Aston Villa vs Luton Town FC (29th Oct 2023)

Report | Hatters rally but fall to defeat at Villa Park

Aston Villa 3 McGinn 17, Diaby 48, Lockyer (og) 62

Town 1 Martinez (og) 83

The Town stayed in this game for as long as they could – and didn’t go under – said Rob Edwards after he saw his side go down 3-1 at Villa Park.

For the Hatters manager, who was serenaded by the 3,000 Luton fans in the away end as he walked off the pitch at the club who gave him his first professional contract, it was another learning curve at the top level as the Town – as they have so often this season – done exactly that – stayed in the game for as long as they could.

Even three goals down the Town rallied and managed to reduce arrears and give those loyal thousands who had made the trip up the motorway something to cheer about even in consolation.

Even before a ball had been kicked the Hatters had been written off – but if anything it was the confidence behind an in-form Villa rather than any negative vibes in the Town camp.

Unai Emery’s Villans had started the season bottom of the table – conceding five at Newcastle on the opening day – but since that curtain raiser his side have become hell raisers. Four straight home wins this season – scoring 17 goals – raised expectations that sit comfortably higher than the Town’s.

As predicted Villa started fast. Any teams know that if you allow the Hatters to frustrate you then you’re in trouble. Thomas Kaminski’s brilliant double save in the 11th minute to deny Ollie Watkins from close range was a sign of things to come as the hosts ramped up the early pressure.

That seemingly inevitable opening goal came on 17 minutes when the Town switched off for milliseconds from Douglas Luiz’s short free-kick which found John McGinn. One step inside onto his right foot and a blast of the ball later and it was 1-0.

Those of a Villa persuasion sat back and waited for a second but it would not come. The Town ended the first half with encouragement. On 28 minutes, Chiedozie Obgene got the home defence back-pellading for the first time and his cross was inches away from finding Carlton Morris for a tap-in.

Having got to the break just the one goal behind, the Town started the second half aiming to creep closer to the Villa goal.

However, just two-and-a-half minutes after the restart the Hatters’ task became harder when Moussa Diaby doubled Villa’s lead with a first-time finish. It was not the ideal start to the second period.

Staying in the game has been a forte of the Town so far this term but Villa made life tougher shortly after the hour when skipper Tom Lockyer turned home Diaby’s cut-back and all of a sudden even being in the game was proving difficult.

Villa passed up several chances to add a fourth but the Town rallied as time ticked down and they were back in the game seven minutes from time when substitutes Andros Townsend and Elijah Adebayo combined to cause confusion in the home defence. Ezri Konsa’s header back towards goal hit the crossbar and rolled over the line after hitting goalkeeper Emil Martinez.

Still in it, the Town kept going in their search for a second goal and Adebayo came close to doing so in the final moments only to see his firm strike blocked by Pau Torres.

And that was that.

A game, as Edwards said afterwards, his side can learn from. “Games like this won’t define us,” said the boss afterwards.

Encouraging signs on an afternoon that belonged to the in-form hosts who moved momentarily into the top four – and next up for the Hatters is a home game against Liverpool next Sunday at Kenilworth Road.

See you then.

Town: Kaminski; Kaboré, Doughty (sub Giles 79), Lockyer, Osho (sub Townsend 57), Mengi; Nakamba (sub Mpanzu 76), Barkley; Ogbene, Morris (sub Adebayo 76), Brown (sub Chong 57). Subs not used: Krul, Woodrow, Johnson, Luker.

Attendance: 41,785, including 3,005 Town fans in full voice in another sold-out away end.

Rob Edwards | "We’ll improve and we’ll learn from it"

Manager Rob Edwards wants his Luton Town team to use their trip to Villa Park as a learning experience as they seek to pick up the points to stay in the Premier League.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa went fifth in the table with a 3-1 win over the Hatters, with Edwards admitting on his return to his boyhood club: “It was always going to be a difficult day for us today, and it proved to be the case.

“Villa are in a really good moment, a very good team with a very good manager. It was a difficult game.”

