Luton Town FC vs Norwich City (2nd Dec 2020)

Match Report | Luton Town 3-1 Norwich City

The Hatters beat the Canaries to extend terrific midweek home record!

The Hatters marked the return of fans to Kenilworth Road in style, producing a stellar performance as they ran out 3-1 winners against their high-flying opponents.

Norwich crafted out the first opportunity of the game as summer signing Przemyslaw Placheta broke away down the left-hand side, with Town keeper James Shea, replacing the injured Simon Sluga, comfortably saving low to his left.

The Hatters, playing in front of fans at Kenilworth Road for the first time since February, grew into the game, disrupting Norwich’s build-up play high up the pitch and getting into good positions around the Canaries’ penalty area through George Moncur.

Ten minutes in and the Hatters carved out the first opportunity of the game. Matty Pearson’s switch of play was collected by Martin Cranie who found Jordan Clark down the right, who rounded Sorenson and delivered low into the box, but Luke Berry’s effort went straight into the hands of Norwich keeper Michael McGovern.

Five minutes later George Moncur fired the Hatters ahead in front of the fans in the Oak Road end. A short free-kick was played into Moncur down the left, who cut inside on his right and curled a wonderful effort into the far corner, with the familiar roar of the Hatters faithful resonating around Kenilworth Road.

Immediately after, the Canaries drew level through Emiliano Buendia from the penalty spot. A slip from Tom Lockyer allowed Placheta to run through on goal, with ‘keeper Shea bringing the Norwich man down, much to the disappointment of manager Nathan Jones.

In a game rapidly proving a treat for the 1,000 Hatters fans in attendance, Pearson put the Hatters back in front with a trademark header. On-loan Leicester City man Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall delivered a dangerous in-swinging free-kick from the right, with Pearson rising amongst a crowded six-yard box to head home past McGovern and restore the Hatters’ advantage.

Nathan Jones was forced into a change a minute before half-time, with James Bree replacing Martin Cranie because of an injury as the Hatters went into the interval with a 2-1 lead.

The Hatters got off a flyer in the second-half attacking the Kenilworth Road end. Substitute Bree delivered low from the right-hand side, with Norwich skipper Grant Hanley tripping and handling the ball on the deck. James Collins stepped up and fired into the roof of the net, giving the Hatters a deserved two-goal cushion against the league leaders.

Luton almost extended their advantage ten minutes later. Luke Berry delivered from the right with Collins’ flick-on finding Moncur, his half-volley flashed past the post after what appeared to be another handball from Hanley, but referee Darren England waved away Luton’s protests.

Spurred on by a noisy home crowd, the Hatters continued to press and unsettle their opponents high up the pitch, who were on a ten-match unbeaten run leading up to the game.

Nathan Jones introduced Joe Morrell in the place of George Moncur with twenty minutes remaining, dropping Glen Rea to centre-back and switching to a back five as the Hatters battled to see out the win.

With seven minutes remaining a deflected shot from Norwich substitute Christoph Zimmermann wrong-footed Shea and floated into the net, however it was ruled out for offside much to the relief of the home crowd.

Dan Potts came on for his first appearance of the season late on as the Hatters saw out the closing minutes and bounced back from Saturday’s defeat with a memorable win, most importantly being able to celebrate with their fans for the first time since February at Kenilworth Road.

Town: Shea, Cranie (Bree 45), Pearson, Berry, Moncur (Morrell 70), Lockyer, Rea, Clark, Collins, Dewsbury-Hall (Potts 90), Norrington-Davies

Subs not used: Tunnicliffe, Cornick, Isted, Galloway, LuaLua, Nombe

Goals: Moncur (15), Pearson (22), Collins (47)

Yellows: Shea

Norwich City: McGovern, Sorenson, Gibson, Hanley, Aarons, Tettey (Vrancic 72), Skipp, Buendia (Zimmermann 81), Martin (Omotoye 85), Placheta, Stiepermann

Subs not used: McAlear, Omobamidele, Barden, Dickson-Peters

Goals: Buendia (19)

Yellows: Placheta, Zimmermann

Nathan Jones' reaction to Norwich victory!

The gaffer was in good spirits following fans' return and three points at Kenilworth Road!

Manager Nathan Jones described his side's win as the ‘best performance’ he has had as Luton manager after beating Norwich City 3-1 at Kenilworth Road this evening.

George Moncur opened the scoring with a fantastic strike, before Norwich hit back almost immediately from the penalty spot. Matty Pearson put the Hatters ahead once more and James Collins added a third from 12-yards in the second period.

Reflecting pitch side after the game, Nathan started by saying: “Delighted! It was brilliant to see fans here tonight and they did help. There were times when they had a little bit of possession, they got behind the team and it did prove a massive help but I thought we were excellent from start to finish, I really did.

“I felt we thoroughly deserved it. They had a lot of possession. We knew that because they are the best side in the league, they are top of the league, but we knew we had to be disciplined, press at the right time and I thought we did all of those. We were aggressive, I thought we were a threat as well and we might have got a few more as well.

