It was an evening that could have been a lot better for obvious reasons, but it could also have been a lot worse.
Bristol City's dismal first-half performance was well wide of the mark in comparison to recent showings since the turn of the year and against a side who harbour promotion ambitions, they were made to pay.
It took just over three minutes for Carlton Morris to open the scoring when he headed in Cody Drameh's cross after Cam Pring gave the ball away in a dangerous area. Losing possession became a reoccurring theme in the first half as Luton had the visitors pinned inside their own half.
Not to single out Pring, but he endured a really difficult first half and was lucky to escape a yellow card when Elijah Adebayo had the beating of him following a long ball forward. The makeshift centre-back pulled him back in desperation but he can be thankful for the striker's honesty in staying on his feet to spare his blushes.
A red card and subsequent suspension would have been far from ideal given how City are already threadbare of options. Pearson only named six players on his substitute bench, two of whom played 60 minutes for the Under-21s on Monday in Kane Wilson and Marlee Francois.
City did improve as the game went on but as the rain poured throughout the evening in Bedfordshire, the visitors never really looked as though they were going to find an equaliser. Here's the talking points following a disappointing night at Kenilworth Road.
A little context
Nigel Pearson didn't look for excuses in defeat and it's difficult to defend that first half performance with City outrun and outfought by a Luton team who played with confidence. But there has to be a consideration that the Robins are decimated by injuries and it caught up with them last night.
Luton sprang out of the blocks with an energy and intensity that caught City off guard and one which they failed to deal with. Rob Edwards' side played on the front foot, giving them no time on the ball which led to a series of errors and ultimately, the opening goal.
As mentioned above, six substitutes including two academy products who have yet to start a league game, Wilson hasn't featured in the Championship since October, George Tanner was suffering from illness and 34-year-old Andy King has now played 260 minutes inside eight days sums up the position City are in at the moment.
Seven first-team players were absent, including Matty James who was massively missed in midfield. It was always going to be a tough ask to secure a result at a place where City don't have a favourable record in recent years.
Give credit to Luton, Edwards had his tactics spot on. Allan Campbell stuck to Alex Scott throughout the evening, Carlton Morris dropped onto King to give him no time on the ball and Marvelous Nakamba was superb in defensive midfield, breaking up any threat City posed going forward.
It was the two strikers that caused problems all evening. Pring and Jay Dasilva, who in fairness improved as the game went on, couldn't deal with Adebayo while Morris had the beating of Zak Vyner in the aerial battle. Luton got the ball forward quickly, hitting those diagonals to the two forwards who caused problems all evening.
Luton were also first to the second ball, especially in the final third, which can't be put down to desire as City showed glimpses of that in the second half, but the fact they were a yard off the pace could fairly be attributed to fatigue.
Alex Scott escapes a ban
To pluck one positive from the evening, Scott escaped a booking and therefore the looming two-match ban that has been hovering over him for eight games has now been reset. EFL rules stipulate that any player who had picked up 10 bookings up to and including the 37th game of the season, would receive a two-game suspension.
Scott had been walking that tightrope since the 2-1 away victory over Preston at the beginning of February. Pearson played down the significance of it before the game in his pre-match press conference, but given how limited his options are at the moment and his influence in the side, the 19-year-old deserves credit for improving that aspect of his game.
Scott picked up his sixth yellow card of the season in eight games back in October, but has worked to improve that side of his game having acknowledged it during a press conference earlier in the season. That comes down to being more disciplined and timely in the tackle - a part of his game that has perhaps gone under the radar.
Last night, he wasn't as influential as he has been in other games over the last six weeks or so, which saw him deservedly crowned the EFL's Young Player of the Month for February. What's more, with Scott expected to leave for the Premier League in the summer, it's a relief we'll be able to watch his final games in City colours without the threat of suspension.
Playing with a diamond
Such was Luton's continued dominance in the first-half, and it only looked like a matter of time before they added a second, Pearson opted to switch formation to try and get his side to have an impact on proceedings.
Around the 35-minute mark, he decided to play with a diamond in the midfield with the two wide men in Harry Cornick and Anis Mehmeti barely being able to get themselves into the game. King played as the deepest midfield, with Scott more advanced on his left and Andi Weimann on the right with Mehmeti playing at the tip of the quartet.
Cornick then moved alongside Nahki Wells in attack to provide more support for the frontman who looked desperately isolated. Wells had little to no service in the game, which seems to be a consistent problem since the switch to the four at the back.
The change in shape brought Cornick more into the game and provided a physical presence in attack. Mehmeti managed to get himself on the ball more in the second half, in which he tried to engineer opportunities from tight areas before his withdrawal on the hour mark.
While City improved with the tactical switch, it did limit their ability to exploit wide positions with Jay Dasilva and Mark Sykes unable to fully commit to their attacking duties with the prospect of being caught up field with Luton's attack.
After registering no shots in the first half, City had six in the second period, albeit four of those came from outside the area and none of which forced Horvath into a difficult save. There's an element with City's second half showing that it couldn't have been any worse than the opening 45 minutes, but the improvement suggests that the diamond formation could be a consideration going forward.
It allows Pearson to play two up top, which he has openly admitted in the past he prefers while bringing Scott and Mehmeti closer together in midfield. It's certainly food for thought heading to the trip to Swansea.
Sykes' versatility
A quick word on Mark Sykes, who started at right-back in the absence of Tanner with the youngster deemed only fit enough for the bench following illness. Pearson has commended Sykes' ability to play right-back and the manager has often dropped him into that deeper role during a game which has then allowed him to introduce a more attack-minded player.
The former Oxford man started in defence against Luton and was arguably City's best performer alongside O'Leary. Sykes has been open and honest in admitting he much prefers playing on the right wing where he can influence proceedings going forward but he's proving to be a real asset with his versatility.
He has the intelligence to play an unfavoured role, summed up by his superb goalline clearance in the first half, the energy levels to get up and down the pitch and a grittiness that rarely allows an opponent to get past him. Alfie Doughty was the man tasked with going up against him, in which the duo were involved in an even and entertaining battle throughout the game.
He may have had his critics earlier in the season, but Sykes has gone about changing some supporters' opinions with his dedication while also making City more streetwise with on-field antics.
That's not to say he should be starting over Tanner, who is proving to be a very consistent right-back at this level, but it does raise the debate about how Kane Wilson fits into this side when completely fit. He made the bench last night, although there didn't seem to be any real temptation to bring him onto the field despite his attacking qualities.
Wilson did play 60 minutes on Monday for the Under-21s but given how he was predominantly signed to fill the void at right wing-back, it does seem difficult to see how he can fit into this side between now and the end of the season.
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