Luton Town vs Cardiff City. Sky Bet Championship.
Kenilworth RoadAttendance9,031.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Luton Town and Cardiff City at Kenilworth Road as Elijah Adebayo missed a penalty but then scored a late winner for the Hatters; Bluebirds boss Sabri Lamouchi loses first game in charge
Tuesday 31 January 2023 23:07, UK
Luton striker Elijah Adebayo made amends for a penalty miss by scoring a late winner to consign new Cardiff manager Sabri Lamouchi to a 1-0 defeat in his first match in charge.
The Hatters forward had seen a weak spot-kick saved by goalkeeper Ryan Allsop after 70 minutes but did not let it affect him, heading home from close range with time running out to take his side up to fourth in the Sky Bet Championship.
Town made a bright start, with Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu's fierce effort charged down, but Cardiff were a threat too as Sheyi Ojo fired straight at Luton goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.
Callum Robinson then had a go from even further out, deceiving Horvath, but his attempt clipped the top of the crossbar on its way behind.
Ojo had another strike which Horvath managed to get behind at his near post.
Luton made a good break down the right in the 26th minute, with Cauley Woodrow hanging a cross up for Adebayo to head straight at Allsop.
The Hatters threatened first after the break as Reece Burke teed up Woodrow in the area and his first-time attempt was narrowly over the bar.
The Bluebirds had a good free-kick opportunity that Ojo sent wastefully off target from 20 yards, but he went closer than most shortly afterwards, denied by a flying save from Horvath at full stretch.
Adebayo won a penalty with 20 minutes remaining when his flick in the area was handled, but his effort was turned past the post by Allsop.
Cardiff should have made the hosts pay just five minutes later when Ryan Wintle, with the freedom of Kenilworth Road when picked out by Robinson's pass, could only shank woefully off target.
Alfie Doughty then saw an ambitious volley whistle wide, as lively substitute Fred Onyedinma's cross-shot was fingertipped away by Allsop.
However, Luton kept going and with two minutes left, Doughty's deflected cross was headed in by Adebayo from close range - the fifth successive game he has been on the scoresheet and his eighth goal in all competitions this season.
The Bluebirds stay fourth bottom, just three points clear of safety, as Lamouchi now knows the full extent of his task.
Luton's Rob Edwards:
"It's a really good win, a really difficult game as you can all see. Sabri is new in and it's always difficult to go up against a new manager, a really experienced coach, good coach, who had a bit of time to get to work with them as well. It was going to be really hard to break them down, we knew that.
"I thought we went with the right intentions, we tried to do the right things, we tried to mix our game up, tried to play around them and at times go over or into our strikers. We did create chances and half-chances and almost moments, lots of crosses, and then missed a penalty. You start to think maybe it's not our night, but I'm delighted for Eli."
Cardiff's Sabri Lamouchi:
"We tried to put one plan. We didn't start very, very well, I saw the team losing a lot of simple things - control, passes, duels as well in the beginning, and even at the end. I think we deserved to score first, but in the situation we need to just stay focused to try to keep calm and with a different structure, to try to go away from these bad moments, because it's not the result we were looking for.
"I don't know if we deserved even this result because the team (fought) right until the end, but in the small details we were not there. I don't want to say we controlled Luton, but we disturbed Luton. Unfortunately, offensively we didn't believe we can do better, so step by step, we will try to do it.
"Of course, we did not create enough and if you don't create enough, you need to be ready to put the ball in. That's why at the end, after the penalty, probably the team were thinking 'we are close to getting the point', so the players are disappointed."
