Carabao Cup: West Brom 1 Luton Town 0 - Report and pictures

The £15m speedster latched onto a lucky ricochet off Harvey Barnes in the 63rd minute before coolly tucking his shot under Luton goalkeeper James Shea.

Burke joined Albion 12 months ago as a winger, but played up front in this match as Darren Moore tried out a new 3-4-1-2 system that hinted at a potentially exciting future for his team.

There were new positions for several of Albion's youngsters. Sam Field was tried at left centre-back and grew into the role as the game wore on, while Harvey Barnes and then Jonathan Leko played centrally behind the strikers.

The Baggies were trusting each other in possession, and attempting to play out from the back more than usual, with Boaz Myhill regularly passing short.

Darren Moore rang the changes for Albion's fourth game in 11 days, and handed a first senior start to 18-year-old Rekeem Harper in midfield, but there was still no sign of Craig Dawson or Nacer Chadli.

Luton's Jack Stacey, who Albion were interested in this summer, started for the Hatters.

The visitors had the ball in Albion's net within the first two minutes, but it had been ruled out for offside long before it was fired past Boaz Myhill, who had already stopped.

Luton started just as brightly as their orange kit, but after five minutes, Albion had their first spell of pressure.

Conor Townsend put in a dangerous cross before Hal Robson-Kanu nearly latched onto Matt Phillips's inswinging corner.

Albion's new look gave them plenty of options on the ball, and the young team were trusting each other in possession.

There were some encouraging touches in midfield from young Harper on his full debut, but Morrison saw more of the ball.

Luton were no pushovers though, and Ahmed Hegazi had to be alive to dangerous James Justin cross, but the Baggies looked threatening at times going forward.

Harvey Barnes was tried in a number 10 role, and he nearly slipped through Oliver Burke, who was playing front­, half-way through the half before an impressive covering tackle from Justin.

Luton's left-back was certainly catching the eye, and he found Aaron Jervis in space soon after with a forward pass, but the striker screwed his shot wide.

Up the other end, Phillips found Robson-Kanu with a similarly cutting pass, and the striker turned his defender well in the box before being crowded out.

Both sides were threatening to unpick the lock, without actually managing to.

Albion were trying to utilise Burke's pace as much as possible, and when a quick-thinking throw-in found his clever run, the striker crossed to Robson-Kanu, but his strike partner couldn't direct his header on target.

However, Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu was growing in stature in midfield for the Hatters, who ended the half brightly when skipper Glen Rea flashed a shot past Boaz Myhill's post.

Moore made two changes at half-time, replacing Ahmed Hegazi with Kyle Bartley at the back and bringing Kyle Edwards on for Matt Phillips for the 20-year-old's first start of the campaign after a promising pre-season.

Edwards added some impetus to Albion's attacks, and started to link up with Burke dangerously, before whipping in a cross that Robson-Kanu nearly met.

Albion were give a let-off five minutes after the break though when nobody picked up Matty Pearson's run to the back post at a corner, but the defender headed over.

But they nearly took the lead with a corner of their own soon after when Tosin Adarabioyo flicked on Townsend's delivery at the near post.

The Baggies finally broke the deadlock shortly after the hour mark, but there was an element of luck involved in the goal, because a clearance ricocheted off Barnes right into Burke's path.

Albion had been trying to send the £15m clear all game, and when they finally managed to, inadvertantly, Burke tucked his shot under James Shea coolly for his first senior Baggies goal.

Moore sent on Jonathan Leko for Barnes immediately afterwards, as he put trust in the youngsters to see the game out.

Luton rallied for the last ten minutes, and they put on pressure on the Baggies, who tried to run the clock down by keeping possession.

Leko looked lively, and had a shot blocked three minutes from time after bursting away from his man, while Burke also hit the side netting.

Harper put his head where it hurt in injury time to win a crucial free-kick in his own box from a long throw and James Morrison stung Shea's palms with a long-range effort before the Baggies weathered a late barrage of corners.

This match will certainly give Moore and his coaching staff food for thought.

Perhaps most importantly, the Baggies kept their first clean sheet of the season and back-to-back wins has built up a little head of steam after a tough start.

And while there may have been an element of luck about the only goal of the game, could this system be the sign of things to come?

Key moments

63 GOAL ALBION - A clearance ricochets off Barnes and falls kindly to Burke, but he cooly tucks it home for his first senior goal.

Man of the match

Sam Field - Grew into an unusual role in his first start of the season and barely put a foot wrong over the course of the game.

Teams

Albion (3-4-1-2): Myhill; Adarabioyo, Hegazi (Bartley 45), Field; Phillips (Edwards 45), Harper, Morrison (c), Townsend; Barnes (Leko 66); Burke, Robson-Kanu.

Unused subs: Bond, Livermore, Gayle, Rodriguez.

Luton (4-4-2): Shea; Justin, Bradley, Pearson, Stacey; Ruddock-Mpanzu, Rea (c) (Berry 84), Shinnie (Lee 76), Cornick; Jervis, Gambin (Jones 64).

Unused subs: Stech, Collins, Senior, Read.

Referee: Robert Jones

Attendance: 10,404 (1,100 away)