Luton Town FC vs Wigan Athletic (3rd Sep 2022)

Report | Luton Town 1-2 Wigan Athletic

The Hatters suffered a second home defeat of the season as Wigan came from behind to win 2-1 at Kenilworth Road.

Carlton Morris had given the Hatters a first-half lead, but the Latics fought back to take the points with two goals in the last ten minutes as Tom Lockyer deflected a Callum Lang shot past his own keeper and Thelo Aasgaard curled in an 88th minute winner.

Nathan Jones made one change to the side that won at Cardiff in midweek, as Gabe Osho came in to start after scoring his first goal for the club in South Wales, replacing Reece Burke who missed out through injury.

Sonny Bradley returned to the bench, along with Harry Cornick who featured in the matchday squad for the first time since the Carabao Cup defeat to Newport County.

Fred Onyedinma could also be called upon once again after making a positive impact at Cardiff as the Hatters continue their search for a first home win of the season.

Town had the first opening when Morris flicked Jordan Clark's pass into Adebayo's path on the edge of the box, but Wigan keeper Ben Amos was quickly off his line to deflect the striker's attempted chip behind for a third-minute corner.

The visitors soon had a chance of their own, James McClean dragging a shot wide of the near post amid a couple of early corners, but it was the Hatters who were making the early running without creating any clear-cut chances.

James Bree saw a 17th-minute shot fly well wide, and there was no real attacking action of note until ten minutes before half-time, when Freeman drew a flying save out of Amos with a 25-yarder that was destined for the top corner.

Lockyer volleyed the resulting set-piece at goal, only for Wigan captain Max Power to hack clear off the line, then Morris saw a shot on the turn deflected behind as the Hatters turned the screw.

The breakthrough finally came on 39 minutes when a short corner routine found its way to Bree, who stood a beautiful cross up for Morris to attack. The top scorer did just that, heading his third goal of the season into the same top corner as he did against Sheffield United eight days earlier.

The chance for a second came two minutes later when Allan Campbell's determined run down the right win took three Wigan defenders out, and his driven cross flew across the face of goal, diverted away only by Ryan Nyambe's outstretched right leg.

Wigan had the first chance of the second half, ten minutes in, when Will Keane headed over from a corner, before Jones made his first change, replacing Adebayo with Cauley Woodrow in the 55th minute.

Clark tried to make inroads down the left, sending in a low cross that just eluded Woodrow, then midfield partner Campbell raced into the box, latching onto a lay-off from Morris, but saw his shot blocked behind by Jack Whatmough racing across.

Wigan struggled to clear the corner, and from Woodrow's lay-off, Osho checked back onto his left-foot to arc a shot towards the far top corner, but just off target.

Callum Lang headed McClean's cross wide with just over 20 minutes remaining, as Jones prepared to make his next two changes - Cornick making his return in place of Freeman, and Cameron Jerome on for Morris.

Town survived a big penalty shout when the ball hit Lockyer's chest, then Jerome went down under challenge by Tilt at the other end with referee Chris Kavanagh unmoved.

Wigan's equaliser arrived with ten minutes remaining - Nyambe charging down Bell's attempted clearance up the line by the left corner flag, then crossing low for Lang who managed to get a shot off, which was heading across the face of goal until it hit Lockyer and beat Horvath.

Jones introduced Onyedinma for Clark and Luke Berry for Campbell, but it was Wigan who broke away take the lead with two minutes remaining with Lang squaring for substitute Thelo Aasgaard curling home from the edge of the area.

The Hatters had the ball in the back of the net and thought they snatched an equaliser in added time but for the linesman's flag on the far side to condemn Jones' side to a third league defeat.

GOALS:

LT - Morris 39

WA - Lockyer (OG) 80, Aasgaard 88

ATT: 9.885 (1,035 away)

Nathan Jones on Wigan loss

Manager Nathan Jones was left disappointed after his side surrendered a lead and were condemned to a third league defeat of the season against Wigan Athletic.

Carlton Morris had given Luton a first-half advantage and it wasn’t until the final ten minutes when the Latics hit back and scored two swift goals to leave Jones, and the home crowd, shocked.

“We weren’t at our best today in terms of energy levels but I thought we did enough to win the game comfortably,” the Welshman admitted post-match. “First half I thought we were excellent, right on top and had enough situations, opportunities and set plays to have been further ahead but we weren’t.

“Then we just didn’t see it coming. They didn’t really get anywhere near our goal, didn’t have a shot on target and then suddenly we mess about and give them the ball near our own corner flag and they go through and it’s 1-1. We made changes to be athletic and to go and try and win the game and then we got caught on the counter-attack.

