Luton Town FC vs Sheffield United (15th Feb 2025)

15/02/2025 LUTON TOWN 0-1 SHEFFIELD UNITED

Hatters slip to late defeat

Encouragement in defeat as the Town fall to late Blades winner

The Town’s wait for a first win under Matt Bloomfield continues but the Hatters can be encouraged by their performance despite a narrow defeat to promotion-chasing Sheffield United.

The result means the Hatters stay bottom of the table following Anel Ahmedhodzic’s goal 11 minutes from time – a goal that sent the Blades top of the Championship.

It was hard on the Town who looked anything but a side sitting in the relegation places after creating a number of chances – especially in a first half in which they dominated.

Showing seven changes to the side that lost at Sunderland in midweek the Hatters started well and on eight minutes Elijah Adebayo planted a header wide from close range after being found by Thelo Aasgaard’s cross.

The Town, roared on by the Kenilworth Road faithful, were playing some eye-catching football and on 15 minutes they went close again when the lively Aasgaard turned on the edge of the box and curled a shot onto the Blades’ crossbar with superb effort.

It was all the Hatters, playing with confidence and energy, and as they continued to press the Town should have led on 36 minutes when Aasgaard’s teasing cross from the left was volleyed over at the back-post by Adebayo.

Aasgaard, everywhere, shot low into Michael Cooper’s gloves moments later before Liam Walsh shot wide as half-time approached.

Thomas Kaminski had been a virtual spectator in the first half but the Town number one was called into the action just before the break when turning away Tyrese Campbell’s shot.

You always felt the Hatters needed to take advantage of their superiority in the first half and at half-time visiting boss Chris Wilder made two changes in a bid to quell the Town’s play.

And it had the desired effect as the visitors offered more of a threat going forward.

Four minutes after the restart – just after Carlton Morris’ header was stopped by Cooper – the Blades came mighty close to taking the lead when Ben Brereton-Diaz slid home at the back-post but his shot rebounded off the post.

It was a warning for the Hatters as the visitors upped the ante and on 69 minutes Brereton-Diaz swept a shot just over the bar from close range. Back came the Town and Morris’ back-post header from Alfie Doughty’s free-kick was kept out by Cooper with 13 minutes as the Hatters looked to break the deadlock.

However, moments later the visitors struck. Kaminski kept out a bullet header from Vini Souza and the Town couldn’t clear their lines. Callum O’Hare helped the ball into the box to Ahmedhodzic’s path and the defender made no mistake from close range.

Behind, the Hatters rallied but the visitors showed the kind of nous in the closing stages that often is the sign of teams gunning for promotion. Five added minutes came and went as the Blades held on to condemn the Town to a 10th league game in the Championship without victory.

It was hard to take for the Town but encouragement was there. Next up is a big one against Plymouth here on Wednesday night.

We’ll see you then.

Town: Kaminski, Bell, Jones, Naismith (sub Alli 90), McGuinness, Doughty, Nakamba (sub Baptiste 76), Walsh (sub Bowler 90), Aasgaard, Adebayo (sub Brown 69), Morris.

Subs not used: Krul, Walters, Andersen, Brown, Alli, Baptiste, Johnson, Nordås, Bowler.

Attendance: 11,461, including 1,324 from Sheffield United.

Luton finally show some fight in their battle to stay up despite late Blades defeat

Championship: Luton Town 0 Sheffield United 1

Despite the outcome, Luton produced a performance that showed they are still up for the fight of salvaging their Championship status when going down to a 1-0 defeat against new leaders Sheffield United this afternoon.

After a meek 2-0 reverse at Sunderland on Wednesday night, and previous home games that have barely raised the home crowd's noise levels above a murmur, the much-changed hosts looked far more like their old selves in a dominant opening 45 minutes, Elijah Adebayo putting their two best chances off target.

As the game more wore, the eventual outcome always unfortunately looked more and more likely though, as so often in a case of top versus bottom, as the side in the upper echelons always creates and scores one chance, which is what the Blades did, Anel Ahmedhodzic netting with 11 minutes to go. The defeat was tough on a Luton side who deserved at the very least a point, boss Matt Bloomfield, whose search for a first victory goes on, making a hefty seven changes to his side, as he went with an XI that was laced with experience.

The fit-again Amari'i Bell returned, alongside recent signing Kal Naismith, while Alfie Doughty and Izzy Jones began as well, Town's midfield seeing major surgery, Marvelous Nakamba in, with Liam Walsh starting for the first time under the recently appointed manager. Elijah Adebayo partnered Carlton Morris upfront, as Town lined up with a 3-1-4-2 formation, looking to take the attack to their high-flying opponents, almost ahead inside two minutes, Thelo Aasgaard, one of the four who kept his place from midweek, seeing his snapshot saved by Michael Cooper.

The Hatters continued to have the better of things, with a display that oozed positivity and intent, something that has been in short supply of late, forcing two corners, the second of which went short to Walsh whose cross was nodded wide by Adebayo when the forward really ought to have been putting it into the bottom corner.

Town continued to serve up a performance that was worlds apart from the kind they had been dishing out, a wonderful attacking move including a stunning pass to the flank by Walsh, led to Aasgaard's trickery and curling attempt hitting the underside of the bar on 15 minutes, Jones' follow up blocked by the legs of Cooper.

