Gloom for Huddersfield Town as they lose relegation six-pointer 2-0 to Luton Town
The Terriers fell to a 2-0 defeat against relegation rivals Luton Town, in a fixture Huddersfield manager Danny Cowley described as 'vital to the club's future', knowing that a victory would have seen Huddersfield reach 50 points and put them in pole position to secure survival.
Instead, two second-half goals, from Sonny Bradley and Elliot Lee respectively, saw the Hatters claim all three points and with it dragged the Terriers straight back into the heart of the relegation fight.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe visitors frustrated their hosts, remaining compact and shielding their goal with a plethora of bodies every time the Terriers made their way into the final third.
Huddersfield's defensive discipline which had served them so well in their previous three games was on show for the first half, as Luton failed to register a shot at goal.
But, like any good performance away from home, Luton withstood the pressure and were clinical when the opportunities came their way.
Huddersfield remain 19th but the gap between them and the bottom three remains at just two points, with each side below them still to play this weekend.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDanny Cowley made two changes to the side that picked up a point at Reading on Tuesday, as he brought Fraizer Campbell and Lewis O'Brien into the starting line-up, in place of Andy King and Steve Mounie who both dropped to the bench.
Trevoh Chalobah was deployed at right-back for the third consecutive game while Jon Stankovic was named alongside Christopher Schindler in the heart of the Terriers defence.
Huddersfield barely gave Luton a moment to breathe in the opening 10 minutes, pressing in numbers on every Hatters player in possession.
The Terriers looked a little more threatening going forward but were unable to create any clear-cut openings against a compact Luton outfit, who were always quick to get men between the ball and Simon Sluga's goal.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe visitors threatened on the break but, like at the other end of the pitch, the threat was snuffed out before it posed any real danger.
Emile Smith-Rowe looked bright in the opening stages and had two shots well blocked.
Stankovic had a header easily saved by Sluga while Lewis O'Brien tried his luck from outside the area but, again, it was routine work for the Hatters goalkeeper.
In first-half stoppage time, Chris Willock fizzed a ball across the face of the goal but there was no Huddersfield player there to meet it when it only needed a touch to find the net.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIn the second half, Luton made the most of their chances as Bradley rose highest to head home a corner in the 49th minute.
Smith-Rowe missed a glorious chance to level the scores as he did superbly to work space for himself inside the penalty area but fired wide.
At the other end, James Collins was played in and smashed the ball against the post but Lee was alert to latch onto the loose ball and hammer it past Jonas Lossl from the edge of the box with 18 minutes remaining.
Things don't get any easier for the Terriers from here as they travel to Sheffield Wednesday and host West Brom next week before finishing the campaign at Millwall.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHuddersfield Town: Lossl; Toffolo, Stankovic, Schindler, Chalobah; O'Brien (Bacuna 64), Hogg (King 64); Grant, Smith-Rowe, Willock (Pritchard 75); Campbell (Mounie 54). Unused substitutes: Coleman, Kachunga, Stearman, Brown, Duhaney.
Luton Town: Sluga; Potts, Bradley, Carter-Vickers, Bree; Ruddock-Mpanzu; Lee (LuaLua 80), Berry, Shinnie (Cranie 90); Cornick (Hylton 80), Collins (McManaman 68). Unused substitutes: Shea, Tunnicliffe, Moncur, Butterfield, Kioso.
Referee: M Donohue (Manchester).
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.