Millwall vs Luton Town FC (16th Oct 2021)

Report | Millwall 0-2 Luton Town

Harry Cornick bagged a brilliant brace and Simon Sluga pulled off a superb penalty save to earn Luton Town all three points at Millwall this afternoon.

The Hatters moved back into the top half of the table, and above their hosts, with a perfect away performance as Cornick netted in both halves to give Nathan Jones' side a cushion that goalkeeper Sluga preserved with a save from Jed Wallace's penalty in the closing stages.

Manager Nathan Jones made one change from the team that drew with Huddersfield in the final game before the international break, with Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu coming back from injury in place of Luke Berry.

Fred Onyedinma was making his return to the matchday squad against his former side, and there was also a spot amongst the substitutes for Admiral Muskwe after he played an hour for the Development side earlier this week.

Millwall had the game's first attempt on goal with nine miunutes on the clock, Jed Wallace evading the Town back four's call for offside, but shooting straight at Simon Sluga.

Within two minutes, the Hatters were in front. Tom Lockyer clipped a long ball up the right, where Elijah Adebayo challenged Jake Cooper, whose header fell into James Bree's path.

The former Aston Villa man drove forward towards the Millwall bos, assisted by Jordan Clark, who rode Lions skipper Shaun Hutchinson's tackle and slipped the ball to his left, where Cornick bent a glorious shot first time into the top corner.

A superb passage of play almost brought a second on 20 minutes, when a 12-pass move ended with Adebayo playing Bree into the right side of the box, but the wing-back's low cross was just too far ahead of Cornick coming in at the far post.

Clark then volleyed over the bar, before Millwall rallied, a low cross from the right falling to Benik Afobe, who was denied by a perfectly timed block from Lockyer as the Town defenders put their bodies on the line for the cause, captain Sonny Bradley rising highest to head the resulting corner clear.

Lockyer was soon in the wars, producing two more blocks in quick succession to deny Sheyi Ojo inside the six-yard box with the half-hour mark approaching, and that resolute defending continued until the end of a positive first half for the Hatters.

Within eight minutes of the restart the afternoon became even more positive, and once again it was Cornick who delivered. Mpanzu smuggled the ball out of the pack on the left, nutmegging George Saville to release Clark, who once again provided the inch-perfect assist for Cornick. The forward let the ball run in front of him then, from just inside the area, produced a pinpoint first-time finish across Bartosz Bialkowski into the bottom corner for his sixth goal of the season.

It was almost three in the 58th minute when Naismith won the ball off Afobe midway inside the Millwall half and shifted it sideways to Mpanzu, who unleashed a venomous shot that beat Bialkowski all ends up, only to rebound back off the crossbar.

Cornick went off to a standing ovation from the travelling fans midway through the half, replaced by Cameron Jerome, and it was Millwall - having introduced towering striker Matt Smith - who had the next attempt on goal, although Cooper's tame 73rd minute header was easy for Sluga to deal with.

Clark went into referee Chris Kavanagh's book for a foul on Ojo, and Wallace managed to get his 30-yard free-kick over the wall and on target, but the Croatian keeper dived full length to his left to push it around the post. Clark was taken off with just under quarter-of-an-hour to go, with Henri Lansbury on in his place, then Muskwe was introduced for Adebayo moments later.

Millwall thought they'd been handed a lifeline eight minutes from time when Naismith was penalised for handball in the box, when it looked like he'd been pushed by Smith. Sluga produced another brilliant save, diving to his right, to push Wallace's kick away.

The win makes it three unbeaten, and one defeat in eight matches for the Town, who head to Derby on Tuesday night in 10th place.

Goals: Cornick 11, 53

Att: 14,227 (1,631 Hatters)

Nathan Jones delighted with Millwall win!

Manager Nathan Jones was rightly delighted with this afternoon’s 2-0 win against Millwall, the first win against the Lions since 2005.

