Luton Town FC vs West Bromwich Albion (19th Feb 2022)

Match Report | Luton Town 2-0 West Brom

Luton Town returned to winning ways in the Sky Bet Championship, beating West Bromwich Albion 2-0 at Kenilworth Road.

After a quiet first half, Cameron Jerome rose highest from Kal Naismith’s free-kick to give Town the lead ten minutes after the restart.

As the game entered the closing stages, Allan Campbell added a second for the Hatters, finding the top corner with a fantastic effort.

Nathan Jones made four changes from Saturday’s trip to St Andrew's. Jed Steer replaced James Shea in goal to make his first league appearance, with Gabe Osho also coming into the starting line-up. Admiral Muskwe and Cameron Jerome went into Town’s attack, supporting Elijah Adebayo.

The game’s first chance on goal came to the Hatters. Adebayo and Tom Lockyer combined well, with the Welshman delivering the ball into the box to Admiral Muskwe, whose audacious flick was straight at Sam Johnstone.

West Brom were next to see an effort on goal. Andy Carroll won the ball back from a Steer goal kick, and played through Karlan Grant, who saw his short parried wide for a corner.

Carroll later came close himself. After a scramble in the Luton box, his effort was saved by the feet of Steer.

Five minutes before half-time, Town almost handed the lead to the Baggies. Kal Naismith’s attempted switch was intercepted by Grant, who forced Steer into a smart stop. Carroll got onto the rebound, turning before firing straight at the Town goalkeeper.

The let-off seemed to spark the Hatters into life, as they broke well from a West Brom attack. Campbell surged forward and fed Jerome, whose effort looked destined for the far corner, but came back out off the post.

Ten minutes into the second half, Town took the lead. Amari’i Bell was fouled by Carroll, and from the resulting free-kick, Jerome rose highest from Naismith’s cross to head beyond Johnstone for the opener.

Town could’ve had a second goal moments later. Adebayo latched onto a loose back pass from a West Brom defender, but couldn’t quite get a shot away.

Jones made his first substitution just after the hour mark, as Henri Lansbury was introduced for Muskwe.

Just under ten minutes from time, the Hatters had doubled their lead. Campbell was given too much time and space on the edge of the West Brom area, and the Scotsman found the top corner with a brilliant effort.

Goalscorer Jerome was replaced shortly after Town’s second, with Danny Hylton coming on as his replacement.

West Brom almost pulled one back through Carroll, whose headed effort hit the crossbar but the three points would belong to Luton, returning to winning ways with a fantastic victory over Steve Bruce’s side.

Goals:

Town: Jerome (55’), Campbell (83’)

Att: 10,029

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB9YbKCc3b0 – match highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygVADwZlJoI – NJ interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0URRygx44I – scenes at full time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0URRygx44I – Cameron Jerome interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1oejG2gCGw – Campbell goal – every angle

Nathan Jones reacts to West Brom win!

Manager Nathan Jones praised his side for getting back to winning ways with a superb 2-0 win against West Bromwich Albion.

Second half goals from Cameron Jerome and Allan Campbell made it seven league games unbeaten at Kenilworth Road, a result which lifted the Hatters to eighth in the Sky Bet Championship.

Making amends after last week’s defeat against Birmingham City was vital in the mind of Jones, who said post-match: “We haven’t gone two defeats on the spin this season which is fantastic to do. We’ve shown our character, we’ve shown we can bounce back and get results which is what we have done today.

"It’s a big win because they are a good side. Whatever position they are in, they are a good side with good players, a massive budget but we also have players that can hurt you.

“Offensively we have hammered them this week, they changed to what we had worked for but in the end they went to 4-3-3 which enabled us to defend our box well and sometimes you need that chance to breathe a little bit. We knew last week wasn’t a regular occurrence because if it was a regular occurrence we would be at a different end of the table.

“We knew we could bounce back, it was great that we had West Brom today because they were one point above us and it was a fantastic performance, the only problems we caused were ones ourselves.”

Hatters showcase their play-off credentials with excellent victory over Baggies

Championship: Luton Town 2 West Bromwich Albion 0

Luton Town further showcased their play-off credentials with a terrific victory against former Premier League side West Bromwich Albion this afternoon.

The Baggies, who have their own top flight ambitions, appointing hugely experienced manager Steve Bruce recently, and turning up with a side containing former England forward Andy Carroll, represented a real test of just where Nathan Jones' side are this term, and it was one they passed with flying colours.

Although the hosts' goal lived a charmed life at times during the opening 45 minutes, once Cameron Jerome's bullet header had put Town ahead early in the second period, they never looked like being pegged back, Allan Campbell continuing his recent scoring spree late on to put the result beyond doubt.

Jones made four changes to the side who lost 3-0 at Birmingham City last weekend, with goalkeeper Jed Steer in for his league debut, James Shea dropping to the bench.

Gabe Osho, Admiral Muskwe and Jerome all came in too, Henri Lansbury and Harry Cornick among the substitutes, Reece Burke missing out entirely.

The hosts made a bright start against their fellow top six chasers, one fine move started by Kal Naismith's clever crossfield pass to Tom Lockyer.

Play was shifted into Elijah Adebayo whose flick released Lockyer on the right, the Welsh international's his low cross backheeled goalwards by Muskwe, Sam Johnstone gathering.

The imposing Carroll was quick to show his aerial prowess, meeting a cross from the right, Steer making a comfortable save, before Jerome almost picked out the stretching Muskwe at the other end.

Albion began to look capable of taking a stranglehold on proceedings for the first time, dominating possession, Matt Clarke advancing and heading Conor Townsend's cross wide.

A solid start by Steer was almost spoilt on 20 minutes, as his poor kick was chested down by Osho, allowing Carroll to nip in.

