Luton Town vs Huddersfield Town. Sky Bet Championship.
Kenilworth Road.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Luton Town and Huddersfield at Kenilworth Road as James Collins puts the Hatters in front but Naby Sarr earns a late point for the Terriers.
Saturday 6 February 2021 18:47, UK
Huddersfield's long wait for an away win continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Luton at Kenilworth Road.
Naby Sarr rescued a point for the visitors after James Collins fired Luton ahead.
The struggling Terriers are winless in six league games and haven't won on the road since October 31.
The hosts went close in the opening five minutes when Matty Pearson's cross was met by midfielder Jordan Clark, who couldn't beat keeper Ryan Schofield from close range.
Town had the lead on just 11 minutes as a fine pass from Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu found the run of Harry Cornick and his low cross was tapped home from a few yards out by top scorer Collins for a 10th of the season.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall curled well over as Luton looked for a swift second, while Lewis O'Brien lashed waywardly off target and Juninho Bacuna drove to the edge of the box before tamely dragging his shot wide of the mark as Huddersfield attempted to restore parity.
The Hatters should have been 2-0 ahead just before half time as Mpanzu delivered a wonderful cross to the back post where Dan Potts jumped highest but nodded against the frame of the goal.
After the break, a long throw into the visitors' area was met by Collins but Schofield was out to smother, while at the other end Pipa went bounding forward and didn't miss the bottom corner from 20 yards by much.
The visitors went close again but half-time sub Rolando Aarons failed to divert Harry Toffolo's cross on target from inside the six-yard box.
Huddersfield kept attacking with Bacuna shooting wastefully into the side-netting with team-mates well placed.
Luton might have grabbed a second with 63 minutes gone, Collins teeing up Mpanzu on the edge of the box who couldn't keep his effort down.
With 15 minutes to go, the Terriers were level when Bacuna's low free-kick was parried by keeper Simon Sluga and Sarr side-footed home the rebound.
Carlos Corberan's men almost had the lead moments later, as Fraizer Campbell picked out the unmarked Duane Holmes who couldn't turn his shot beyond Sluga.
Collins was inches away from giving Luton all three points in the closing stages, meeting Clark's low cross but Schofield did well to turn it behind.
In stoppage time, Terriers defender Harry Toffolo saw red for a lunging challenge on Glen Rea and from the set-piece the Luton midfielder might have won it only for his glancing header to strike the outside of the post.
It meant that the visitors ended a run of three straight defeats on the road, but are still without a victory away from the John Smith's Stadium since October.
Luton's Nathan Jones: "I thought after the first half we should have been more than one up as Pottsy's (Dan Potts) had a great chance, right on half time which would have made it two.
"We've had double the shots on target that they've had, they've had more possession than us, but they're a possession-based side in terms of how they set up. I'm quite happy with the performance, I'm just disappointed we didn't get the second goal as I think that would have been enough."
Huddersfield's Carlos Corberan: "After three or four minutes we started to dominate the game, started to control, but I think the mistake that we had in the ball, we didn't recognise the situation. In the second half, we found our spirit, how we could create chances and I think in these moments, there was one moment after the goal, we saw we could go for the game and we wanted to go for the game.
"We wanted to take the three points today, but at the same time they thought they could be close to the goal too, but at the end I think the draw was the normal result today. It's so difficult to control this game, in terms of the pitch, the conditions and the emotions of these types of games. We created some good opportunities, but at the same time we had to defend very strong with a lot of attention from the set-pieces they create because we know that they are good at set-pieces."
