Hull City vs Luton Town FC (30th Sep 2022)

Report | Hull City 0-2 Luton Town

Henri Lansbury proved a cut above at the MKM Stadium as the Hatters midfielder hit a goal of the season contender to help secure a 2-0 win to lift Town into the Championship play-off places.

An early Alfie Jones own goal was followed a minute before half-time by a fantastic first-half strike by Lansbury to secure victory against the Tigers, who had parted company with manager Shota Arveladze on the morning of the game and put former player and current first-team coach Andy Dawson placed in caretaker charge for the night.

Lansbury celebrated with a lawnmowing routine he has been waiting for over a year to reveal, this being the perfect way to open his account for the club since signing in the summer of 2021, as the Hatters moved into fifth place ahead of the rest of the weekend's fixtures.

Elijah Adebayo returned to the starting eleven as manager Nathan Jones made one change from the side that beat Blackburn in the game leading into the international break.

Last season's top scorer Adebayo replaces Cauley Woodrow, who started against Blackburn Rovers but was absent through injury picked up during training in midweek.

Allan Campbell started and in doing so made his 50th Luton appearance in midfield, alongside Henri Lansbury and Jordan Clark.

Reece Burke returned to his former club for the first time, whilst Amari'i Bell was fit and available having travelled away with Jamaica, playing against Argentina and the great Lionel Messi in the early hours of Wednesday morning in America.

Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu was named in the first team matchday squad for the first time since April after building up his match fitness in two Development Squad matches during the international break.

The Hatters made the perfect start, taking a sixth-minute lead with a goal that had to be credited to Hull defender Jones, but owed everything to Adebayo's brilliance.

The striker was denied his first goal of the season as his instinctive volley from Lansbury's right-wing corner came down off the underside of the crossbar, with Jones unable to do anything other than turn it over his own goalline under pressure from Morris.

Captain Potts, making his 199th appearance for the club, might have doubled the lead but saw his header saved from a left wing corner delivered by James Bree, who then burst down the right to slide an inviting low cross into Morris' path, but the top scorer couldn't keep his 17th-minute effort down.

Hull came within a lick of paint of equalising in the 20tt minute when Regan Slater's 30-yarder deflected off the head of Potts and, like at the other end, bounced down off the underside of Ethan Horvath's bar, but was headed safely away by Reece Burke on his first return to the club he helped win promotion from League One two seasons ago.

Hull keeper Nathan Baxter had to push a free header from Morris, meeting another Bree set-piece, around the post on 39 minutes before the Hatters doubled their lead a minute before the break - and what a strike it was.

Baxter had already denied the Hatters once in the move, pushing Clark's shot away after Morris had picked out Adebayo with a cross from the left, but Bree put the ball back into the box and Lewie Coyle's header clear was returned with interest by Lansbury.

The midfielder struck the ball first-time on the half-volley from fully 30 yards, slightly to the left of the goal, with the bend from connecting with the outside of his right foot taking the ball well away from Baxter's reach and in off the far post.

It was the perfect way to open his account for the club, and the midfielder responded by revving up his lawnmower for a celebration to reflect his favourite pastime away from football - cutting his grass!

Jones was forced into his first change at the break, with Burke pulling up with an injury in time added on and needing to be replaced by Gabe Osho.

Hull made two changes on the hour, Cyrus Christie and Greg Docherty coming on for Dimitrios Pelkas and Oscar Estupinan, and within a minute Ryan Longman had sent a glancing header towards Horvath's goal after a decent spell of possession, but well off target.

The Town were soon asking questions at the other end again, Bree winning a free-kick just outside the area but unable to repeat his wonderful strike at the same end of the ground from earlier this year, his effort flying high over the bar.

Hull posed another question when Docherty crossed from the right for Ozan Tufan to meet the ball at the near post, but it appeared to hit his midriff and flew wide, then both sides had big appeals for a penalty turned down - Morris going down first with Jacob Greaves seemingly tugging his shirt, before Longman went down at the other end in similar circumstances with Lansbury. Referee James Linington remained unmoved on both.

Christie sent a curling effort over on 73 minutes and Jones was at full stretch to volley over, just before Jones made his next changes, bringing Mpanzu on in place of Lansbury for his first appearance after five months out recovering from a knee operation, and Cameron Jerome for Morris.

Osho almost caught out Baxter with a cross-shot from deep on the right, but there was little danger at the other end as the Town saw out a comfortable victory to keep their season revving into gear, with the grass looking much greener after recording back-to-back victories and a third in a row away from home.

Onto Tuesday and last season's play-off eliminators Huddersfield Town's visit to the Kenny!