Harry Cornick scored a goal either side of half-time to extend Luton’s unbeaten run to three games in the Sky Bet Championship and the Hatters were good value for the victory.

“It is a tough place to come," Jones started. “We learned lessons from last year where there wasn’t much in the game but at crucial points, we got overpowered a little bit. That wasn’t the case today, I thought we were excellent from start to finish. Apart from one little blip with the penalty, we thoroughly deserved what we got.

“There were crucial parts in the game where we were excellent, we scored at good times and after the second goal I thought we would go on and get the third. It wasn’t to be but it was wonderful nonetheless, not many come here and win but I thought we were excellent and it shows that we have a different side to us now and I’m really pleased with that performance.

On Cornick’s involvement, the gaffer was impressed at just how well the forward took his chances.

“The first one is top drawer. If Ronaldo or Harry Kane does that then people are drooling. The second one, he works constantly on those positions, he had three sessions this week on that finish, and he wants to work. His all-round play is wonderful, he works tirelessly, the distance and intensity, he is proving that he is a wonderful player.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgr9DOIFnc4 - Nathan Jones interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr0aApRBPrs – Match highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EPZ3jBQjbk – reverse angle highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6mOuf2V8RU – Harry Cornick interview

Cornick at the double as Luton deservedly end their long wait for a win at Millwall

Championship: Millwall 0 Luton Town 2

Harry Cornick continued his mightily impressive start to the season with a clinical double as Luton Town ended another lengthy away hoodoo by winning at Millwall for the first time since May 1999 with a confident 2-0 triumph this afternoon.

The attacker, who hadn't ever scored a brace in his professional career before the recent 5-0 hammering of Coventry, made it two in three matches, with a marvellous display of finishing at the Den to end the hosts seven-game unbeaten run.

It was been the one area of Cornick's game that has drawn criticism at times, the forward readily admitting himself it's not his strongest point, but that can start to be put to bed now with the unerring accuracy in which he found the net to set the Hatters on their way to what was a well-deserved victory.

Town made one change to the side that drew 0-0 with Huddersfield before the international break as Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu came in for Luke Berry who dropped to the bench.

There he joined former Millwall winger Fred Onyedinma, involved for the first time since late August, alongside Admiral Muskwe after he scored for the development side in midweek.

A scrappy opening saw Town's defence almost caught out by one pass from the back, but Jed Wallace couldn't get enough purchase on his effort, Simon Sluga collecting easily.

The Hatters then led on 11 minutes with their first venture into the opposition penalty area as James Bree and Jordan Clark did well to hunt the ball down high up.

It led to Clark advancing and breaking a challenge before teeing up an unmarked Cornick who picked his spot quite emphatically, fairly hammering his first-time effort into the top corner, giving keeper Bartosz Bialkowski absolutely no chance at all.

Town looked for a second, as Bree and Elijah Adebayo combined well on the right, the striker using his body well to roll an opponent and find the overlapping full back whose cross was just beyond the well-marshalled Cornick.

Clark's attempt to find the top corner with an ambitious volley was wayward, before the midfielder was involved at the other end, as with Tom Lockyer, they blocked Ben Afobe's close range shot, which looked set to draw the hosts level.

Lockyer then took Sheyi Ojo's blast in the midriff and also blocked the Liverpool loanee's follow-up effort to concede a corner that Town defended solidly, something that hadn't always been the case on previous trips to the Den.

Jake Cooper put a header wide from a deep cross into the area, but after the break, the Hatter had real breathing space on 53 minutes with another excellent team goal.

Mpanzu did well on the left, picking the ball up and nutmegging his man to find Clark who looked up and slid Cornick clean through again.

The attacker coolly hurdled the ball to open up the shooting angle and then confidently dispatched his effort into the bottom corner to double Town's advantage as an increasingly vociferous home support let manager Gary Rowett know in no uncertain terms their feelings towards both him and the performance they were witnessing.