The manager went on: “It’s down to us to learn and get better, and we will do. If we can take anything from this game now it’s that we kept going, and stayed in it for as long as possible and we didn’t go under, and there are things there that can make us better.

“We are going to come up against other teams like this, maybe even better, and we’ve got to make sure that we improve on key areas.

“That’s what we are trying to do, we are on a journey here to try and improve and get better, and Aston Villa had to go through it a few years ago when they first got promoted and had to go through difficult times.

“They’ve found a way to this position right now. Today was not a game that surprised us in any way. They are on a really high level at the moment and it was a difficult afternoon for us, but I have to stress that the players kept going, they stayed committed to what we are trying to do.

“Yes, there are mistakes that happen. There are always mistakes, we are only human, but we’ll improve and we’ll learn from it.”

Emi Martinez’s own goal gave the 3,000 travelling Hatters even more to cheer about than they already had, and once again they gave Edwards and his side a wonderful reception at the final whistle.

“It was a strange goal to cheer about,” said Edwards. “I love our fans and the support they give us all the time. They were brilliant today, again. There were some comical chants going on again during the game, which I can appreciate and at least it kept them entertained and kept their spirits high, and I get it.

“But the lads kept going, they didn’t go under and it become four, five or six. We got one back and they probably took a little bit of pride from that, and that is really important to me that we keep doing what we do, which is working hard and staying committed to trying to get the next goal in whatever game it is, and we did that today.

“So yes, frustrating and disappointing, but let’s be realistic. We are not quite at their level at the moment and it showed today, so we’ve got to learn and get better, and that’s what we are committed to doing.”

On Gabe Osho’s return from injury for his first appearance of the season, and a Premier League debut in which he lasted 57 minutes, Edwards added: “I love Gabe to bits and it was a tough ask for him to come into this sort of game, for his first bit of Premier League football.

“I thought he did very well and was just starting to tighten up. It’s important that we don’t lose him now, so I see him coming back as a real positive for us today.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV1ENlq6Czc – Rob Edwards interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG1iKY8D3BU – match highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nTV9-qlqUQ – extended highlights

Plucky Hatters are outclassed as Aston Villa make it 12 straight wins on home soil

Premier League: Aston Villa 3 Luton 1

Luton turned in yet another valiant performance but they were unable to prevent a high-class Aston Villa side from winning a 12th straight Premier League game on home soil this afternoon.

The Hatters sprung a surprise ahead of kick-off, with defender Gabe Osho making his top flight debut in place of the injured Reece Burke, one of three changes made by Rob Edwards.

Former Villa loanee Ross Barkley began in midfield, with Manchester City loanee Issa Kabore coming in too as Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu and Tahith Chong dropped to the bench.

As expected, Unai Emery’s side started strongly, a weak punch by Thomas Kaminski saw John McGinn fire over the top from 20 yards, but Villa should have led inside five minutes, cutting Luton open on on the right, Moussa Diaby’s cross teed up by Ollie Watkins for the unmarked Nicolo Zaniolo whose left footed volley from 10 yards was wide.

Zaniolo then poked wide with Villa somehow awarded a corner, before Thomas Kaminski ensured the scores remained goalless making an absolutely stunning save on 11 minutes.

Alfie Doughty was caught out by a ball over the top and with the visitors appealing for an offside flag that never came, Diaby went through and picked out Watkins just eight yards out, who was destined to score, only to see the Belgian produce an truly amazing stop, the rebound fortunately hitting him as well.

Kaminski could do little on 17 minutes though when a free kick from the left was cleverly played to McGinn, who had peeled away at the back post to spin past Town's covering defenders and locate the bottom corner with unerring accuracy.

The stopper was proving by far the busier of the two keepers as he made sure Villa didn't have a quickfire second, able to block Zaniolo's close-range toepoke from a Watkins cross.

Luton then had their best chance of the half on 27 minutes, Chiedozie Ogbene simply knocking the ball past Boubacar Kamara, getting his head down and charging forward, his low cross nicked off the toes of Morris by Emiliano Martinez.