“I am really disappointed. I didn’t think the changes I made today had an impact on the game, normally we bring on game-changers and they really do that, but they didn’t today. We’ve had enough of the game to categorically not have lost it but probably to have won it, but we haven’t and that’s the Championship for you.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fcSMA0HSD8 – Nathan Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIwobmhI3eE – Match highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMo4SqNT6rw – James Bree interview

Luton snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as Hatters concede twice late on to lose to Wigan

Championship: Luton Town 1 Wigan Athletic 2

Luton Town threw away their first home victory of the season as they conceded twice in the final 10 minutes to somehow lose 2-1 to Wigan Athletic this afternoon.

It had looked like the Hatters were on their way to recording an opening three points at Kenilworth Road, courtesy of Carlton Morris's first half goal, as the visitors offered little for the opening 80 minutes of the contest.

However, Tom Lockyer then deflected Callum Lang's low shot into the net and from the visitors' first actual shot on target, Thelo Aasgaard curled beyond Ethan Horvath with two minutes to go to seal a smash-and-grab victory.

Town chief Nathan Jones made one change to the side that beat Cardiff 2-1 on Tuesday night, Gabe Osho replacing Reece Burke who came off at half time with a head injury, captain Sonny Bradley and Harry Cornick returning to the bench

The hosts made a bright start, Jordan Clark finding Carlton Morris whose backheel sent Elijah Adebayo clean through, keeper Ben Amos off his line in the nick of time to get a vital block on the striker's shot, denying him a first of the campaign.

Back came Wigan, as Ryan Nyambe had space and when his shot was charged down, James McClean's effort deflected behind off a Town defender.

Luke Freeman sent an ambitious effort well wide of the target, as did James Bree shortly afterwards, nowhere near from even further out.

With both sides struggling to put any passing moves together, too often going long or not picking out an opponent, the game became a laborious affair, with precious little goalmouth action to get excited about.

Out of nothing, Luton almost had the lead with 33 minutes gone, as Lockyer won the ball back and found Freeman.

He ate up the yards ahead of him before unleashing a terrific strike that drew an equally impressive save, Amos arching his back to tip over the bar.

The resulting corner saw Lockyer's stooping header cleared away before it could creep in, while another of Freeman's dangerous corners had Morris’s shot blocked.

With the pressure being ramped up, and the crowd finally coming to life, Luton made the most of it on 39 minutes, after a sublime corner routine no doubt dreamt up from the mind of first team coach Alan Sheehan.

Allan Campbell took it, as Freeman and Clark were involved, the ball played back to Bree, who lofted a cross into the area where Morris took off, soaring through the air to guide his header into the corner for a third goal in four games.

A second almost arrived moments later, Campbell setting off a run that Lionel Messi in his pomp would have been proud off on the right, jinking his way past three players, unleashing a cross that was almost diverted into his own net by Nyambe.

After the break, Adebayo who appeared to be struggling with a knee injury, was replaced by Cauley Woodrow, able to go in his favoured striking berth alongside his ex-Barnsley team-mate.

The two combined to send the increasingly influential Campbell through, but Jack Whatmough was covering round with a crucial challenge, as from the corner, a skied clearance saw Amos make a mess of his punch, Osho found by Woodrow to curl just past the post.

Although Luton were in control, a second strike was needed to allay any nerves, Lang putting a diving header wide at the far post to remind Town they weren't home yet.

Jones reacted by bringing on Cameron Jerome and Cornick for Morris and Freeman, with Woodrow back into midfield once more, Jerome thinking he had a penalty when he robbed Curtis Tilt in the area and went down under the defender's challenge, although a lenient referee Chris Kavanagh, as he had done pretty much all afternoon, gave nothing.

Town then paid the price for not getting that security blanket of another goal with 10 minutes left, Amari’i Bell's clearance rebounding and not going behind, with the ensuing cross in to the box finding Lang.

It looked like Campbell had got back in time, but the ball stuck to the forward whose low effort hit Lockyer to beat the unlucky Ethan Horvath.

The visitors then appeared the more likely to snatch victory, flooding forward, as Osho made two terrific blocks, before Luton had a huge let-off, Graeme Shinnie, brother of ex-Hatter Andrew, having his legs taken away by Bell inside the box, only to see Kavanagh somehow not award a spot-kick.

However, the visitors did have the winner with two minutes to go, Town, with Fred Onyedinma and Luke Berry now on in search of a victory, leaving too many forward and too many spaces at the back, allowing an unmarked Aasgaard to curl home a super shot from 20 yards to leave the hosts and their supporters absolutely shell-shocked.

In stoppage time, Luton thought they had rescued the point they deserved at the very least, Bree's free kick turned home, but the referee's assistant flag had already been raised, as the Hatters' search for that elusive home win continued.