He played in Karlan Grant whose shot looked to be easy for the stopper, but it squirmed through his grasp, fortunately rolling just the right side of the post for anyone of a Hatters persuasion.

Steer did recover to punch the resulting corner clear, as Luton remained a threat themselves, Jerome letting a throw run across him and sending a snapshot from 25 yards wide.

The Villa loanee further redeemed himself six minutes before half time, as with his defence unable to clear the ball, he used his feet to prevent Carroll from firing the visitors in front, another break also seeing Alex Mowatt curl over.

Town were almost behind with a goal entirely of their own making shortly afterwards, Nasimith trying the most ill-advised dinked pass across his own box, only managing to find the lurking Grant.

He took a touch and dinked the onrushing Steer, the crossbar coming to Luton's rescue, Carroll's rebound palmed away by the Hatters custodian, as the Hatters' back-line eventually did enough to clear.

Townsend went close at the back post, his header hooked away by Osho, as Town regained their composure to set off on a driving counter of their own, Campbell running 50 yards to pick out Jerome.

The forward did almost everything right, taking the pass in his stride, sliding a low shot past Johnstone, only to see it hit the inside of the post, and then cleared behind.

After the break, the Hatters had the lead on 55 minutes when Naismith swung in a free kick from the left which met by Jerome's towering header for his third of the season and first league goal for the club.

Adebayo might have added to Town's advantage when Townsend's pass was bafflingly left by both centre halves, the forward didn't take it first time on his left foot though, eventually crowded out.

Clarke stabbed a half chance over at the other end, as Luton should have had a penalty on 74 minutes, when Osho's header was clearly handed by Kyle Bartley, only for referee Gavin Ward to give nothing.

Town had the confidence-booster of a second with six minutes left, as they worked a throw-in neatly on the left, and Campbell took it on, before from 22 yards out, cutting across his shot expertly to leave Johnstone with little chance and make it four goals in his last nine league outings.

Late on, Carroll thundered his own header against the crossbar from close range, as the Baggies, for him Darnell Furlong tamely put his attempt straight at Steer, saw their away drought since early December continue.

Victory not only lifted Town above their opponents and into eight spot, just three points off the top six now, but it was also their first home success against the Baggies since May 3, 1994, when John Hartson, David Preece and Julian James were all on target.

Hatters: Jed Steer, James Bree (Peter Kioso 90), Amari'i Bell, Gabe Osho, Tom Lockyer, Kal Naismith (C), , Allan Campbell, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Admiral Muskwe (Henri Lansbury 63), Cameron Jerome (Danny Hylton 84), Elijah Adebayo.

Subs not used: James Shea, Dan Potts, Harry Cornick, Fred Onyedinma.

Baggies: Sam Johnstone, Darnell Furlong, Conor Townsend, Kyle Barley ©, Semi Ajayi, Jayson Molumby, Andy Carroll, Matt Clarke (Grady Diangana 68), Karlan Grant, Adam Reach, Alex Mowatt (Callum Robinson 78).

Subs not used: Dara O'Shea, Cedric Kipre, David Button, Rayhaam Tulloch, Taylor Gardner-Hickman.

Booked: Ajayi 29, Bell 36.

Referee: Gavin Ward.

Attendance: 10,029.

Jones labels West Brom win as 'massive' as Luton climb above top six rivals

Town climb above Baggies in the second tier table

Town boss Nathan Jones labelled his side’s 2-0 win over fellow play-off chasers West Bromwich Albion as a ‘massive’ victory.

Up against a Baggies side who were plying their trade in the top flight last term, and harbour ambitions of returning there in May, Hatters showed they too must be considered genuine top six candidates thanks to excellent second half goals from Cameron Jerome and Allan Campbell.

On the three points, Jones said: “It’s massive, one to be competing with sides like this shows that we’ve come a long way, two, I think if we’d have drawn the game, our fans would have gone away disappointed and that shows the level of expectation now that’s here and justified.

"These are good side and these will be in the mix, so to beat them and to go above them, to be more than competing with them shows that we're in a good place.

"Resources-wise we can’t, but work and commitment and what we do, then we can."

The Baggies came to Kenilworth Road hoping to end a run of four games without a win and also finally stop a goal drought on their travels which had stretched back to early December.

Under newly appointed manager Steve Bruce, they changed their formation going into the game, moving away from what Jones had expected to face, but matching up with them was never in his mind.

Sticking to their guns, Luton almost came a cropper in the first half, Karlan Grant’s shot squirming through league debutante Jed Steer and behind, before Kal Naismith’s ill-judged pass across his own area saw Grant dink against the bar, Steer denying Andy Carroll’s follow-up.

After Jerome hit the post just before the break, in the second period, the Hatters came on strong, Jerome powering his header from Naismith's free kick into the net on 55 minutes, before Campbell slammed home from 25 yards with six to go.

Carroll was denied by the bar once more late on, as on the decision to remain with his original gameplan, Jones added: “They changed in terms of they’ve normally been 4-3-3, they changed to a back five, that’s their prerogative.

“We prepared for a 4-3-3, but we know how to play against a back five as lots of them play against back fives, so we knew how to press, and we’ve got to point now where it’s not about the opposition it’s about us.

“At times you have to make sure you have to do things, but we concentrate now on us and what we did and what we do in possession and out of possession, how we press, so we concentrate on us really.

"Three points, a clean sheet, they’ve hit the bar twice, but I wouldn’t say we rode our luck as we hit the post and missed a glorious chance in the first half.

“We gifted them a little bit first half but then apart from that, I thought we were excellent.

“We limited them to very little, especially second half and we know we’re a difficult side to play against here.

“If we can really just settle down and get that head of steam then we can create something.

"I thought we did and I’m really happy with both goals.”