbar.

• Talks for Brazilian left-back are advanced but fee not settled
• Telles’s time at Porto suggests he will score and set up goals

Alex Telles is hopeful of sealing a move to Manchester United from Porto this week and becoming Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s second signing of the window. Negotiations for the 27-year-old Brazil left-back, who has a release clause of €40m (£36.7m), are advanced.

Related: VAR is getting it right despite football's wider mood of suspicion and distrust | Sean Ingle

This talk’s paddles cut the water in a long and hurried flight

In typical José Mourinho style, José Mourinho has again made fools of all those who said he was predictable parody of himself. When he arrived at Spurs, it appeared clear the player he planned to needlessly persecute was Tanguy Ndombele but it’s since turned out that the wily, crafty, sly old fox was misdirecting all along – the real receptacle for his angst is was Dele Alli all along.

Related: Dele Alli's Tottenham future in doubt after PSG are offered midfielder

Chelsea’s youngsters are back on the sidelines, former Blues defender Tariq Lamptey shines in win and Eddie Nketiah has his eye on goals

Much of the praise heaped on Frank Lampard about this time last year focused on his apparent eagerness to find a place in the first-team setup for the academy graduates that had been rendered collateral damage by the money and splendour of the Abramovich era. But against Liverpool, the spearhead of last season’s locally sourced side, Tammy Abraham, was consigned to the bench by the £47m Timo Werner and the £72m Kai Havertz was picked ahead of Callum Hudson-Odoi, whose mettle will be further tested when Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic are fit. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was not in the squad at all. Fikayo Tomori’s emergency introduction was the first time he had kicked a ball since February. And Mason Mount is playing in the position preferred by Havertz. Suddenly Lampard’s new-look Chelsea begin to resemble the old one: expensive signings, a squad overflowing with pedigree – and a manager who needs to get results in the here and now. Alex Hess
• Match report: Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool

Related: Sign up to The Fiver email

• Shaw on defeat to Crystal Palace: ‘Everything went wrong’
• United revive interest in Porto’s £40m-rated Alex Telles

Luke Shaw has called for Manchester United to sign more players to “keep up” with their big-spending rivals after making an unconvincing start to the season in the 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

United suffered a second successive home defeat to Roy Hodgson’s side in their opening match, with Donny van de Beek – the club’s only only major summer signing for £35m – scoring after coming off the bench. United have revived their interest signing Porto’s Alex Telles, with the Brazilian set to provide competition for Shaw at left-back if he signs.

Related: Manchester United need time more than money or Jadon Sancho | Jonathan Liew

Related: Manchester United rocked by Wilfried Zaha double for Crystal Palace

Old Trafford could do with a new face or two, but the need is no more pressing because of their opening defeat by Crystal Palace

Last weekend, a small but significant part of Manchester United’s online fanbase got themselves extremely excited by a new Instagram Story posted by their on-off transfer target, the Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho.

Over recent years, the increasingly feverish fetishisation of transfer gossip has been mirrored in the growth of an army of amateur online detectives who scour the social media posts of footballers – and often their partners and families – for even the vaguest hint they may be on the move. Planes are tracked across the North Sea. Isn’t that row of elms the same as the one outside Arsenal’s training ground? If I’m not mistaken, that broken grit box is from the A560, which is how you’d get from Manchester airport to Carrington if the M56 is gridlocked. And so on.

Related: Manchester United rocked by Wilfried Zaha double for Crystal Palace

Related: Manchester United 1-3 Crystal Palace: Premier League – as it happened

Manchester United were dour in an opening-game loss that ended a 14-match unbeaten Premier League run.

Crystal Palace’s second goal was a controversial Wilfried Zaha penalty, retaken due to David de Gea apparently leaving his line when saving Jordan Ayew’s initial effort. But, really, there can be no excuses for the way United’s frontline was starved throughout due to a concerning lack of energy and creativity.

Related: Manchester United v Crystal Palace: Premier League – live!

Related: Leeds hold off spirited Fulham fightback after Hélder Costa double

• Premier League updates from Old Trafford, kick-off 5.30pm BST
• Calvert-Lewin hits hat-trick as Everton fire five past West Brom
• And feel free to email Rob with your thoughts
  

4.33pm BST

Manchester United (4-2-3-1) de Gea; Fosu-Mensah, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw; Pogba, McTominay; James, Fernandes, Rashford; Martial.
Substitutes: Henderson, Bailly, Fred, van de Beek, Greenwood, Ighalo, Wan-Bissaka.

Crystal Palace (4-3-3) Guaita; Ward, Kouyate, Sakho, Mitchell; McArthur, McCarthy, Schlupp; Townsend, Ayew, Zaha.
Substitutes: Hennessey, Kelly, Inniss, Milivojevic, Meyer, Eze, Batshuayi.

11.08am BST

Hello. It’s time for another season in the irresistible soap opera that is Manchester United post-Fergie. The last one went pretty well: United finished third in the league, realistically the highest achievable position, and reached the semi-finals of all three cup competitions. But these are not the kind of laurels on which a club of United’s stature should rest; their task for this year is to continue the dramatic improvement that was sparked by the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in January.

While Donny van de Beek looks a crafty signing, most people expected United to do more business in the transfer market. Jadon Sancho and Sergio Reguilon will not be making their debuts tonight, and a slightly frustrating off-season was compounded by the sight of Harry Maguire and Mason Greenwood on the front pages.

• Neville says defender does not need to offer attacking threat
• ‘He can become a brilliant Manchester United full-back’

Gary Neville has said Aaron Wan-Bissaka is a “throwback” as Manchester United’s right-back and does not need to be an attacking threat like Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold or Manchester City’s Kyle Walker for the club to be successful.

