Less than nine months ago Luton were competing in the Premier League but the prospect of League One football next season is looking increasingly likely after this crushing derby defeat at Watford.
A run of 12 league games without a victory paints a bleak picture for the Championship’s bottom club and their new manager, Matt Bloomfield, is still looking for a first win since his arrival last month following the departure of Rob Edwards.
Tom Dele‑Bashiru’s early penalty put Watford in charge in a febrile atmosphere at Vicarage Road. A dazzling run from Giorgi Chakvetadze created the second goal for Edo Kayembe as Watford avenged their dismal defeat at Kenilworth Road in October.
This convincing win, which ended a run of five successive home defeats, also reignited the possibility of a playoff challenge, with Tom Cleverley’s team only three points off the top six. Luton were blown away in a windswept Hertfordshire to hand their fans a disconsolate journey back up the M1 to Bedfordshire as their relegation fears were exacerbated.
Bloomfield, who swapped a promotion push in the division below with Wycombe to take on a daunting challenge at Luton, said: “Of course we have to believe in that [stay up]. The boys are fighting and you saw that second half. We have to have the belief to take one of those opportunities but we need to do that at 0-0 and not 2-0 down.”
His optimism did not tally with his team’s toothless display and their status as the lowest scorers in the league offers little suggestion they can overhaul the five-point gap to the last safe spot. Bloomfield said: “The players are obviously extremely disappointed with the result and we’re really disappointed we’ve not given the supporters something to cheer about after turning up in incredible numbers.”
Watford flew into the early challenges with the players eager to prove a point after their abject performance in that first derby of the season.
Luton’s hopes unravelled early on after conceding a penalty. Mads Andersen dithered in defence, trying to shepherd the ball back to his goalkeeper, with Thomas Kaminski clumsily bringing down the striker Mamadou Doumbia. Dele-Bashiru stepped up and fired low past Kaminski to spark delight for the home fans.
The early breakthrough reinforced Watford’s confidence and their impressive captain, Imran Louza, flashed a shot towards goal from the edge of the area but Kaminski safely held the effort.
Luton’s afternoon took a turn for the worse after conceding for the second time. Chakvetadze’s mesmerising run into the penalty area bewildered the defence and the Georgia midfielder squared the ball for Kayembe to tap home his eighth goal of the season.
Cleverley said: “I thought today was comfortably our best first-half performance this season. We were first to every second ball, we were winning every duel. I thought we really rose to the challenge and managed to guide the game in the way we wanted to. I couldn’t be more pleased with the performance.”
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
Andersen headed over before the break with the home goalkeeper, Egil Selvik, untested. At the other end, Chakvetadze remained an attacking threat and struck a long-range shot which was comfortably saved. Luton forced their first attempt on target just before half-time with Alfie Doughty’s fierce shot parried to safety by Selvik.
Luton’s dire plight was summed up by Bloomfield’s decision to make a triple substitution at the break with Jacob Brown, Christ Makosso and Shandon Baptiste all brought on in attempt to spark belated life into their team.
Shooting towards their fans, Luton started the half with more purpose and Isaiah Jones struck a venomous volley just over the crossbar from Carlton Morris’s cross. This proved a rare foray, though, and they were unable to build any momentum.
Another incisive Watford attack almost resulted in a third goal with Kayembe playing in Louza but the midfielder blasted his strike narrowly over the target.
Chakvetadze almost capped his influential performance with the goal he merited after another direct run but his strike was pushed round the post by Kaminski. It did not matter, with Watford claiming the bragging rights, after a result that will leave Luton fearing the worst with only 12 matches to save their season.
