Luton Town FC vs Reading (4th Jul 2020)

MATCH REPORT | LUTON TOWN 0-5 READING

Afternoon to forget for Town as they suffer first loss in seven

The Hatters suffered a first loss in seven matches after they were defeated 5-0 by Reading at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

Yakou Meite scored a first-half hat-trick before George Puscas added another after half-time. Meite stroked home his fourth goal of the game rounding off a day to forget for the Town players.

Nathan Jones made four changes to the starting line-up from Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against Leeds United, with Izzy Brown, Elliot Lee, Harry Cornick and James Collins all involved from the off.

The opening exchanges were lively and both sides could have taken the lead. In the 10th minute, Tyler Blackett’s cross was pushed away by Simon Sluga into the path of Meite, but Dan Potts was in the right place at the right time to make a vital block on the line.

At the other end, Cornick found space on the right for a cross and picked out Collins, but his header cannoned off the bar and out.

Matty Pearson was furious his penalty shout came to nothing after he appeared to have been held back in the box and Reading took advantage when they progressed down field and took the lead.

Puscas played a neat ball through to Meite and the Ivorian forward prodded beyond Sluga, before netting again 60 seconds later.

Town failed to clear the ball and it landed at the feet of the 24-year-old, who smashed home to double the Royals’ lead.

Meite completed his hat-trick in the 35th minute after Ovie Ejaria played an inch-perfect ball through to him, which he dispatched into the far corner.

Reading scored a fourth goal in the 57th minute as Puscas got on the scoresheet. Michael Morrison headed the ball across the box and on the stretch, the Romanian international managed to get his head to it and find the bottom corner.

Not before long, the away side had a fifth and it was Meite once more. He beat Sonny Bradley to the ball and calmly found the bottom corner.

The Hatters pushed for a consolation but after Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu got to the by-line and crossed for Collins, the striker’s touch was too strong, and the ball rolled through to Rafael.

Potts saw a late shot saved by the legs of the Brazilian goalkeeper as the disappointing result leaves the Hatters five points adrift of safety with a fixture against Barnsley next up on Tuesday night.

TOWN: Sluga, Pearson, Carter-Vickers, Bradley (C), Potts; Mpanzu (Shinnie 82), Brown (Bree 45), Tunnicliffe (Bree 45); Cornick (Cranie 70), Lee (Hylton 70); Collins.

Subs not used: Shea, McManaman, Moncur, Butterfield.

READING: Rafael; Osho, Morrison, McIntyre, Blackett; Rinomhota, Swift (C) (Richards 78), Ejaria (Olise 70), Pele (Masika 61); Meite (McCleary 70), Puscas (Baldock 78).

Subs not used: Walker, Gunter, Moore, Boye.

Yellows: Pele

Goals: Meite (17,18, 35, 62), Puscas (57)

Referee: James Linington

NATHAN JONES ON THE HOME DEFEAT TO READING

Hatters boss reflects on a disappointing afternoon at the Kenny

Hatter boss Nathan Jones was ‘bitterly disappointed’ with his side's 5-0 defeat to Reading this afternoon but was keen to explain how hard the players have been working since his return.

After picking up five points from the first three matches, a first defeat in seven league games leaves the Town five points adrift of safety in the Sky Bet Championship, but Jones is still fully behind his players.

Asked whether he saw the result coming, he said: “No, but it's understandable and I'm not trying to make excuses for them in any way, shape or form.

"I’m bitterly disappointed, because I didn’t see that coming. But that was out of character because how we’ve been in the last three games, we have been excellent.

"Today just seemed a game too far. The energy levels, decision making - they looked tired. Some of the goals conceded were just fatigue, [lack of] sharpness, losing our individual battles.

"It’s a good group that works hard, so what we have to do now is make sure we put this game behind us because Tuesday is another day. We can’t dwell on it, they will learn from it and react.

“They have all rotated. Harry put in a big shift second half (Tuesday) and he had to do that again today. Sonny hasn’t trained, but had a late fitness test.

"All these things add up, it’s unprecedented. When you go to Swansea away who are a very good side, then you have to go to Leeds away three days later and then go again, it doesn’t half take it out of you. What we’ve got to make sure now is we recover well, because Tuesday is a massive game.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7km3qmnNpZc – Nathan Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpcLSMmykm0 – match highlights

Hatters given a right Royal pasting as Meite hammers four in Reading debacle

Championship: Luton Town 0 Reading 5

Luton’s hopes of staying in the Championship were left in tatters after a dreadful hammering at the hands of Reading at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

The hosts had gone into the game confident of cutting the gap to to safety and hauling in a number of sides, like the visiting Royals, after making an excellent start to life after lockdown, going three games unbeaten.

However those hopes were completely and utterly obliterated after a first half which saw visiting striker Yakou Meite notch a 17-minute hat-trick, as Town’s defence simply parted time and time again for the Ivory Coast international to take full and clinical advantage.

It didn’t get any better after the break either as George Kovacs and then Meite again were on target to pile on the misery as Town lost for the first time since Nathan Jones returned as manager.

In the end, there was not even any point looking at results elsewhere, as they mattered little on an afternoon where the Hatters looked odds-on to be playing League One football again next term, unless they can muster a miraculous recovery from this humiliating reverse.

Despite going into the game on the back of a tremendous 1-1 draw at Championship leaders Leeds United, Luton boss Nathan Jones made four changes, selecting a side that appeared, on paper at least, brimming with attacking intent.

In came top goalscorer James Collins, plus Harry Cornick, Izzy Brown and Elliot Lee, with Danny Hylton, Callum McManaman, Martin Cranie and James Bree dropping to the bench.

