Luton Town FC vs West Bromwich Albion (17th Aug 2019)

LUTON TOWN 1 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2

Baggies inflict first home defeat in 17 months on the Hatters

The Hatters suffered a first home league defeat in 17 months as West Bromwich Albion came from a goal down at half-time to win at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

Town were a League Two side the last time a visiting club took all three points away from Bedfordshire, when Accrington Stanley won by the same scoreline on March 10th 2018.

Harry Cornick netted his first goal of the campaign to put Graeme Jones' men ahead on 15 minutes as the Hatters turned in an excellent first-half display against the side ranked high among the favourites for promotion back to the Premier League after a two-season absence.

But Albion boss Slaven Bilic threw winger Grady Diangana into the fray at the break and within six minutes the West Ham loanee had turned the game on its head, finding the back of the net twice to help bring the Town's 28-game unbeaten home league run to a halt.

Impressed by what he'd seen in the opening two matches with Middlesbrough and Cardiff, Jones made just one change from his last team selection in the Championship, with Cornick coming into the starting line-up after impressing in his two substitute appearances and the Carabao Cup win over Ipswich in midweek.

The 24-year-old forward was selected in place of George Moncur, who dropped to the bench where he was joined by Izzy Brown and Kazenga LuaLua for the first time in the league this season.

The Town lined up with Simon Sluga in goal behind a back four of Martin Cranie, Matty Pearson, captain Sonny Bradley and Dan Potts. Jacob Butterfield anchored the midfield with Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Callum McManaman, playing against his former club, ahead of him, while Cornick was up front with James Collins.

West Brom had the better of the early exchanges, but it was the Hatters who had the clearest sight of goal - Collins heading McManaman's fifth-minute cross on target, but straight at Sam Johnstone - before the opening goal arrived.

A quarter-of-an-hour had passed when the Town made progress down the right, and Cranie swung in an inviting cross that Cornick met with a bullet header on the run that gave Johnstone no chance.

Cornick was the Town's eighth different goalscorer in the four games so far this season, but Albion attempted to respond quickly, Matt Phillips drifting in from the right but aiming his low shot well wide of Sluga's right-hand post.

Town were starting to impose themselves on the game and McManaman drilled a volleyed cross into the six-yard box that just eluded Collins, before Sluga had to be alert to tip a fierce 20-yard drive from Jake Livermore over his bar.

Albion striker Kenneth Zohore was next to have a go, meeting Nathan Ferguson's right-wing cross with a diving header, but Pearson's presence was enough to prevent him directing his attempt on target, as Sluga watched it sail into the Kenny End.

Tunnicliffe slipped Cornick into the area for the Hatters' next opportunity, four minutes before the break, but Johnstone was off his line quickly to smother, with the rebound off the Town goalscorer falling kindly for the visitors' keeper, who was awarded the goal-kick.

Cornick was soon causing problems on the right again, taking a beautiful cross-field pass from man-of-the-match Butterfield in his stride and arrowing a deep cross to McManaman, who brought the ball under control but couldn't find Collins with his dink into the six-yard box.

Albion boss Slaven Bilic made a change at half-time, taking off Kyle Edwards and bringing on Grady Diangana - and it was the substitute who drew the Baggies level within three minutes, with a shot low into the far corner from 20 yards, then put them in front by diverting Filip Krovinovic's shot past Sluga from close range in the 51st-minute.

Jones reacted by making a double sub of his own, replacing Cornick and McManaman with Izzy Brown and Kazenga LuaLua, whose first involvement was to draw a save out of Johnstone, diving low to his right, in the 58th minute.

Tunnicliffe and Cranie, in the right-back position, started the Town's next swift counter-attack, with the two substitutes carrying the ball through midfield and Brown slipping Potts in on the Hatters' left - but the full-back's low cross was just too far in front of Mpanzu, as the midfielder slid into the six-yard box.

LuaLua was asking questions, the Albion defence standing off him and giving him chance to create, and Potts almost got his head on one cross he stood up from a dangerous position on the right edge of the area.

Albion had a potent striker on the bench, however, and Charlie Austin - signed last week from Premier League outfit Southampton - sent a shot narrowly wide of the upright with his first involvement with ten minutes to go.

