Luton Town FC vs Stoke City (17th Oct 2020)

Match Report | Luton Town 0-2 Stoke City

Chances aplenty but the Hatters are defeated by Stoke City...

The Hatters suffered their first home league defeat of the season after losing 2-0 to Stoke City at Kenilworth Road.

Two goals during the opening stages of the second half from Steven Fletcher and Nick Powell were enough to give the visitors all three points, despite Town having the lion’s share of possession and chances throughout the 90 minutes.

Manager Nathan Jones made two changes for the game against his former side with Danny Hylton replacing the injured James Collins and Elliot Lee back into the starting line-up ahead of Jordan Clark.

Town started on the front foot as Glen Rea fired over the bar from the edge of the box during the opening seconds.

Lee then went closer after Luke Berry found him with a well-timed ball through the Stoke defence, but his shot was the wrong side of the post and rippled off the side netting.

Hylton was on the hunt for a first competitive goal since March 2019 and came close with two efforts in quick succession.

First Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu picked him out in the box, he cut inside but saw his shot blocked behind. From the resulting deep corner delivered by Berry, Sonny Bradley headed the ball back across into the path of Hylton, but Adam Davies was equal to it.

After earning his first Wales cap on Wednesday night against Bulgaria, Rhys Norrington-Davies came close to a first Hatters goal, though his effort was deflected just over the bar.

Momentum shifted in the second half though as Stoke took the lead in the 47th minute through Fletcher. Campbell found the striker with a good cross and the Scotsman headed powerfully past Simon Sluga.

The visitors doubled their advantage in the 55th minute as Powell struck from 12 yards after Town failed to clear a corner.

Joe Morrell was introduced for his debut in the 67th minute and almost had an immediate impact. The Welsh international picked out Cornick with a fantastic ball forward, he cut inside and fired low, but Davies saved well once more to deny him.

Town were pushing to find a route back into the game and Glen Rea saw his header saved, before Sluga did well to keep the deficit at two goals, as he denied Sam Clucas from close range.

Mpanzu couldn’t quite believe his luck after seeing his low shot tipped around the post in the dying embers, before Sluga headed goalwards himself in a drastic attempt to drag the Hatters back into the game in added time at the end.

Attention quickly switches to Millwall away on Tuesday night as the Hatters look to put matters right and get back to winning ways.

Town: Sluga, Cranie (Clark 67), Pearson, Bradley (C), Norrington-Davis; Rea, Berry (Moncur 75), Mpanzu; Cornick, Lee (Morrell 67), Hylton.

Subs not used: Shea, Tunnicliffe, Lockyer, LuaLua.

Yellows: Hylton, Mpanzu

Stoke: Davies, Batth, Souttar, Collins; Smith, Obi Mikel, Clucas (C), Powell (Thompson 74), Tymon; Campbell (Brown 61), Fletcher (Gregory 86).

Subs not used: Noukey, Ince, Vokes, Oakley-Boothe.

Goals: Fletcher (47), Powell (55)

Yellows: Davies

Referee: Jeremy Simpson

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QN-S_d7HFs – Nathan Jones post match interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j-BpB7Q3Eo – match highlights

Manager Nathan Jones' reaction to the Stoke defeat

Manager Nathan Jones admitted there were plenty of positives to take from the game despite losing 2-0 against Stoke City at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

The Potters scored twice early in the second half and forced Town into a first home league defeat of the season even though they had the lion’s share of possession and chances throughout the match.

Reflecting on proceedings after the game, Nathan said: “I think probably the first two minutes of the half decided it really because I thought we were excellent first half.

“Structurally we were very, very good. We got into real good areas without scoring, which is the main thing. But I think it rocked us, never mind the second goal. The first goal really rocked us because we wanted to come out, wanted to be on the front foot.

“To concede in the manner that we did was really disappointing. In terms of overall, it’s not a bad performance, but we can’t concede goals. It is what happened last year, and we had to chase games and score three to get a win, that’s not what we have been about.