Mpanzu was inches away from making it 2-0 as on 57 minutes he had a crack from 25 yards, Bialkowski only able to stand and watch it cannon off the crossbar and away to safety.

Cornick wasn't afforded the chance to get his first-ever senior hat-trick, replaced by Cameron Jerome with 22 minutes to go, as manager Nathan Jones clearly had an eye on Tuesday night's trip to Derby County.

Centre half Jake Cooper's header was straight at Sluga, who was extended on 73 minutes, flying to his left to tip Jed Wallace's free kick behind.

The Lions then had a marvellous opportunity to halve the deficit with seven to go, as Kal Naismith was adjudged to have handled in the area by referee Chris Kavanagh, the defender's claims he had been pushed falling on deaf ears.

Wallace stepped up and drove his penalty to Sluga's right, only for the Croatian to guess correctly and make a wonderful stop, getting a firm hand to push it behind for a corner.

Skipper Sonny Bradley almost diverted into his own net moments later as the Lions bombarded Town's box from the wide areas in the closing stages, but they couldn't break through, Sluga saving Matt Smith's late header, as Jones' side chalked up a sixth clean sheet of the season

Lions: Bartosz Bialkowski, Danny McNamara (Matt Smith 55), Murray Wallace (Ryan Leonard 68), Shaun Hutchinson ©, Jake Cooper, Jed Wallace, Sheyi Ojo, George Saville, Benik Afobe (Billy Mitchell 78), Daniel Ballard, George Evans (Mason Bennett 78).

Subs not used: George Long, Maikel Kieftenbeld, Tom Bradshaw.

Hatters: Simon Sluga, James Bree, Tom Lockyer (Reece Burke 87), Sonny Bradley ©, Kal Naismith, Amari'i Bell, Glen Rea, Jordan Clark (Henri Lansbury 76), Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu, Harry Cornick (Cameron Jerome 68), Elijah Adebayo (Admiral Muskwe 79).

Subs not used: James Shea, Luke Berry, Fred Onyedinma.

Bookings: Cooper 70, Clark 72, Naismith 83.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh.

Attendance: 14,227 (1,631 Luton).

Hatters boss lauds Cornick's 'top drawer' finish as attacker bags brace to tame Lions

Reaction from Nathan Jones to 2-0 win at Millwall

Town chief Nathan Jones described Harry Cornick’s opening goal at Millwall this afternoon as ‘top drawer’.

With 11 minutes gone, the unmarked Luton attacker was teed up by Jordan Clark inside the area after the midfielder won the ball back and burst forwards.

Although he was faced with just keeper Bartosz Bialkowski to beat, the manner in which he did it was wonderful, lashing a first time shot into the top corner, as Jones said: “He’s probably been labelled as not been able to (finish) in times past.

“He’s a wonderful player for us, last year he had chances, scored one goal, but he had chance after chance last year.

"He’s just such a dangerous player and we’re delighted with him.

“We’ve had him for three or four years now, we signed him in League Two and wonderful, the first goal was top drawer, absolutely top drawer.

"If that’s on Match of the Day tonight with a Premier League player then we’re drooling a little bit, so wonderful.”

Cornick was then played in again by Clark just eight minutes after the half time interval, going up against Bialkowski once more, this time opting to shoot low across the keeper and into the bottom corner.

Jones continued: “The second was a real finish that he works at week in week out as he gets those chances regularly, he gets those opportunities so many times.

"Sometimes he doesn't score, but he’s added a real clinical edge to his game and we're delighted as it made a difference."

Cornick’s brace was the second double he has scored in three games, after going his entire career without managing to do so ahead of the recent win over Coventry.

On why he thought that was, Jones added: “He gets chances, he creates a lot of his chances.

"You won’t get a player in the Championship with distances and high intensity running that he does, there won’t be many like him.

"He creates them and now he’s starting to turn all that endeavour and all that movement into goals, so we’re very happy as we’re reaping the benefit of it.”