New Town defender Teden Mengi thinks the Hatters will place a ‘time limit’ on how long they will relish their first Premier League triumph, a 2-1 victory over Everton on Saturday, ahead of tonight’s home game against Burnley.
The 21-year-old wasn’t even born when Town last won three points at this level, in the 1991-92 season, but he helped Luton repeat that achievement at Goodison Park.
Mengi came in for skipper Tom Lockyer on 56 minutes after the Wales international was hit in the face, joining Mads Andersen, who had replaced Reece Burke at halftime, and Jamaican international Amari’i Bell in a much-changed backline.
Town held on to a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Lockyer and Carlton Morris in the first half, and the final whistle brought scenes of pure joy from both players, staff, and supporters.
When the jubilation had subsided, Mengi stated, “A first Premier League win for Luton Town, and we’re all happy with it, but I think we’ve got to put a time limit on how happy we are for it.”
“We have to remember the feeling of victory and carry it into the next win and go win the next game.”
“It’s a big deal for us, but what’s even bigger is if we can keep it going, keep the momentum going, and carry the win into the next game.”
“It’s another great opportunity against Burnley, but we just take the momentum from this game to the next game, stick as a team and go and kick on.”
The former Manchester United teenager did allow himself to be carried away in the happy full-time moment of success, as he added after sharing his experience with the 3,000 fans who made the trip to Merseyside: “It was brilliant.”
“One thing I’ve noticed since I’ve been here is that the fans have never left our side.”
“Win or lose, they never leave our side, so it was fantastic to share the victory with the fans.”
“The dressing room is always a good place to be, but especially after a win it was a brilliant place to be.”
With Lockyer injuring himself late in the first half in the build-up to Everton’s goal, Mengi knew he might be called upon in the second half.
He believed he was ready for the new task after playing the whole 90 minutes in a sad 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Exeter on Tuesday night.
“I feel like it was very important to get 90 minutes on Tuesday to prepare me to come on and put in the shift that I did,” he said.
“At halftime, the manager told me, ‘just be ready, there’s a chance you’ll come on in this game,’ so I was prepared from the start.”
Mengi had never appeared in the Premier League despite being at Old Trafford for 15 years, with his only two appearances for the Red Devils coming as a late substitute in the Champions League and Europa League.
However, he swiftly adapted to the assignment ahead of him, maintaining a cool head despite some serious pressure from a Toffees front-line that included England international Dominic Calvert-Lewin and recent Toffees signing Nathan Redmond.
Mengi added: “It was a completely different back three but we all know what’s required of us to get the result that we wanted, and on a personal note, Premier League debut for me, so really happy.” A shoulder to solder challenge on Calvert-Lewin inside the area led to some ambitious penalty shouts, which were rightly turned won by referee Anthony Taylor.
“I feel like it was something that I needed and that it was a good test for me, but enough about me, it’s more about the team, and I’m really proud of the team that won today.”