Although they hadn't scored, Luton 's fans were finally in the game this time, witnessing something they could be enthused by, and responding well to their team doing all the basics that they demand, quick to get stuck in, pressing well, and letting fly when they could. It led to Aasgaard putting his free kick into the wall on the half hour, then sending a more ambitious attempt wide after some ball juggling.

United had their third player booked on 32 minutes, Harry Clarke seeing yellow for blocking off Doughty, as Luton were forcing an opposition into some desperate measures, something that had not been seen in a while. They should have had the goal their efforts deserved on 35 minutes, when another good move on the left saw Aasgaard curl in a beautiful cross that an unmarked Adebayo volleyed wastefully over from six yards out.

Town kept pressing, Walsh bringing it forward and playing in Aasgaard via an Adebayo dummy, his attempt straight at Cooper, Walsh then having a crack himself, unable to get over the top of his 25-yard drive. United showed they are still a side who have their threats though, Tyrese Campbell being played through the middle, Thomas Kaminski out quickly to block with his legs.

Luton, and Aasgaard, kept on trying their luck, as he once more couldn't get his radar right, whistling another shot over. Eager to ensure his side came in the contest, visiting boss Chris Wilder made two changes at the break, as his charges made a better start, Jack Robinson's back post header easy for Kaminski. Town almost had the dream response, Doughty's deflected cross dropping invitingly for Morris whose glancing header was palmed away by Cooper.

The ball was thumped up the other end and United should have scored, Campbell twisting and turning to send in a low cross that a stretching Ben Brereton Diaz somehow diverted against the bar from a few yards out. The former Villarreal attacker had another opening on 69 minutes, United working the ball well on the left and a cross rebounding kindly into his path, sending a thumping volley into the stands.

With 15 minutes to go, Shandon Baptiste made a welcome return to first team action, but Luton's attacks were intermittent now, Doughty's free kick met by Morris under pressure, Cooper with a comfortable stop. As the game crept towards a conclusion, the moment that was becoming more and more likely happened with 11 minutes to go, Kaminski saving brilliantly from Ryan One's header, but then following a bout of pinball in the box, Ahmedhodzic was left unmarked to show all the hallmarks of a striker and send Kaminski the wrong way.

Town's players and supporters screamed blue murder for an offside flag that never came, as replays showed the United defender was unfortunately being played onside. Centre Mark McGuinness made a terrific sliding challenge to prevent Callum O'Hare from rubbing salt into the wounds, but the final whistle meant Town's run without a victory stretched to 10 league games, Plymouth Argyle the next visitors on Wednesday evening, a match that is now filed into the must-win category.

Hatters: Thomas Kaminski, Kal Naismith (Josh Bowler 90), Mark McGuinness, Amari'i Bell, Izzy Jones, Marvelous Nakamba (Shandon Baptiste 76), Liam Walsh (Millenic Alli 90), Alfie Doughty, Thelo Aasgaard, Elijah Adebayo (Jacob Brown 69), Carlton Morris ©.

Subs not used: Tim Krul, Reuell Walters, Mads Andersen, Joe Johnson, Lasse Nordas.

Blades: Michael Cooper, Sam McCallum (Harrison Burrows 66), Rhian Brewster (Rob Holding 46), Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (Sydie Peck 46), Anel Ahmedhodzic, Harry Clarke, Jack Robinson ©, Ben Brereton Diaz (Callum O'Hare 78), Vinicius Souza, Tyrese Campbell (Ryan One 66), Hamza Choudhury.

Subs not used: Luke Faxon, Tom Davies, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Andre Brooks.

Referee: Lewis Smith.

Booked: Ahmedhodzic 22, Souza 30, Clarke 32, Nakamba 62.

Attendance: 11,461 (1,324 Blades).

Bloomfield left disappointed as Luton's best performance since he took over goes unrewarded

Town fall to Blades defeat at Kenilworth Road

Luton boss Matt Bloomfield was left bitterly disappointed by his side’s 1-0 defeat against title-challengers Sheffield United at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

The Hatters dominated large parts of the contest, finally showing something like the attacking nature that the new manager has been looking to instil on his charges since joining from Wycombe Wanderers last month, with 14 shots and five on target, having 23 touches inside the opposition box as well. Unfortunately they couldn’t take any of them though, Elijah Adebayo putting the best two off target in the first half, one with his head, the second a volley from six yards that flew over.

United made them pay with 11 minutes of the contest remaining, an unmarked Anel Ahmedhodzic swivelling to find the net from close range, having been played onside by the Hatters’ defence. It was Chris Wilder’s men move to the top of the Championship table, but speaking to the press, Bloomfield said: It’s really disappointing, I’ve been told inside by some of the guys that have been here all season, that the first 45 was the best that its been all season, which is pleasing on one hand but disappointing on the other as we want to win games, we want to win football matches and we haven’t today.

"So we’re disappointed, but that’s the minimum performance that we need to provide for the rest of the season. It’s about performances, we can’t just hope for results without putting performances in. Eventually good performances pay you back, there’s no doubt about that and that’s the level that we need to attain for the rest of the season.

"There were some really good individual performances that went into the collective. I thought all over the pitch there was good energy, so there’s loads and loads of positives and we have to be very balanced in what we do, we have to be consistent. We’ve spoken about that a lot. We can’t get too carried away with the disappointing performances like Wednesday evening (2-0 loss to Sunderland), we all understood that. We analysed it and tried to do something different today and I thought the boys responded well.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EIruNnQRoU – Matt Bloomfield interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efIvKmGBMa8 – match highlights