But despite dominating possession, they could only manage one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, opposed to the Royals’ 10, with half of them flying beyond Simon Sluga and into the net.

The visitors started better and really should have been in front on 11 minutes when Tyler Blackett’s low cross shot was palmed out by Sluga, Meite looking for all the world to net the rebound, only to see Dan Potts covering round to make a vital block on the line.

Luton were inches away from taking the lead themselves as Cornick did superbly to dink over a ball from the right and Collins just couldn’t keep his header down as it clipped the bar and bounced clear.

The hosts had appeals for a penalty as Matty Pearson thought he was tugged back in the area trying to reach Sonny Bradley’s flick, but nothing was given.

Town then fell behind in disappointing fashion on 17 minutes, when a long ball forward was picked up by the visitors, Meite being played through the by George Puscas, easily slipping the ball underneath Sluga.

It got worse just moments later, with a calamitous goal to concede, as a Luton defence, which had looked so solid at Elland Road on Tuesday, was anything but on this occasion.

Gabriel Osho’s tame cross wasn’t dealt with by Sluga, the ball slipping out of his grasp, while Pearson cleared Puscas’s follow up straight to Meite, who made no mistake in finding the bottom corner.

A shell-shocked Luton took a while to drag themselves off the canvas, Tom McIntyre almost adding a third, his effort deflecting into Sluga’s gloves.

Meite then did complete his hat-trick on 36 minutes though when sprung through by Ovie Ejaria, he easily beat Sluga, leaving the hosts staring down the barrel of a horrible defeat.

Boss Jones reacted by making two half time substitutes, James Bree and Luke Berry on for Brown and Ryan Tunnicliffe, as Luton tried to least gain some respectability to proceedings.

However, it was still Reading who looked the more likely, Sluga parrying John Swift’s shot behind, while those hopes were then wrecked on 57 minutes, Michael Morrison’s towering back post headed nodded in by Puscas.

Meite then had his fourth of the afternoon on 62 minutes, easily getting the better of Luton’s flimsy back-line to bear down on goal and find the net once more.

Luton had a sniff on 65 minutes, Collins unable to convert Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu’s cross from close range, and they should have scored late on, a good move leaving Potts in the clear, only to be denied by Rafael as Town’s six game unbeaten run, and realistic chances of staying up this term, went up in smoke.

Hatters: Simon Sluga, Matty Pearson, Dan Potts, Sonny Bradley (C), Cameron Carter-Vickers, Ryan Tunnicliffe (James Bree 46), Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu (Andrew Shinnie 82), Izzy Brown (Luke Berry 46), Elliot Lee (Danny Hylton 70), Harry Cornick (Martin Cranie 70), James Collins.

Subs not used: James Shea, Callum McManaman, George Moncur, Jacob Butterfield.

Royals: Rafael, Michael Morrison, Andy Rinomhota, John Swift (C Omar Richards 78), Ovie Ejaria (Michael Olise 70), Tom McIntyre, Yakou Meite (Garath McCleary 70), Tyler Blackett, Pele (Ayub Masika 61), Gabriel Osho, George Puscas (Sam Baldock 78).

Subs not used: Sam Walker, Chris Gunter, Liam Moore, Lucas Boye.

Booked: Pele 15.

Referee: James Linington.

Jones labels Luton’s defending as ‘catastrophic’ as Town are crushed by Reading

Hatters chief felt congested schedule took its toll on his players

Luton boss Nathan Jones labelled his side’s defending as ‘catastrophic’ as the Hatters were battered 5-0 by Reading at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

After an excellent return of five points from their opening three games since the Championship resumed, hopes were high that Town could take advantage of the fixture list, giving them four out of the final six games at Kenilworth Road, starting with the out of form Royals.

Hopes were even higher considering the miserly manner in which Town kept a clean sheet at Swansea last weekend, and then held league leaders Leeds United to a 1-1 draw in midweek.

However, that was to prove a false dawn, as the alarm bells were ringing early on, when full back Dan Potts had to clear off his line from attacker Yakou Meite.

The Ivory Coast international wasn’t to be denied again though, scoring four times as an abject Luton were simply ripped apart, a shadow of the side who had done so well in Wales and at Elland Road.

Jones said afterwards: “Today wasn’t good enough in any way.

“Our defending was catastrophic at times, we got carved open far too easily and that was against the grain.

“Some of the defending was something I haven’t seen from those players, since I was here in my first spell, as I haven’t conceded five as a Luton manager, ever.

“A lot of them came out of nothing.

“It wasn’t like we were penned in and if we’d conceded five on Tuesday (against Leeds), you’d have had a bit more understanding, but today was totally out of character and that surprises me.”

Town were in the game for the first 15 minutes, as James COllins hit the bar with a header, while Matty Person had penalty claims turned down after looking like he was tugged back in the box.

But Reading, and Meite in particular, then simply ran riot, condemning the hosts to an unwanted record, as they equalled the margin of defeat suffered on home soil in the Football League.

Jones admitted he couldn’t be too harsh on his players after their third game in the space of seven days though, adding: “I can moan about Collo not putting that in, moan about the penalty decision, but defensively we weren’t sharp today.

“It was ironic as Leeds had far more of the game and we defend superbly well, we limit a Leeds side half the chances that these had today, but the intensity in our press and intensity in our defending in and around the box was nowhere near.

“The errors for the goal, we’re losing headers, which we haven’t done, it was one of those days.

“There was so much wrong today, that it was just one of those games too far.

“We did say the games came thick and fast, all you’re doing is maintaining, recovering and then just trying to play, and it’s disappointing.

“But I can’t be too critical of them as they’ve given me everything in the last three games, it’s just today they looked like a team that really lacked that sharpness and energy.”