Alexander-Arnold and Walker are recognised for their forward play but Neville, a former United right-back and captain, believes Wan-Bissaka is a better defender than either and that this should be the former Crystal Palace player’s focus.

Related: Solskjær reveals he asked for Mason Greenwood not to be in England squad

Expect Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s sole signing, Donny van de Beek, to be a replacement as Manchester United hunt for the winning start needed if they are to have any real hope of challenging Liverpool and Manchester City this term. Crystal Palace won last season’s corresponding fixture 2-1, so this may be close. Jamie Jackson

Saturday 5.30pm Sky Sports Premier League

• Manchester United forward was then sent home from Iceland
• Manager also upset Greenwood was asked to do media duties

Ole Gunnar Solskjær has revealed he requested Mason Greenwood not be selected by England this month because the 18-year-old needed a break. The Manchester United forward’s inclusion in the squad took an unwelcome turn when he broke Covid protocols and was sent home from Iceland.

Greenwood and Manchester City’s Phil Foden each invited a woman to a room at England’s hotel in Iceland, breaking rules to safeguard against the spreading of the virus. Gareth Southgate, the England manager, ordered both players to fly home.

Related: Football transfer rumours: Liverpool lead chase for Ismaïla Sarr?

Chelsea and Liverpool could both be vulnerable, Nathan Aké has a rare chance and are Newcastle the Entertainers again?

Last season Liverpool won 15 league games by the odd goal, and began their title defence in similar style, beating Leeds 4-3 in an indecently entertaining match. But this habit is not an easy one to sustain, and it is worth nothing that they have lost five of their past 14 games, conceding 19 times in the process. It is true that now is a good time to play Chelsea – Kepa Arrizabalaga is still first choice, Ben Chilwell and Hakim Ziyech are unfit, and Timo Werner and Kai Havertz have not fully settled. But Werner still looked sharp against Brighton, while Havertz can change the course of a game at any moment. If Chelsea somehow refrain from tossing goals in their own net, they will ask some serious questions of a back four that has looked more vulnerable of late. DH

Related: Gareth Bale's Madrid exit is marked by bitterness, resentment and relief | Sid Lowe

Related: Ferran Torres: 'David Silva has always been a role model. I'll try to follow his steps at City'

Related: Big names are great, but the WSL must not become a holiday league | Eni Aluko

Today’s fluff will get it together and get it all done

They might have missed out on the Tottenham-bound Sergio Reguilón but Manchester United are still in the market for a left-back, and Thursday’s A Bola announces that Porto’s Alex Telles is “back in their plans”, with the Portuguese side apparently willing to consider selling the 27-year-old Brazilian so long as there is at least €20m on the table.

In other left-back news Bayer Leverkusen have emerged as the most likely destination for Arsenal’s Sead Kolasinac, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Lucas Torreira and Folarin Balogun also available as the Gunners seek to fund a dream move for Lyon’s Houssem Aouar.

Related: Leicester closing in on signing Roma winger Cengiz Under for £24.6m

• United may explore loan with Real Madrid if Sancho abandoned
• Dortmund’s asking price considered too high by United

Manchester United are at an impasse over their bid to buy Jadon Sancho because of Borussia Dortmund’s €120m (£110m) valuation and may explore a loan for Gareth Bale as an alternative.

Although United have agreed terms with Sancho and made a breakthrough regarding agent fees, their stance remains that Dortmund’s price for the 20-year-old is too high in the coronavirus-affected market.

Related: Manchester United prepare opening bid for Real Madrid's Sergio Reguilón

• United unwilling to match Real Madrid’s €30m valuation
• Lucien Favre says Borussia Dortmund ‘need’ Jadon Sancho

Manchester United are preparing an opening offer for Sergio Reguilón but are unwilling to match Real Madrid’s €30m (£27.2m) valuation of the Spain defender.

United have been monitoring the 23-year-old’s situation for several weeks, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær keen to provide competition to Luke Shaw at left-back. Reguilón, who spent last season on loan at Sevilla, has three years left on his contract but is not in Zinedine Zidane’s plans for the new season and it is understood that he would like to move to Old Trafford.

Related: Newcastle say Premier League did not 'act appropriately' in blocking takeover

• ‘I’ll be here to support him,’ says Ole Gunnar Solskjær
• Maguire was handed 21-month sentence in Greece last month

The Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær has confirmed Harry Maguire will continue as the club’s captain for the new season. Maguire was handed a suspended 21-month sentence last month, having been found guilty of assaulting a police officer, swearing, resisting arrest and bribery during an incident in Mykonos.

He has denied the offences and has launched an appeal. The appeal nullifies the verdict and means Maguire has no criminal record ahead of a full retrial. “He’s handled it really well and, of course, I’ll be here to support him,” Solskjaer told the official United website. “He is going to be our captain. We’ll just leave Harry and his people and the process to run.”

Related: Manchester United make progress in pursuit of Dortmund's Jadon Sancho

• Pundit says Klopp’s team need to sign Thiago Alcântara
  
• ‘To achieve that same standard would be a superhuman effort’

It will take a “superhuman effort” for Liverpool to win the Premier League again unless they sign another top-quality player such as Thiago Alcântara, Gary Neville has warned.

Neville said history had taught him to expect a drop-off from Jürgen Klopp’s side this season, and predicted it could lead to Manchester City pipping them to the title next May. “To get to a Champions League final, win it the following season, and then to go again to win the Premier League title is a huge emotional drain on that group of Liverpool players for three years,” he said. “To ask them to go again and achieve that same standard would be a superhuman effort.

Related: Premier League 2020-21 preview No 11: Liverpool

Related: Premier League 2020-21 preview No 13: Manchester United