“Stoke have real quality in their side, you look at the front three – Powell, Fletcher and Campbell – real, real quality.

“I know that because two of them I had and we gave them time and space and they punished us.

“We ironically had more possession, more time in the final third, more shots, more crosses, more corners, more everything than they did but we just couldn’t find a way through. There are a lot of positives to be taken, but we have to be better in both boxes.”

Hatters boss tastes defeat against former side Stoke

Championship: Luton Town 0 Stoke City 2

Luton boss Nathan Jones suffered defeat in his first meeting with former side Stoke City since leaving the Potters last season as two quickfire second half goals condemned the Hatters to their first home defeat of the season this afternoon.

Going into the break, Luton would have been more than happy with their opening 45 minutes, as they played some excellent football at times to break the visitors' press, going close through Elliot Lee and Rhys Norrington-Davies.

But a 10-minute spell immediately after the interval changed the whole complexion, as Steven Fletcher nodded home just moments in, while Nick Powell's second 10 minutes later gave Town a mountain that they just couldn't climb.

They certainly tried though, Harry Cornick and Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu denied by fine saves by Potters keeper Adam Davies, leaving Jones to rue the decision he made to bring the Barnsley stopper into the club when had been in charge at the Bet 365 Stadium.

Town made two changes to the side who had beaten Wycombe Wanderers before the international break, as top scorer James Collins missed out through illness, Danny Hylton starting, Elliot Lee also replacing Jordan Clark.

New signing Joe Morrell was on the bench alongside Tom Lockyer, with deadline day additions Sam Nombe and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall signed too late to feature.

Hatters made a fluent start to proceedings, Glen Rea sending an effort over the top from 22 yards after being teed up by Cornick.

Tyrese Campbell served notice of his threat, beating Town's defence and nutmegging Sonny Bradley, only to see his attempt deflect narrowly wide.

Town had a marvellous chance on 15 minutes though when Luke Berry did superbly to spring the offside trap and play in Lee on the left.

His touch wasn't the greatest though, as he forced himself wider than he would have wanted, drilling into the side-netting.

Hylton had a sniff on 20 minutes, unfurling his trademark nutmeg inside the area, seeing a shot charged down for a corner, with Fletcher then sliding Berry's low free kick only just beyond his own goal.

Mpanzu, popping up in a number of advanced areas, found some space on the right, as his cross-shot flashed narrowly off target, while Norrington-Davies almost capped a superb week personally with the opener, his right-footer tacking a nick on its way over.

Town's impressive first half work went up in smoke just 60 seconds into the second period as an attack on Stoke's right saw Campbell produce a wonderful cross for Fletcher to plant a downward header beyond the previously underworked Simon Sluga.

Luton looked for an instant leveller, Lee navigating his way across the box to find Rea who sliced behind and then Sonny Bradley's downward header grabbed by Davies.

However, Stoke took what looked like an unassailable lead in the 55th minutes, Town not covering themselves in glory defensively, failing to clear from a corner, and Nick Powell was able to slam home.

Matty Pearson swivelled and fired over the bar as Town looked to halve the deficit, before Jones made a double change in a bid to find a way back in to proceedings, Morrell making his debut and Clark on too, Lee and Cranie departing.

The former Bristol City midfielder almost had an immediate impact, picking up play deep and then switching a wonderful crossfield pass that found Cornick.

The attacker did well to manouevre some space inside the area, unleashing a low drive destined for the net until Davies stuck out a glove to tip it behind.

Town forced a flurry of corners, the best seeing Rea connect well, nodding straight at Davies, as Fletcher sent a wild hack wide at the other end.

Morrell tried his luck from outside the box, unable to beat Davies, while City almost had an unfair third, Sam Clucas racing through from half way, unable to beat Sluga and Tommy Smith hammering the rebound over.

