Blackpool vs Luton Town. Sky Bet Championship.
Bloomfield RoadAttendance11,366.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Blackpool and Luton Town at Bloomfield Road as goals from Sonny Bradley, Elijah Adebayo and Jordan Clark steered the Hatters to victory.
Saturday 4 December 2021 18:27, UK
James Shea's fine performance helped Luton earn their first win in five Sky Bet Championship games as they beat Blackpool 3-0 at Bloomfield Road.
The goalkeeper only started due to illness to regular stopper Simon Sluga, but he made the most of his third appearance of the season.
Shea pulled off a string of stunning saves to keep the Tangerines at bay as the visitors spent the majority of the first half with their backs against the wall.
And that paved the way for a superb away-day victory, with goals from Sonny Bradley, Elijah Adebayo and Jordan Clark ensuring the points headed back to Kenilworth Road.
Blackpool, who had the advantage of a fierce wind, had laid siege on the Luton goal in the opening 30 minutes, with Owen Dale the first to be denied as his low shot was saved at the near post.
Adebayo then spurned a pair of chances at the other end before the hosts wasted a golden opportunity to score the opener when Reece James was allowed to dart unchallenged into the box.
His low shot was palmed away by Shea but only as far as Demetri Mitchell, who should have done better when he tamely poked the rebound onto the woodwork.
The keeper then made his best two stops yet, spectacularly tipping Ryan Wintle's 25-yard pile-driver around the post before saving Dale's deft header.
And after failing to make their pressure count, the Tangerines' missed chances came back to haunt them as Luton moved into a surprise lead on 42 minutes.
James Bree saw a free-kick awkwardly spilled out of play and the Hatters went 1-0 up from the resulting corner as Bradley headed home a rare goal.
By 54 minutes it was 2-0, Clark the provider with a delightful deep cross to the back post for Adebayo who duly headed past Chris Maxwell for his ninth of the season.
Blackpool boss Neil Critchley threw on Josh Bowler and Shayne Lavery in an attempt to rescue a result but Shea still stood in their way, acrobatically clawing a deflected James shot over the bar.
Bowler, the liveliest of the substitutes, fired one effort off target from outside the box and regularly tricked his way into promising positions on the right flank but was let down by his end product.
And deep into injury time, Luton compounded Blackpool's misery as Clark expertly volleyed home from near the penalty spot after a good run into the box by substitute Admiral Muskwe.
The result means Blackpool's poor run of form now extends to six games without a win, while the Hatters picked up just their third away victory of the season.
Blackpool's Neil Critchley: "The game is decided in both penalty areas and we have not done enough in either box. Their keeper has pulled off some really good saves and we have hit the post, which was a little bit of misfortune because it ricochets off the bloke's heel and rolls against the post.
"If that goes in, maybe it is a different game. The disappointment was the goals we conceded and for some really good approach play and getting into the final third in good areas, we failed. The second goal was the real one. We had enough time to deal with that situation before the cross comes into the box and we didn't. It was a great cross from the boy. They produced quality that we didn't. That's why they have won the game and we haven't."
Luton's Nathan Jones: "I am really proud of James Shea. With the greatest respect, I call him a back-up goalkeeper but we brought him in to be a back-up in League Two yet he played games and he has been promoted. He is always ready and he trains so, so well. When you call upon him, he never lets you down.
"We were outstanding. We defended the box extremely well, apart from a few shots or scrambles in the first half. I thought we were really comfortable. The conditions made things difficult. It has been apocalyptic up here, with the wind and the rain, so we knew it was going to be a tough game and it is a tough place to come. I thought we were excellent. Tactically we were spot on. In terms of our pressing, we limited them to very little and we could have scored more."