“They are a massive help but they were hurt by the weekend. We were miles off anywhere where we needed to be on Saturday but what a great way to come back. Yes, they might have subconsciously gone out there and thought ‘there is fans here tonight, we will have to lift it’ but from start to finish, they were excellent.

“That is the group I know, it was one of those things. Circumstance, Cardiff needed the win, they were aggressive, they came out and it was a third game of the week. All those things added up but tonight was more us and I thought we were excellent. The fans were brilliant. They gave us a good little ovation at the end but I think they were delighted for us.

“I was proud of that because a lot of stuff can be said, and so on. Bridges have been built and this is how we move forward. We need everyone to move forward and the fans play a huge part. Imagine if there was 10,000 in here!"

He added: “That is as good a performance as I’ve had as a Luton manager. Probably the worst one on Saturday and this is probably the best one, because we’ve scored eights and sevens here, but this was against a Premier League team because they will probably go up.”

https://issuu.com/lutontownfc/docs/norwich_bcd_e_programme_final - programme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljxEbUg-5tk – Nathan Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8CCaWEu2Xs – match highlights

Luton shock leaders Norwich on a brilliant night for the Hatters as fans return Kenilworth Road once more

Championship: Luton Town 3 Norwich City 1

Luton Town gave their 1,000 fans a night to remember after producing a magnificent display to defeat Championship leaders Norwich City at Kenilworth Road this evening.

With the match played in front of a crowd for the first time since February 29 due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was a tangible buzz of excitement in the air long before the game kicked off, the lucky supporters lapping up every second of a long overdue return to live football.

The warm-ups were applauded with gusto, assistant boss Mick Harford received a marvellous ovation ahead of kick-off, as did boss Nathan Jones when he was reunited with the home fans for the first time since returning as manager in the summer.

The Town chief had made wholesale changes to his side following the 4-0 defeat at Cardiff City on Saturday, five in fact, James Shea replacing the injured Simon Sluga in goal, Tom Lockyer, Jordan Clark, Martin Cranie and George Moncur also included too.

They were in for Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, captain Sonny Bradley and Elliot Lee, who missed out completely, with Ryan Tunnicliffe dropping to the bench, joined for the first time this season by Dan Potts and Brendan Galloway, the latter's first inclusion since his horror injury against Brentford in November 2019.

The visitors almost spoiled the party early on, Przemyslaw Placheta out-pacing Lockyer on the left flank and his low shot was tipped away by the diving Shea.

Moncur turned down an early opportunity to shoot as the visitors, plying their trade in the Premier League last term, showed their intent to dominate the ball, enjoying large swathes of possession.

Town did break away with 10 minutes on the clock, Clark cleverly wriggling away from his man and sending in a low cross that Luke Berry fired goalwards, Michael McGovern making a routine stop.

A blitz of goals then followed when Collins cleverly won a free kick on 15 minutes from a hopeful punt forward by Matty Pearson which was quickly taken to Moncur.

He set off into the area and this time didn't reject the opening to shoot, bending a gorgeous effort beyond McGovern and into the net via the post as Town's home supporters had their first goal to cheer since Collins' penalty against Stoke over nine months ago.

Disappointingly, the advantage lasted all of thrree minutes, Placheta beating the home offside trap and was sent sprawling byShea for a penalty that Emi Buendia easily converted.

Town weren't pegged back for long though, as another set-piece, won by the impressive Clark this time three minutes later, saw Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall produce a pinpoint delivery for Pearson to thump his header past McGovern, as Town notched two goals in a game for the first time in 10 games.

City then assumed their domination of the ball, but Town kept any leaks plugged, although it looked like Buendia had made it 2-2, a blockbuster from just outside the box flashing marginally wide.

Cranie had to replaced on the stroke of half time after picking up an injury when sliding in to prevent a break, James Bree on, while Dewsbury-Hall's ambitious half volley was off target, as was Moncur's free kick from range.

After the break, Town got off to the perfect start when they took advantage of some sloppy passing at the back by Norwich, Clark winning it back and finding Bree, his low cross handled by Grant Hanley under pressure from Collins, the City skipper appealing that he had been impeded.

The cries fell on deaf ears though as referee Darren England whistled for his second spot-kick of the night, Collins battering his effort into the roof of the net ending a run of four games without a goal and also scoring a first in the league at home this term.

Norwich showed they weren't out of it by any means, Buendia's shot parried by Shea from 20 yards, but Town should have added to their cushion, Dewsbury-Hall doing superbly to get round the back, his cross side-footed wastefully over Berry from eight yards.

Josh Martin, born in Luton, tried for the bottom corner, missing, while Moncur wanted another penalty when his volley deflected behind off a defender, but a corner was all Town got.

For all their possession, City struggled to create anything clear-cut in the second period, Luton defending manfully and with no little skill and determination, Marco Stiepermann directing a rare chance over the top.

A moment of madness from Shea almost opened the door for a way back in, the keeper charging fully 40 yards out of his goal and failing to win the ball, but Town were thankfully able to smuggle the danger away.

Norwich looked like they had a goal back with six minutes remaining, Christoph Zimmermann's blast from distance hitting Jacob Sorensen to leave Shea cruelly wrong-footed and drop into the net, although fortunately for the Hatters, the offside flag was raised.

