Luton’s miserable run continues with derby day defeat to Watford.
Watford restored local bragging rights with a 2-0 derby win, keeping Luton at the foot of the Championship table.
Watford defeated the Hatters for the ninth time in 12 league games, thanks to Tom Dele-Bashiru’s early penalty and Edo Kayembe’s tap-in shortly after. The Hatters had beaten the Hornets 3-0 at Kenilworth Road in October. Goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski was found to have fouled home striker Mamadou Doumbia for the penalty, and Town, who were five points adrift of safety and had gone 13 games without a win in any tournament, never recovered.
Manager Matt Bloomfield, who was hired from Wycombe on January 14 to replace Rob Edwards, has overseen three draws and five defeats, with the Hatters looking set to slip from the Premier League to League One in two seasons. Watford, who had lost their previous five home games, moved up to ninth place, three points behind the final playoff slot. Luton had a stronger start, with Watford’s Jeremy Ngakia booked for obstructing Lasse Nordas’ passage. There weren’t quite enough other defenders present to keep referee Andrew Kitchen from giving a red card. In the 11th minute, the referee made an even bolder decision, awarded Watford a penalty. Kaminski came out to claim a pass that was being shepherded by defender Mads Andersen – but succeeded in upending Doumbia as well as spilling the ball.
After the Luton objections were waved away, Dele-Bashiru slotted low into the bottom-left corner, despite Kaminski’s correct prediction. Kaminski made an excellent next dive to prevent Tom Ince from receiving a tap-in, and he then faced a shot from Watford captain Imran Louza. The Hornets extended their lead in the 23rd minute through Kayembe, but Giorgi Chakvetadze deserves credit. The Georgia playmaker used excellent technique to avoid Amari’i Bell’s challenge on the run down the left, and when Kaminski came out, he squared for Kayembe to finish from close range. Luton needed a response, but when Dele-Bashiru appeared to obstruct Isaiah Jones’ run into the box, referee Kitchen remained unimpressed.
After a spell of Hatters pressure, Andersen headed over at the back post. The Dane was arrested shortly after for pushing Ince over. Jones had a good Luton chance early in the second quarter, and Louza was also too high after a complex move including Kayembe at the other end. The second period fell short of the first, as Shandon Baptiste, one of Luton’s three half-time changes, was forced to leave with 20 minutes remaining due to an injury. Kaminski did admirably to prevent Chakvetadze a third Watford goal towards the finish, when the Georgian had gone on another mesmerising run.
Read more on sportupdates.co.uk
Leave a Reply