In the closing stages, Davies once again showed just why Jones snapped him up during his Stoke reign, spreading himself well to palm Mpanzu's daisycutter away.

Sluga then went up for a corner at the death, meeting the delivery well, but putting his downward header straight at Davies, as Luton couldn't muster a grandstand finale.

Hatters: Simon Sluga, Martin Cranie (Joe Morrell 66), Rhys Norrington-Davies, Matty Pearson, Sonny Bradley ©, Glen Rea, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Luke Berry (George Moncur 75), Elliot Lee (Jordan Clark 66), Danny Hylton, Harry Cornick.

Subs not used: James Shea, Tom Lockyer, Kazenga LuaLua, Ryan Tunnicliffe.

Potters: Adam Davies, Danny Batth, John Obi MIkel, Tommy Smoth, Steven Fletcher (Lee Gregory 85), Sam Clucas (C), Nick Powell (Jordan Thompson 74), Tyrese Campbell (Jacob Brown 60), Josh Tymon, Harry Souttar, Nathan Collins.

Subs not used: Tom Ince, Sam Vokes, Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Blondy Nna Noukeu.

Booked: Hylton 20, Davies 20, Mpanzu 24, Batth 32.

Referee: Jeremy Simpson.

Hatters boss frustrated as defensive lapses cost Town dearly during Potters defeat

Luton manager disappointed by his side's poor start to the second half

Luton boss Nathan Jones was annoyed by his side’s defensive lapses as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Stoke City at Kenilworth Road yesterday.

After an excellent first half in which Town dominated, going close through Elliot Lee and Rhys Norrington-Davies, they then found themselves 1-0 just 60 seconds after the break, Steven Fletcher escaping Matty Pearson’s attentions to head home Tyrese Campbell’s cross.

Within 10 minutes the Potters had taken what proved to be an unassailable 2-0 lead, Hatters unable to clear their lines from a corner and Nick Powell slamming past Simon Sluga.

Jones said: “That’s Championship football. The frustrating thing for me is, it’s not like we don’t know what their threats are.

“For the majority of the game, I thought we were excellent.

“In the first half, I thought we controlled the game superbly well and we looked a proper side.

“We lacked a little bit of cutting edge right in the final third, but apart from that I thought we dominated the game.

“We came out straight after half time and wanted to start well.

"We said about it and then, to concede within a minute and a half, kills you.

“It’s not like it’s come from an unbelievable source, Steven Fletcher’s been doing that for 80 years, near enough, so, that’s the real frustrating thing for us.

“Then we don’t compose ourselves, we lose headers and, to be fair they’re a big side, so we knew we were going to be stretched defensively.

“But we didn’t have any aggression, we didn’t react well enough and, from a real positive performance - we controlled possession, shots, shots on target, everything - we should’ve got more out of the game but we didn’t because lapses have cost us.”

Town had by the better of proceedings throughout the 90 minutes, with 18 shots, seven on target, compared to eight from the visitors, three on target, scoring with two of them.

However, they couldn't score with any of them, Davies saving well from Harry Cornick and Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu as Luton lost for the first time at home in the league this season.

Jones added: "It’s just that little bit of quality at times, some teams have got top end quality and can hurt you.

"We know that we’re structurally good and we need to be like that, but we got in great areas, some great play, caused them problems and the goal changed the game.

"They were able to relax a little bit more and then not that they played any better, but we had had to change a few things and once you’re chasing the game, we changed the game to stuff we don’t work on as it’s the right thing to do to get a bit of penetration, whereas as it was, we were in control of the game, we really were.

“It’s very hard in the Championship to come back and this is what we haven’t been doing, but in all honesty, we've not conceded many chances, only late on when we’re chasing the game a little bit.

“It’s just disappointing from how good we were first half and in control of the game, to lose it 2-0, you're thinking ‘how has that happened?’

“Especially when statistically we've had a fantastic game, but we haven't scored, they have and that's cost us the game.”