Luton Town vs Huddersfield Town. Sky Bet Championship.
Kenilworth RoadAttendance10,062.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash at Kenilworth Road
Saturday 31 August 2019 18:46, UK
Luton picked up their first home win of the Sky Bet Championship season to heap more misery on Huddersfield with a 2-1 triumph at Kenilworth Road.
The hosts made it three victories in a week after triumphs at Barnsley and then Cardiff in the Carabao Cup, while the result means the Terriers are still without a victory since being relegated from the Premier League last season and sit second bottom in the table.
Luton had the first attempt of note, James Collins' blast turned over the bar by on-loan Liverpool 'keeper Kamil Grabara, who then managed to collect Kazenga LuaLua's low cross.
Andrew Shinnie tried his luck from 20 yards, curling over the top, before the visitors created a fine chance in the 38th minute, as Adama Diakhaby did superbly to beat left-back James Bree and then race away from Sonny Bradley.
His cross was met by Karlan Grant, only for the Terriers' leading marksman to poke disappointingly wide from close range.
The deadlock was then broken just two minutes into the second period, as a free-kick was not properly cleared by the Hatters.
Terence Kongolo played a one-two to break down the left of the hosts' penalty area and cross low for Grant to turn home from close range.
He almost had a second, shooting straight at home stopper Simon Sluga after a quick break by Huddersfield.
The Hatters were on level terms in the 57th minute, though, as visiting skipper Christopher Schindler caught Collins as he went to clear his lines, referee Andy Davies awarding a spot-kick that Collins expertly fired past Grabara.
Collins could not quite reach Harry Cornick's low cross, while Shinnie fizzed one over as the hosts looked to retake the lead.
They did just that in the 64th minute when Shinnie cut back in on his left foot and curled a sublime 22-yard effort beyond Grabara and into the corner.
Luton lived dangerously at times in the final moments, home 'keeper Sluga out to save well from substitute Steve Mounie after it looked like fellow substitute Elias Kachunga had been clearly pulled back by Bradley in the build-up.
In the closing stages, the Terriers could not quite fashion a presentable opportunity, Mounie flicking a header wide and then Grant unable to get enough on his effort from a flicked cross.
The Hatters held on, though, to climb up to 15th in the table, and they can now go into the international break in high spirits following an excellent start to life in the Championship.
Graeme Jones: "If you look round world football, three wins in seven days doesn't happen very often, especially at this level. You have to be totally committed, totally focused on each game, which is really, really demanding.
"The most important thing for me is we played in three completely different styles in all three games and I said right at the beginning of my time here, we'd have to be adaptable and we were."
Huddersfield caretaker boss Mark Hudson: "There are decisions that I totally disagree with today but there's no point talking about them or the good bits we saw. Some of our leaders weren't strong enough and until that changes we won't win games.
"The ref stopped play for a first-half head injury and then he doesn't for their goal, but we cannot just stop - we have to play to the whistle. We then let them dictate the play for a spell and we've got to be stronger. You have to show character."