Town almost put the result beyond doubt in the final minute, a wonderful crossfield pass by Bree finding Collins, who shot straight at McGovern.

However, Luton were in no mood to let the table-toppers spoil their big night as they defended as if their lives depended on it, Potts getting his first action since last term in stoppage time.

Shea confidently claimed two late crosses to ensure the points stayed in Bedfordshire, Luton picking the perfect moment to register a first home win in almost two months, and continuing a quite remarkable run of unbeaten league matches under the lights at Kenilworth Road.

Hatters: James Shea, Martin Cranie (James Bree 45), Rhys Norrington-Davies, Matty Pearson, Tom Lockyer, Glen Rea ©, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Dan Potts 90), Luke Berry, Jordan Clark, George Moncur (Joe Morrell 70), James Collins.

Subs not used: Harry Isted, Kazenga LuaLua, Brendan Galloway, Sam Nombe, Harry Cornick, Ryan Tunnicliffe.

Canaries: Michael McGovern, Max Aarons, Grant Hanley (C), Przemyslaw Placheta, Emi Buendia (Christoph Zimmermann 81), Marco Stipermann, Jacob Sorenson, Oliver Skipp, Josh Martin (Tyrese Omotoye 85), Alex Tettey (Mario Vrančić 72), Ben Gibson.

Subs not used: Reece McAlear, Andrew Omobamidele, Daniel Barden, Tom Dickson-Peters.

Booked: Shea 19, Placheta 33.

Referee: Darren England.

Emotional Jones left 'humbled' by reception from Luton's fans before and after Canaries triumph

Hatters manager thrilled to welcome 1,000 supporters back to Kenilworth Road

An emotional Luton boss Nathan Jones thanked the club's fans for their ovation both before and after this evening's superb 3-1 win over Championship table-toppers Norwich City at Kenilworth Road, admitting it had left him feeling ‘humbled.’

With 1,000 supporters allowed back into the ground for the first time since late February, the fixture represented the first chance for Jones to be reunited with the Hatters faithful in person since he returned as manager in May, games being played in front of empty stadiums due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He was warmly applauded on to the field ahead of kick-off and then cheered off afterwards, when goals from George Moncur, Matty Pearson and James Collins' penalty had sealed the victory, some strains of ‘Nathan Jones’ barmy army’ even heard, which had been a regular occurrence during his first spell in charge.

Speaking about his reception, Jones said: “I was very emotional before kick-off, in terms of the ovation I got, I was very humbled with that and I thank the fans for that.

“It (having his name chanted) has been a while, it really has been a while and I miss that, that interaction with the fans as it’s what drives me.

“I dedicate my entire life to this club and sometimes it’s for those moments.

"Those moments make everything worthwhile, the sacrifices, the long hours, the sleepless nights.

“I haven't slept too much since the weekend, I was very disappointed on the weekend (4-0 defeat to Cardiff) but we bounced back wonderfully and I'm really proud of our club tonight, in everything as I think we've handled it very well tonight, I really do.”

Jones conceded he hadn’t known quite what to expected from the supporters who were lucky enough to be selected to attend the game, due to the controversial manner in which he left back in January 2019, quitting during the club's League One promotion push and heading to Stoke City.

The boss hopes that any animosity felt at the time by fans can now be put behind them once and for all, as he continued: “There was an air of not knowing exactly what you’re going to get, but the fans showed that they’re class, they’re pure class.

"Hopefully bridges have been built, I would like to move on, I would like to move the club forward and I hold my hands up to certain things.

"I was excited if I’m honest, and I know the rapport I’ve got with the fans.

"I let them down, I broke that bond, but that walk down that tunnel before I left used to be a great walk, as when you came out, the place used to erupt.

"We realised where we were going and the fans got behind us, and I had a bond with them.

"I broke that bond, now I want to build that bond again and I want to build it stronger than ever.

"Because people make decisions that not everyone likes and sometimes they’re not the right ones, but I want to move forward because I’m proud of our club, I love our club and I want to make sure that we keep moving forward."

Having managed 26 games both home and away since he returned as manager, Jones was quick to praise all in attendance and those who worked so hard to prepare the ground, for making it such an occasion to remember.

He added: "I’m really proud of the team, really proud of the fans, really proud of the club tonight as I thought it was a real good night for us.

“It was massive, there were spells in the first half, even when we were leading, they had a bit of possession and the fans got up, they recognised that the players maybe needed a bit of adrenaline and they gave it to them.

“The players responded, so I think it was a real joint effort and it definitely made a difference with having fans back.

“Football without fans is not quite the same, with fans it's the best game in the world.

“Wait until there’s 10,000 in here, if there was 10,000 in here, I’m not sure the structure could have contained it, but that’s as good as performance as a team has put in and the fans definitely helped.

"Nights like this at the Kenny are wonderful. If you’ve been here with a full house, and I’m very grateful that a thousand are in, but nights like that, with the performance levels, 10,000 would have been absolutely wonderful.

"I’m really looking forward to getting more in here, because the more we have in here, the better the atmosphere, coupled with some wonderful performances we've put in in front of our fans here.”