Changing ends just a goal behind, as they had done at the City Ground last week though, Luton once more came unstuck in the opening moments of the second period.

This time, a hanging cross from the left was headed out only as far as Diaby who rattled his first time effort into the bottom corner to double Villa’s advantage.

While they had managed to come back from such a deficit against the Reds, an in-form home side was a completely different proposition as it now became a matter of damage limitation for the visitors.

Edwards responded by bringing on Andros Townsend and Tahith Chong for Osho and Brown as Barkley rifled an ambitious attempt well over from range.

Luton fell 3-0 behind on 62 minutes though, the simplicity of it surely a source of annoyance to Edwards, as Kamara's long pass saw the impressive Diaby get away from Teden Mengi to poke the ball beyond Kaminski, Lockyer only able to bundle the ball into his own net from a few yards out.

A wonderful sliding intervention from Kabore prevented a certain fourth after Villa sped forward following a free kick that went wrong for the visitors.

The hosts weren't happy settling for the three though, second half sub Leon Bailey bombing forward as he had done whenever the chance arose, this time skewing wide at the critical moment, before McGinn got it all wrong on his right foot, scuffing a fine chance straight at Kaminski.

After the first real spell of prolonged pressure by the hosts, which saw the packed away end bring out the ole's, they also had a goal to celebrate with seven minutes to play.

Townsend's dinked cross saw Adebayo go up for a header, and with Ezri Konsah trying an incredibly complacent back header, it struck the bar and then rebounded into the net off the diving Martinez.

The goal breathed even more life into Luton and their terrific away support, who saw their players continue their knack of finishing games strongly, going close to pulling another back in stoppage time due to the pressing of Barkley.

He dispossessed his opponent on the edge of the area to see a shot blocked away, as the rebound dropped to Adebayo, his effort also charged down with Martinez going the wrong way.

A second wasn’t forthcoming though as Luton remained in the bottom three, but they left without a huge dent in their goal difference, as they will now look forward, albeit with some trepidation, to the visit of Liverpool next Sunday.

Villa: Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash (Diego Carlos 79), Ezri Konsa, Douglas Luiz (Leander Dendoncker 90), John McGinnn (C), Ollie Watkins, Lucas Digne, Pau, Moussa Diaby (Bertrand Traore 90), Nicolo Zaniolo (Leon Bailey 46), Boubacar Kamara (Youri Tielemans 79)

Subs not used: Rob Olsen, Calum Chambers, Clement Lenglet, Tim Iroegbunam.

Hatters: Thomas Kaminski, Issa Kabore, Gabe Osho (Andros Townsend 57) Tom Lockyer (C), Teden Mengi, Alfie Doughty (Ryan Giles 79), Marvelous Nakamba (Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu 76), Ross Barkley, Jacob Brown (Tahith Chong 57), Chiedozie Ogbene, Carlton Morris (Elijah Adebayo 76).

Subs not used: Tim Krul, Cauley Woodrow, Joe Johnson, Jayde Luker.

Booked: Zaniolo 28, Cash 49, Kabore 52, Kamara 70, Doughty 75.

Referee: John Brooks

Attendance: 41,785.

Hatters boss reacts to a 'difficult afternoon' as Luton are defeated by in-form Villains

Town manager admits there is a gulf between the two sides

Town boss Rob Edwards conceded it was a ‘difficult afternoon’ for his side after they went down to a 3-1 defeat against high-flying Aston Villa.

The Hatters were under the cosh for large parts of the game, as was always to be expected, with Unai Emery’s side honing in on 12 straight league wins on home soil.

They reached the dozen too, John McGinn firing home from a well-worked free kick routine in the first half, with the instrumental Moussa Diaby then adding a second moments into the second period.

When Tom Lockyer turned Diaby’s cross-shot through his own net on 63 minutes, it looked like Villa would go on and rack up yet another hefty victory, having netted four against West Ham last week, also putting six past Brighton too.

