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Coventry City vs Luton Town. Sky Bet Championship.

The Coventry Building Society ArenaAttendance16,996.

Coventry City 0

    Luton Town 1

    • E Adebayo (38th minute)

    Coventry 0-1 Luton Town: Elijah Adebayo steers Hatters back into play-offs

    Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Coventry and Luton Town at the Coventry Building Society Arena as an Elijah Adebayo goal steered the Hatters back into sixth.

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    Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and Luton Town.

    Elijah Adebayo's first-half strike sent Luton back into the Sky Bet Championship play-off places as the Hatters earned a 1-0 victory over Coventry at the CBS Arena.

    Adebayo was on the end of Alex Palmer's long ball forward and curled in his first goal in six games to take Luton back into the top six.

    Coventry's second defeat in as many outings put another dent in the Sky Blues' play-off charge, leaving them six points off the top six with 10 games to play.

    Nathan Jones made a handful of changes to the Luton line-up with Dan Potts returning in defence in place of the injured Kal Naismith, while Luke Berry and Jordan Clark continued their comebacks from injury in place of Danny Hylton and the injured Gabe Osho.

    Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu was also handed his first start since mid-February after missing the visitors' last four games through fatigue.

    Mark Robins recalled strikers Martyn Waghorn and Matty Godden, the latter starting for the first time since January 15 following surgery to remove his appendix, whilst Callum O'Hare returned to the matchday squad.

    The Sky Blues were on the front foot from the off and Viktor Gyokeres nipped in front of the returning Potts before whipping his cross into strike partner Godden inside the first 15 seconds. Godden, who scored a brace on his last start against Peterborough, scuffed his effort into the welcoming arms of the Hatters' emergency loanee stopper Palmer from the centre of the box.

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    Coventry created another good chance to open the scoring again inside the first five minutes when Gustavo Hamer drove towards the Town box and slipped in Gyokeres, who spooned his effort over the bar.

    Hamer, who signed a new contract earlier in the week, continued to be allowed the run of the midfield whilst Jones berated his lacklustre side as Godden was inches away from getting on the end of Jake Clarke-Salter's cross.

    The Hatters' first effort came through Berry in the 25th minute, before Gyökeres was presented with a carbon copy of his earlier chance when he was slipped in once again by Hamer.

    On this occasion, the Sky Blues' top scorer was thwarted by Palmer for a second time, before the West Brom loanee leapt off the turf and took aim at Adebayo downfield.

    The former Walsall striker latched onto the goalkeeper's pass before cutting inside, opening his body up and caressing his 13th Championship goal of the season into the bottom corner.

    The Sky Blues' efforts to reach parity saw Kyle McFadzean head Hamer's corner over the bar before Ian Maatsen fired over from distance.

    Hamer's corner also flicked the top of the crossbar whilst Simon Moore's smart save prevented Adebayo doubling his and Luton's tally before Tom Lockyer's follow-up was blocked.

    Coventry's golden chance to equalise came with 10 minutes to go, Fabio Tavares' driving run landing at the feet of O'Hare, who fired straight at Palmer from point-blank range.

    What the managers said...

    Coventry's Mark Robins: "I'm saying to the players in the dressing room it's a difficult one because on the one hand the performance is really good, but to lose it is a right kick in the teeth. I think we were really unlucky. They beat us up down there and as poor a performance as it was down there, I think it was a really strong performance tonight.

    "That seems to be something that you say too often, but that is where we're at. It's so frustrating. It's just the reality of our situation, there are some brilliant things, some really good things from our goalkeeper to the opposite end and creating really good opportunities. It's just that last little bit and at some point they will realise how good they are, have a calm brain and pass the ball into a space that contains the net."

    Luton first team coach Alan Sheehan: "The way the lads defend for each other is so impressive, that togetherness is worth a few points at the end of the season. When we go a goal ahead we rarely get beaten, so to get that goal and grind (the win) out was excellent. We're in an excellent place, the club is in an excellent place, it's a wonderful place to work with wonderful players and staff. Everyone is pulling together and when everyone is pulling in the right direction something good comes from it - and the togetherness at this football club is outstanding.

    "I thought it was a great finish. A long ball over the top, which is something we didn't do enough in the first half, getting in behind them. But the one time we did, that one moment of quality from either side in the first half…that ended up winning the game for us. You can't play unbelievable football every week, I think tonight was a night for the basics, the pitch was a bit bobbly and hard to gain momentum at times but we did the basics well and that was important. We stayed in the game, we defended our box really well when we had to and we probably had the better chances over the 90 minutes"

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