He went closer five minutes later, his snap-shot from Diangana's set-up crashing against the post, but the Hatters couldn't take advantage of that let-off to find a way back into a game that was well-managed by an experienced Albion side.

TOWN: Sluga, Cranie, Pearson, Bradley (c), Potts, Butterfield, Tunnicliffe, Mpanzu (Shinnie 75), McManaman (LuaLua 53), Cornick (Brown 53), Collins. Subs: Lee, Moncur, Bree, Shea.

Yellows: Potts, Shinnie

Goals: Cornick 15

ALBION: Johnstone, Ferguson, Ajayi, Bartley, Gibbs, Phillips (Pereira 74), Livermore (c), Sawyers, Edwards, Krovinovic, Zohore (Austin 79). Subs: Brunt, Townsend, Bond (GK), O'Shea

Yellows: Bartley

Goals: Diangana 48, 51

REFEREE: Andy Woolmer

ATT: 10,059 (1,033 away)

GRAEME JONES ON THE 2-1 DEFEAT TO WEST BROM

Hatters boss Graeme Jones was pleased with his side’s first half performance but disappointed with the second as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.

Town were dominant in the first half, with Harry Cornick nodding in after 15 minutes, but the introduction of Grady Diangana proved decisive as the man on loan from West Ham netted twice for the visitors in three second half minutes to win the game.

Jones said: “Slav threw on a bit of power and changed the game, I think that summarised what happened.

“Maybe the performance on Tuesday night, his first 90 in a while caught up with Harry Cornick. He has been used as a sub here and I don’t really see him like that, he’s a real threat.

“I thought physically we didn’t come out at half-time as I liked, as I would have liked. But obviously that’s part of the period that we’re in and we need to think about the positive aspect – that we dominated the ball for the first 45 minutes and went in at half-time 1-0 up.

“We spoke at half-time about all the things we wanted to do, and we dropped and gave West Brom the ball with space. West Brom didn’t score two goals today, we gave them two goals, they didn’t earn two goals in terms of our starting position as a team and that’s where the disappointment is.

“There’s 50 per cent of me really delighted and 50 per cent of me bothered by some moments in the second half and that’s my job to go away and analyse it, give direction and make sure we improve. I didn’t think for one moment that wouldn’t be the situation early in the season, so we are still taking strides to compete at this level. First half was great, but second half we need to be better.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5fTM35ZaVk – Graeme Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp3F3enK-lo – Match highlights

Town's lengthy unbeaten home run ended by Diangana's quickfire double

Championship: Luton Town 1 West Bromwich Albion 2

Luton Town lost in the league at home for the first time since March 2018, as five minutes of madness cost them dearly against an experienced West Bromwich Albion side this afternoon.

Going into the break, everything looked rosy, the hosts 1-0 ahead and producing a first half that was spot on tactically, defending their area with real bravery, and always looking to hit the Baggies on the break.

However, interval substitute Grady Diangana, on loan from Premier League West Ham, was to prove the difference, finding the net twice in three minutes to knock the stuffing out of Graeme Jones' side.

They had half chances to win it from there, but could never really mount a head of steam to ever really test visiting keeper Sam Johnstone, as they were left searching for a first Championship win.

Jones had made one change for the clash from their 2-1 defeat at Cardiff last weekend, Harry Cornick in for his first league start of the season, George Moncur dropping to the bench where he was joined by Kazenga LuaLua and Izzy Brown.

Despite the Baggies dominating possession early on, it was Luton who created the first chance on five minutes, Callum McManaman sending over a cross that James Collins twisted acrobatically to head straight at Johnstone.

Although they had been on the back foot possession-wise in the opening 15 minutes, Town then had the lead when the ball was spread wide for full back Martin Cranie.

He delivered a fine cross into the area where an unmarked Cornick leapt highest to power a wonderful bullet header into the top corner for his first goal of the season.

Albion looked to hit back, Matt Phillips wide from 20 yards, while Jake Livermore's rasping blast required turning over by Simon Sluga and then Kenneth Zohore glanced off target.

Cornick was almost sent through by Ryan Tunnicliffe for a second, Johnstone out to avert the danger with the angle against Town's attacker.