However, to their credit, Luton finished the game stronger, gaining a consolation thanks to Emiliano Martinez’s unfortunate own goal with seven remaining, Ezri Konsa’s back header hitting the bar and rebounding in off the World Cup-winning goalkeeper.

Speaking afterwards, Edwards said: “Let’s be honest, today was a difficult afternoon for us.

“There is a gulf between the teams at the moment, Aston Villa are an exceptional team in a great moment, really confident, brilliant manager, and very good players.

“At 3-0 down with about 30 minutes to go, I was thinking, this is difficult, so I’m really pleased with how the players stayed in it, stayed committed, found a way, however, to get the next goal.

“That was important, that was important to me, important that our fans can see our players never ever give in and are sticking at it, so a difficult afternoon, but proud of how the players stuck to the task.

“We have finished strongly, we have stuck at it, used that example last week, getting back into the game against Forest.

“Today was just too big a task, we gave ourselves too big a mountain to climb unfortunately, but what I want to make sure that we stress is today wasn’t going to define us.

“We know that, we’re in a different battle to Aston Villa at the moment, there’s a difference in teams, but we’ve got to learn from it.

“I want it to make us better, make me better and there was, I believe, a good plan there today.

“We knew we would give away certain areas of the pitch, but it was just too easy for them to exploit in that last line, with one pass and that was frustrating.

“I thought we’d got away from that, Brighton, the first game of the season we learned and adjusted as that happened a little bit and it happened today and that was frustrating for me.

“But as long as we learn from it and it doesn't happen again, maybe for another 10 games and we’ve got to revisit it, then I can take it.

"I’m just frustrated with how we conceded the goals as they were all avoidable.”

Edwards left frustrated by 'avoidable' Aston Villa goals during Premier League defeat

Town boss felt his side could have defended better at Villa Park

Luton boss Rob Edwards was left frustrated by the ‘avoidable’ manner in which his side conceded all three goals during their 3-1 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

The Hatters had got through the opening 15 minutes unscathed, just, courtesy of a magnificent save by Thomas Kaminski from England striker Ollie Watkins’ close range effort, the Belgian also denying Nicolo Zaniolo as well.

However, he was picking the ball out of the net two minutes later though, when a free kick routine saw Villa load the six yard box, only for Douglas Luiz to play it across the penalty area for the isolated John McGinn.

The Scottish international still had plenty to do, but did it clinically, turning Chiedozie Ogbene and Tom Lockyer, his shot beating Gabe Osho and finding the bottom corner.

Town then once more kept their free-flowing hosts quiet until the break, but as they had done at Nottingham Forest last weekend, were breached just three minutes into the second period, a deep cross nodded back by Leon Bailey, for the unmarked Moussa Diaby to slam home.

Villa added a third on 63 minutes as well, one ball over the top seeing Diaby get the better of Teden Mengi to poke beyond Kaminski, with the recovering Lockyer unable to do anything but turn the ball over the line for an own goal.

Speaking afterwards, Edwards said: “The free kick, we had numbers, we knew they were going to be clever.

"We haven’t got done with anything, we had bodies behind it, we’ve just got to block it, got to get bodies in the way.

"A little chop from McGinn on Chieo, but then we’ve got three or four bodies there between the ball and the goal.

"We’ve got to make sure we block it and we got some good blocks in after that, but it’s frustrating, one clever bit of play, but we’ve got the numbers there to deal with it, and we didn’t.

“All the goals were avoidable and frustrating, second one, the timing, we’ve got to make sure we track.

"We half defend a cross, but we don’t track the runner so it’s a finish from a midfield runner.

"And the third one was one of the straight balls that we spoke about, spoke about at length at half time as well.

"All avoidable, all frustrating, but we learn and go again and try to improve.”

Edwards knows that his players must tighten up the manner in which they were breached by a free-flowing Villa side, and quickly, if they don’t want to become cut adrift in the bottom three, although that is easier said than done when Liverpool are the next opponents at Kenilworth Road on Sunday.