Goals: Jones (OG) 6', Lansbury 44'

Att: 15,730 (544 Hatters)

Nathan Jones on Hull win!

Manager Nathan Jones described victory against Hull City as ‘excellent’ after his side recorded their third consecutive away win.

Town raced into the lead inside the first six minutes and doubled their advantage just before the break courtesy of a superb long-range strike from Henri Lansbury.

With back-to-back wins as well as back-to-back clean sheets, Jones was all smiles after the game.

“It was an excellent performance, it really was. It was probably a trickier game than we made it look because the change of manager can have an adverse effect, or an uplift but we had to concentrate on ourselves and I thought we did that fantastically.

“First half they had a little bit of play in wide areas, but we had all the best chances and once we got through the press, we smothered them, won the ball back and were aggressive in our play. We should have been more than two up at half time, Carlton had a great chance, we had a few situations that we could have done more with but second half our game management was fantastic.

“We always believe we have goals in us, we have game-changers and once we put in that level of performance in at the first half then it was about trying to go after the third but if you cant make sure you defend well and I thought we did. We lost Reece Burke, Gabe Osho came in and did fantastically well. Amari’i has been flying all over the place so it just shows the quality and what we have.

“I’m really pleased because it is a tough place to come and I’m delighted with the win.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRDc-lIk8mw – Nathan jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NN9nFWV-LI – Match highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP6d2e2xXeE – Henri Lansbury interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3PcFYPPwiI – Henri Lansbury goal from every angle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13P-fHK0uM4 – reverse angle coverage

Lansbury's scorcher seals Town's third away win on the bounce against managerless Hull

Championship: Hull City 0 Luton Town 2

Town midfielder Henri Lansbury's scored an absolutely astonishing goal to ensure Luton recorded a third straight away win and continued their dominance at Hull's MKM Stadium with a 2-0 success this evening, sending Nathan Jones' side up to fifth in the table.

If the talking points prior to the fixture were about the struggling Tigers' decision to sack manager Shota Arveladze just hours before kick-off, then following the final whistle they would definitely have been on Lansbury's stunning first strike for the club that doubled the visitors advantage just before the break.

Hunting their first back-to-back victories this season, Luton made one change to the side that beat Blackburn Rovers before the international break, with Cauley Woodrow out through injury and Elijah Adebayo returning, midfielder Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu on the bench for the first time this campaign as well.

The hosts meanwhile had, as mentioned, had been rocked by the news that Arveladze was shown the door in the morning, paying the price for a poor run of four defeats in a row, City conceding 11 in that time.

Following an excessive light show before kick-off, it was the Hatters who illuminated the early stages, taking the lead on just six minutes when Carlton Morris won a corner on the right.

Lansbury's set-piece looked to have initially been scuffed, but it was straight from the training ground, met on the half volley by Adebayo, his shot cannoning off the underside of the bar only to hit home defender Alfie Jones and dribble over the line before the Tigers could clear.

Lewie Coyle's ambitious attempt was easy for Ethan Horvath, before another corner caused the hosts problems, Dan Potts left unmarked, but at full stretch could only put his header straight at Nathan Baxter.

The Tigers responded well to falling behind, Ryan Longman bending an attempt narrowly over the bar, although Luton also looked dangerous, James Bree outpacing his markers on the right.

Reaching the byline, he looked up and seeing Morris in space, produced a controlled cross that Town's top scorer, who had support to his left, lofted over first time, when he might have been able to take a touch.

Hull were centimetres, millimetres in fact from levelling on 20 minutes when Regan Slater took aim from 25 yards, his shot flicking off the head of Tom Lockyer and crashing against the bar.

It bounced down on the line and somehow spun away, with referee James Linington's watch not signalling a goal, ensuring Town's slender lead remained in tact.

Luton were looking dangerous from set-pieces throughout the half, as six minutes before the break, Bree's deep free kick met by Morris, whose downward header was well clawed out by Baxter.

It was then time for Lansbury to become the star attraction though, Adebayo picked out after the visitors won the ball back, combining with Morris for Clark to see his attempt well parried by Baxter.

The danger from Bree's cross appeared to have been cleared, but Hull hadn't reckoned on Lansbury.

With the ball bouncing out to him, many others would have looked to solidify possession, but not Town's number 12, the midfielder cutting across his effort with the most exquisite of half volleys that skimmed across the turf and into the corner of the net via the inside of the post, giving Baxter no chance at all.

It was quite simply a goal that only he could score.

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The lawnmower celebration that followed was also one to remember as the ex-Arsenal youngster, who has a genuine passion for anything lawn-based, celebrated a first goal since April 2018 when at Aston Villa.