The visitors brought on Diangana on for the second half and the winger had an instant effect, picking up the ball after Luton gave it away on the left, arrowing his 25-yarder past the sprawling Sluga and into the bottom corner.

After defending with such commitment in the opening 45 minutes, the goal was a real blow to Town, who would have wanted to keep the Baggies at arms length and then draw them out as the second period went on.

It went from bad to worse though just moments later, as a deflected shot into the area saw that man Diangana pop up again with a diving header to somehow put the Baggies 2-1 in front.

Jones made an immediate double change, bringing on Brown and LuaLua for Cornick and McManaman, with LuaLua trying to level the contest, his low 20-yarder palmed behind by Johnstone.

Brown was then starting to pull some strings in midfield, bursting forward to tee up the overlapping Dan Potts, whose low cross was just out of the reach of the stretching Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu.

The midfielder then almost turned provider, his ball from the left drifting over the head of James Collins.

With 10 to go, the visitors showed just what kind of resources are available at this level, bringing on £4m signing Charlie Austin, who might have put the game beyond doubt within seconds, off target.

Austin had an even better chance to put the result to bed on 85 minutes, found after some wonderful skill by Diangana, only to crash against the post from five yards out.

He thundered another effort over, but Town just couldn't break down the dominating back-line a second time, who confidently saw out the final few moments to end the hosts' impressive sequence in front of their own fans.

Hatters: Simon Sluga, Martin Cranie, Dan Potts, Sonny Bradley (C), Matty Pearson, Jacob Butterfield, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu (Andrew Shinnie 75), Harry Cornick (Kazenga LuaLua 54), Callum McManaman (Izzy Brown 54), James Collins.

Subs not used: James Shea, James Bree, George Moncur, Elliot Lee.

Baggies: Sam Johnstone, Kieran Gibbs, Kyle Bartley, Semi Ajayi, Filip Krovinovic, Jake Livermore (C), Kenneth Zohore (Charlie Austin 80), Matt Phillips (Matheus Pereira 75) Romaine Sawyers, Kyle Edwards (Grady Diangana 46), Nathan Ferguson.

Subs not used: Chris Brunt, Conor Townsend, Jonathan Bond, Dara O'Shea

Booked: Bartley 20, Potts 65, Shinnie 89.

Referee: Andy Woolmer.

Attendance: 10,059 (1,033 West Brom).

Jones annoyed with Luton for gifting Baggies match-winning double

Luton boss Graeme Jones was frustrated with his side for gifting opponents West Bromwich Albion their two goals during this afternoon's 2-1 Championship defeat.

Harry Cornick’s first goal of the season had put Town 1-0 ahead at the interval and seemingly on course for an opening victory of the campaign.

However, on-loan West Ham youngster Grady Diangana equalised three minutes into the second period, and then scored again just moments later to give the Baggies an advantage they never seriously looked like frittering away.

Jones said: “If you were looking at an ex-Premier League side it was us first half, and we couldn't sustain it, Slav threw on a bit of power, changed the game.

“Physically we didn't really come out at half time as I would have liked, but obviously that's part of the period we're in.

“We need to think about the positive aspect that we dominated the ball for the first 45 minutes and went in 1-0 up at half time.

“We spoke about all those things that we want to do, we dropped and gave West Brom the ball, with space, and West Brom didn't score two goals today, we gave them two goals.

“They didn't earn two goals, we gave them two goals, in terms of our starting positions as a team and that's where the disappointment lies.”

On the first goal that Town conceded, Diangana finding the net from 25 yards, Jones said: “I haven’t seen it back is the truth, but if you want me to recall what happened subjectively in the game, we were deep as a back four.

“Maybe the distance was too big to get out and block it, but I will get objective facts with that, as our line first half was a lot better than second.

“It’s about sustaining it, consistent football behaviour for 95 mninutes.”

When quizzed as to whether he felt keeper Simon Sluga could have done better to prevent the goal, although it seemed like there was little he could do with Diangana picking out the bottom corner, Jones added: “Again, I’ve honestly not seen it back.

“It’s the last place I look, the goalkeeper, that’s the last area.

“I look at can we stop the shot? Can we not allow them into our defensive third? What’s the position of the centre halves and full backs?

“Many things before, the goalkeeper’s last ditch.”