He continued: “We have to (learn), I’ve got to make sure we do that as we’ll probably come up against even better teams, there’s probably another level again in this league.

"So we’ve got to make sure we improve in those moments and that’s going to make us better.

"You’re always going to give something away, if you come out and press you’re going to open up spaces maybe through or behind you.

“We knew what we were giving away, but then we didn’t deal with that well enough maybe five or six times, which was disappointing.”

The Luton boss did concede that coming up against a player like Diaby, who was Villa’s club record signing when joining from Bayer Leverkusen for £51.9m in the summer, was always going to be huge ask, adding: “We keep one man quiet in Watkins and if he doesn’t get you then the other man does.

"Diaby was exceptional today, his movement twice when getting in behind, he is a real threat.

"He can float in, come into some difficult positions in pockets of space but the threat in behind he had was the difference in the game.”

Hatters boss praises Luton's players for never going under during Villa loss

Town’s goal difference remains better than relegation rivals despite defeat

Town chief Rob Edwards praised his side for the manner in which they didn’t ‘go under’ during Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa, as he knows just how important goal difference could be in the fight to stay in the Premier League this season.

With 62 minutes on the clock, the Hatters conceded a third goal of the afternoon and their second in just 14 minutes when Tom Lockyer turned Moussa Diaby’s cross-shot into his own net.

That left around half an hour of the contest to go, and Town facing the prospect of seeing their goals against column take a real hit from a free-scoring Villa side who had put four past West Ham the previous week and six against Brighton last month as well.

But Luton were able to stand firm, not being breached for a fourth time, and actually going on to have the better of the final stages when Andros Townsend and Elijah Adebayo came on.

They also reduced the deficit as well, when Townsend’s cross saw Adebayo cause a nuisance, with Ezri Konsa’s far too casual back header hitting the bar and rebounding in off keeper Emiliano Martinez.

That meant that Town’s goal difference moved to -11, which is two better than fourth bottom AFC Bournemouth and far superior to the other promoted clubs below them, Burnley (-17) and basement side Sheffield United (-22).

It also cemented Luton’s ability at finishing strongly as from their nine top flight goals scored this term, six of them have now come after the 80th minute.

Edwards said: “It’s important for me, for us, for pride, for supporters, for us to never ever, ever go under.

"We don’t want it to end up being four, five, or more.

"So it was important to keep going, keep plugging away, keep fighting and try to get some pride as well in the game.

"To come away with that final goal is good.

“It gives us a little bit of belief and confidence and it’s also good for the players on the pitch at that moment.”

Although a few supporters may question why Luton couldn’t start in the manner they finished, Edwards knew that had they looked to try and somehow take the game to Unai Emery’s side, who are the leading scorers at home this term, with 20 from just five matches, it would have lead to an incredibly tough afternoon for those of a Hatters persuasion.

He added: “We all realise how good they are.

"I was here last week watching them against West Ham, equally as devastating, I watched them midweek and they were again and they were again today.

"They’re a very, very good team, confident and in a really good moment.

"It was probably a difficult time to come to Villa Park while they’re in such good form.

“We knew we were going to give them the ball in terms of their build-up.

"If we had come out and pressed too soon they’d find their tens where they get into the pockets of space and play through.

"We want to show ambition in the game, of course we want to try and win, we want our fans to cheer us pressing and going, but there was a couple of times in the second half we did do that and then pop, pop, pop, they're round and they’re through us again.

"There’s a balance to be had, and go at the right times and making sure that were closing spaces behind so they can’t play through us.

"They want to invite you on, so they can try and create space, and that was why we had to make sure we tried to stay compact and stay in it.

"We tried to limit them, you know then we’re going to give a little bit of space in behind, so a lot of our work has been on body shape, making sure we’re reading the person’s body language who’s about to play the pass and then making sure we’re tracking the runs.

"We didn't do that well enough, we got sucked in with the movement, then it was in behind and we just got done with some quick, clever play.

"So in terms of the plan and positioning it was good, it was just then dealing with that bit of movement and the pass in behind, excellent from them, avoidable from us.”