One slight tarring of the half saw Reece Burke pull up in the closing stages with a hamstring problem and he failed to reappear after the break, Gabe Osho taking his place.

Before the hour mark, Hull withdrew not only their, but the division's top scorer in Oscar Estupinan, who hadn't been afforded a kick by Lockyer, but they still found chances hard to come by, Longman flicking wide and Ozan Tufan prodding behind.

Bree had a chance to try and repeat his wonderful free kick from last year's 3-1 win midway through the half, this time unable to get his right-footer up and down in time.

Morris had huge claims for a penalty after being felled in the box on 67 minutes, but Linington waved them away and then booked the Town forward for his ensuing complaints.

He also kept his whistle in his hand moments later, but this time it was to Town’s advantage, when Longman appeared to have his shirt pulled in the box.

To the credit of the hosts' players and supporters, the Tigiers didn't give the situation up, as they had a good spell of pressure, Cyrus Christie curling narrowly over and Jones attempting to atone for his earlier error, stretching to divert a cross off target.

Luton responded by bringing on Mpanzu for his first outing since April, in place of Lansbury, for the final 15 minutes, Cameron Jerome replacing Morris.

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With the game all but won, Hull remained content to patiently try and pick a way through, causing the visitors very few problems, if any really in the closing stages, Horvath off his line to collect a late cross as the Hatters now appear to be back to the kind of performances they churned out last term which saw them eventually reach the play-offs.

Tigers: Nathan Baxter, Lewis Coyle (C), Callum Elder, Jacob Greaves, Alfie Jones, Ozan Tufan, Ryan Woods (Jean Michael Seri 71), Ryan Longman (Dogukan Sinik 71), Oscar Estupinan (Greg Docherty 58), Dimitrios Pelkas (Cyrus Christie 58), Regan Slater.

Subs not used: Matt Ingram, Tobias Figueiredo, Sean McLoughlin,

Hatters: Ethan Horvath, James Bree, Reece Burke (Gabe Osho 46), Tom Lockyer, Dan Potts (C), Amari'i Bell, Henri Lansbury (Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu 75), Allan Campbell, Jordan Clark (Fred Onyedinma 90), Carlton Morris (Cameron Jerome 75), Elijah Adebayo (Harry Cornick 90).

Subs not used: Harry Isted, Alfie Doughty.

Referee: James Linington.

Booked: Adebayo 26, Woods 34, Bree 54, Morris 67.

Attendance: 15,730

Jones impressed by 'aggressive' Hatters during Tigers victory

Reaction from Town’s manager to 2-0 victory at Hull

Hatters boss Nathan Jones felt his side reaped the benefits from their ‘aggressive’ first half display as they ran out 2-0 winners at struggling Hull City this evening.

Going up against a Tigers side who sacked manager Shota Arveladze in the build-up to the game, Town had the perfect start when Elijah Adebayo’s attempt from Henri Lansbury’s corner hit the bar, home defender Alfie Jones deflecting the rebound over the line after just six minutes.

Lansbury then doubled the lead with a truly outstanding 35-yard half volley just before the break, ensuring Luton could see the game out for large parts of the second period, the hosts failing to have a shot on target.

Jones said: “It was an excellent away performance.

"We were aggressive, we were front footed and just a little bit more quality and we would have gone in further ahead.

“They changed manager, that can have an adverse effect, they can have an uplift, or whatever it was, but we had to concentrate on ourselves.

“First half they had a little bit of play in wide areas, they tried to overload that, but we had all the best chances and once we got to grips with the press, we smothered them.

“We won the ball back, we were aggressive in our play and we should have been more than two up at half time.

“Carlton’s (Morris) had a great chance, we’ve had situations where we could have done a little bit more.

"If we’d had had a bit more quality we would have, but second half I thought our game management was fantastic.

“The onus isn’t on us to go out there when we’re two up, as we always believe we’ve got goals in us, always believe we’ve got game changers.

"Once we put in the level of performance that we did in the first half, then second half it was about trying to go after the third, but if you can't, make sure you defend well, and I thought we did.

“We lost Reece Burke (to injury), Gabe Osho came in and did fantastically well, Amari’s (Bell) been travelling all over the place, so it just shows the quality and what we have.

“I thought we saw the game out really, really well.

"We had to defend in wide areas, when they put balls in our box, any time they had a set-play we defended everything, first contacts, so really, really happy.

“I'm really pleased as that's a tough, tough place to come and I’m delighted with the win.”

Hatters boss labels 'crackpot' Lansbury a 'full-time whopper' following ex-Arsenal midfielder's 'outrageous' strike at Hull

Luton boss wants goalscorer to mow his lawn after shout-out on Sky

Hatters boss Nathan Jones’ labelled goalscorer Henri Lansbury a ‘full-time whopper' after his wonderful strike and ensuing lawnmower celebration against Hull City last night.