Hatters: Ethan Horvath, James Bree, Gabe Osho, Tom Lockyer, Dan Potts (C), Amari'i Bell, Allan Campbell (Luke Berry 83), Luke Freeman (Harry Cornick 71), Jordan Clark (Fred Onyedinma 83), Carlton Morris (Cameron Jerome 71), Elijah Adebayo (Cauley Woodrow 54).

Subs not used: Matt Macey, Sonny Bradley.

Latics: Ben Amos, Ryan Nambe, Tom Naylor (Thelo Aasgaard 62), Jack Whatmough, Max Power (C), Will Keane (Joe Bennett 86), James McClean (Ashley Fletcher 86), Jason Kerr (Nathan Broadhead 63), Curtis Tilt, Callum Lang, Josh Magennis (Graeme Shinnie 62).

Subs not used: Jamie Jones, Rarmani Edmonds-Green.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh.

Booked: Morris 70, Power 90.

Attendance: 9,885 (1,035 Latics).

Jones bemoans the manner of Luton's late defeat to Wigan as errors cost Town dearly

Boss left annoyed that Town allow one-goal lead to slip late on

Hatters boss Nathan Jones was left hugely frustrated by the manner of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against Wigan Athletic.

With Town leading 1-0 through Carlton Morris’s third goal in as many games in the first half, the hosts appeared well set to claim a first win in front of their own fans this season, as they held on to that advantage deep into the second period.

However, a succession of errors led to the Latics restoring parity with 10 to play, Amari’i Bell’s clearance being kept in by Ryan Nyambe, and with Allan Campbell unable to make a telling intervention, Callum Lang’s cross-shot hit Tom Lockyer to beat Ethan Hovath.

Then to make matters worse, as Jones made the fourth and fifth of his allotted substitutions to bring on Luke Berry and Fred Onyedinma in a bid to push for victory, Luton were caught out throwing too many men forward, Thelo Aasgaard expertly finishing off a Latics counter with two minutes left as the visitors somehow left with all three points.

Speaking afterwards, Jones hadn’t ever thought defeat was possible with the way the game was going, as he said: “Not really as we can see out games.

“Amari’i clears that, Amari’ kicks that out for a throw, they don’t score, and then we don’t have to chase it as we want to win the game.

“It’s moments like that that happen.

"We have to do the basics right, then he got done, we have a chance to clear it we don’t and then the shot across deflects and goes in.

“There’s a lot of errors in that to score a goal, they haven’t had to work too hard for it, it’s just been us being inept really.

“Then we were pushing so we were always going to be kind of susceptible, but we put Gabe (Osho) in there and said ‘just defend, make sure we are not open to the counter attack.’

“But as soon as we turn the ball over, we charge out, and then they run harder than us and that doesn’t happen often.

“We were pretty dominant in terms of our play I can't remember Ethan having anything to do for masses periods of the games and then they've scored two in the last 10 minutes which is really, really frustrating.

"We’ve lacked discipline, we've gone ragged and that’s something I need to look at as well.

“So it’s really disappointing and the manner of it is disappointing, everything about it is disappointing.

"Because it’s a game at home where we like to fancy ourselves at home, but it's our away form at the minute keeping us afloat at the moment.”

Town thought they had levelled in stoppage time when James Bree’s free kick was turned over the line by a combination of Cameron Jerome and Tom Lockyer, only for experienced striker to be flagged offside.

Jones continued: “It’s really close as Cameron Jerome goes up for it, misses it, but they say he’s in an offside position.

"It’s really, really close, you have to have VAR, have to have Premier League angles to say it’s not conclusive either way.

"The linesman’s given it and we have to accept that, referee and linesman, no blame on them today.

"We categorically should have beaten Sheffield United here as they shouldn’t have had their goal, Cardiff, some decisions there were really puzzling, but it’s one of those things.”

Jerome was also involved in another big call by an incredibly lenient referee Chris Kavanagh as he didn’t give the substitute a penalty after he had robbed Curtis Tilt in the box and then gone down under the defender’s challenge.

It was one of two spotkick incidents in the second period that were waved away, Wigan’s Graeme Shinnie somehow not being awarded one afterwards, when his legs were clearly taken away by Bell, as Latics boss Leam Richardson confirmed afterwards the official had apologised to him over the wrong call.

That wasn’t the case for Jones, who when asked if he had been approached by Kavanagh, added: “No, but they make mistakes all the time.

"I haven't looked at ours yet, but they might have made a mistake with ours, might have made a mistake with the offside goal late on, but that’s fine, they’ve won the game.

“Both sides have had shouts for a penalty, I think it evens itself up.

"The referee had a good game for a change here, we had enough of the game not to have lost it, so we’re disappointed.

"Credit to Wigan, they kept going and have nicked an away win, but we’ve had enough of the game not to have lost it.”