With Town 1-0 to the good and the game approaching half-time, City thought they had done enough when clearing their lines from James Bree’s cross, the ball dropping some 35 yards from goal.

However, they hadn’t considered the technique possessed by Luton’s former Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa midfielder Lansbury, who without breaking stride, hit a first time daisycutter that barley left shin height, rifling its way into the bottom corner of Nathan Baxter's goal to double Town’s advantage.

He then retrieved the ball from the net and set about to pretend to mow the MKM Stadium playing surface before being engulfed by his team-mates, leading Jones to say in his post match press conference with Sky: "He’s got top end quality, the back end of last season he picked up an injury which curtailed him so he's been a slow starter.

“He has wonderful quality and he has a Grass Gains company that, to be fair, now I’ve give him a shout-out, I expect him to do my back garden.

“He’s a part-time footballer, part-time groundsman, full-time whopper.

“He’s got a business, but he enjoys it.

"When others play golf and other go to Starbucks, or whatever it is, he goes home and mows lawns. He loves it.

"He’s a crackpot anyway, so that’s just part and parcel of it.”

Off the mark on his 42nd appearance for the club, Lansbury, who moved to Kenilworth Road on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 is showing the kind of ability that saw him play 13 times in the top flight during the early days of career, as Jones added: “He’s got that, he doesn’t do it as often, but he has that wonderful, wonderful ability to be able to do that and it’s a fantastic strike.

"We brought him here because we can’t afford Premier League quality and Premier League athleticism, so we always have to compromise on one, and he showed he’s got Premier League quality.

“It’s one of the cleanest strikes you’ll see and he’s had a lot of opportunities.

"He backs up play well, but it’s a wonderful, wonderful strike.

"He’s got that technique, he’s got outrageous quality, so it’s really good that he sealed the win with that today.”

Lansbury explains his infamous lawnmower celebration before admitting he's scored even better goals than his tremendous Tigers strike

Midfielder nets stunner in City victory

Hatters midfielder Henri Lansbury explained the reasoning behind his now infamous lawnmower man celebration after scoring a goal that he declared wasn’t even the best of his career at Hull City yesterday.

The 31-year-old was following up play as Town attacked, hunting a second goal just before the break, James Bree’s cross cleared to what looked like relative safety by the home defence.

However, Lansbury had other ideas, latching on to the ball and cutting across it, unleashed a sizzling half volley, which barely rose above the ground before on its way into the bottom corner.

With the Sky cameras in attendance, he then collected the ball from where he had put it, fired up an imaginary lawnmower and began to cut the grass to the amusement of his team-mates .

The midfielder has a genuine love for all things lawn-based, even owning a Grass Gains company that sponsors his home kit, which made it even more apt that his strike didn’t damage a single blade of the MKM stadium playing surface as it whistled beyond the full stretch Nathan Baxter.

Such is his passion, that Lansbury has even been allocated a patch of grass at the training ground he works on, as discussing the celebration, he said: “I fired it up, I’ve been working on it for a while, I just haven’t had the chance to score.

“I’d better do it, because it might not happen again, so it’s the lawnmower celebration.

"I think everyone liked a bit of gardening during lockdown didn’t we.

“We had a bit of time off, I took to the grass and haven’t looked back.

“I have (got a patch at the Brache), I have, I’ve let it go a bit, but I’ll bring it back.”

While for most mere mortals, that kind of strike would never be bettered in their entire career, for Lansbury, he thought he had others more worthy of that award, continuing: “It’s nice to get back on the scoresheet, it fell nicely, normally they’re in Row Z, but I’ve caught that one sweet and it's gone bottom corner.

“It’s one of those things, it lines up, falls nice for you and you’ve got to hit it, lucky I caught it sweet and it’s flown in.

“No, no, I’ve scored better than that, but it’s up there, a nice strike, hopefully more to come this season.

“I just smashed it away, it was a nice strike and caught it clean.”

Seeing the pure quality of the goal, it then makes it a surprise that Lansbury, who had netted 50 times during his 16-year career prior to Friday night, hadn’t been on the scoresheet for over four seasons, his last coming when at Aston Villa back in April 2018.

He added: “I’ve been scoring a few in training, but I don't usually get that far forward in games, I pride myself on a clean sheet these days, so it’s nice to get on the scoresheet.

“It’s always nice to score, but I think just winning the midfield battle.

"We have our little bits of banter with the coaching staff, we say ‘win the midfield battle win the game,’ so I’d rather win the midfield battle and win the game.”