Luton Town 2-1 Bristol City: player ratings, MOTM, heroes & villains as Robins lose to Hatters

A streetwise Luton Town brought brought Bristol City crashing back down to the ground after the highs of the weekend’s Severnside Derby win.

The Robins were looking for back-to-back victories for the first time this season, on a chilly night in Bedfordshire a month on from the original fixture, postponed due to COVID-19 cases at the Hatters.

The West Country outfit played very well for large spells with several standout performances as Antoine Semenyo and Andi Weimann combined for the Austrian’s 14th goal of the campaign.

But either side of that score, City conceded from two set-pieces, as former Bristol Rovers defender Tom Lockyer met a James Bree cross three minutes before the break to net the opening goal, and did so again on 68 minutes for the winner, as Elijah Adebayo eventually scrambled in from close range.

Had Bristol City defended those two crosses with more vigour, the visitors would not have lost the game. Instead, it’s another lesson for a mostly young side, more time to spend on defending set-pieces on the training pitch and a trip to Deepdale on Saturday with the aim of doing better in their own area.

Tale of the game

On just three minutes Kai Naismith cleared a Jay Dasilva corner from under his own bar. Bristol City were still buzzing from the Severnside Derby and started the game well, playing some confident football.

Semenyo glanced a Weimann cross wide after 13 minutes as Han-Noah Massengo tried a reverse pass into the box and the game was being played in the Luton half. “We haven’t started yet,” cried Nathan Jones from the sidelines. He was right about his team.

Rearranged referee Geoff Eltringham (rather than the ghastly Andy Davies) was spotting the knocks on Alex Scott and City’s young central midfield were on top.

After 20 minutes, Chris Martin flicked a Scott cross wide as Zak Vyner waltzed forward from the block. The Robins were on top but just missing that cutting edge.

There was not a backward step as Luke Berry caught Massengo with a two-footed lunge, Pearson would be proud of that, before the Frenchman volleyed over the bar.

Control and dominance but no saves needed from Shea, with Luton legend Mick Harford watching on to see two of his former teams.

Semenyo almost charged down a backpass on the half hour mark, as we saw last season at Swansea and Millwall, as Massengo charged into Berry showing his physicality.

Martin couldn’t play in Semenyo before Vyner was beaten by Elijah Adebayo and Tomas Kalas darted in to the rescue. Glen Rea headed the resulting corner wide, on 37 minutes.

Vyner cleared a a Bree cross. Then Scott, Vyner and Pring all went down in the same move as Luton attacked on 39 minutes. An impact injury for the centre-back, with a jarred knee, led to a reprieve as the home side got on top, before the Hatters opened the scoring.

With their first shot on goal the home side scored, as Bristol City conceded a seventh goal of the season from a set-piece. A short corner routine saw Lockyer head in Bree’s cross.

Max O’Leary might have come for the cross, and it maybe leads to asking why Dan Bentley isn’t currently in goal. Luton were leading. Scott, Pring and Dasilva were outjumped, and the limitations of the Robins squad, missing three centre-backs, were exposed here, with Vyner off the pitch at the time too.

For all the territorial and possession advantage, City had failed to get a shot on target in the first half despite finding good positions.

After half-time Martin couldn’t make the most of a fine O’Dowda cross, following a lovely Pring backheel, but there was better to come.

Some good defending from Zak Vyner on 56 minutes saw a clearance collected by the powerful Semenyo who took three players out of the game to release Weimann on goal. The no.14 scored his 14th goal of the season, with Semenyo grabbing his sixth assist of the campaign.

City were back on top. Pring swivelled and Shea tipped over the bar following a corner and Nathan Jones, squealing on the sidelines, rung the changes.

But another set-piece saw the Robins undone. Pring brought down Adebayo and the Luton striker then met Bree’s indirect set-piece cross, via a fortuitous touch from Lockyer.

The West Country side had proven too weak at defending their six-yard box and the scrappiest of goals was poked in by Adebayo for his 11th goal of the Championship season with 22 minutes left to play.

On came the returning Joe Williams and Nahki Wells to give City impetus in the final 10 minutes but despite Weimann going close with a neat turn in the box and blast over the bar from close range, there was nothing more to come for City.

Wells missed a great chance late on too, hitting the post, as Weimann met an arcing Williams cross a minute into injury time but the game was up, with the 586 watching City fans sent back West with disappointment.

Heroes

Mick Harford: the former Luton Town and Bristol City striker - of 1981-82 - was on the sidelines after returning to football after a battle with Prostrate Cancer. Great to see.

Referee Geoff Eltringham: The substitute for Andy Davies and showed he can officiate. A good showing when too often the refereeing is very, very poor in the English second tier.

Alex Scott: The former Guernsey FC man excelled in the middle of the pitch and, along with Massengo, the pair helped City get on top in the game for the first half an hour, which included several classy touches from the England U18s playmaker.

Villains

Max O’Leary: The academy graduate miskicked at one point and perhaps could have come for Bree’s cross, though he was not helped by anyone attacking the ball in the centre of the goal, with Kalas, Martin and Vyner dragged away. Needed to be stronger stopping the second Luton goal too.

Timm Klose: The centre-back was not here but the 6ft4’ defender is at Failand training and proving his fitness. . And how another centre-back is needed, as the Robins looked too soft in the heart of their defence.

Referee assistant Mike George: The assistant referee was forced off in the second half with an injury, allowing City to regroup after Luton had retaken the lead. It led to seven minutes of injury time but City couldn’t take advantage.

Player ratings

Luton Town: Shea 6; Lockyer 7 (Kioso 87’ n/a), Osho 6, Naismith 6; Bree 6, Berry 6 (Campbell 61’ 6), Rea 5, Mpanzu 6, Bell 6; Muskwe 5 (Onyedinma 61’ 6), Adebayo 7.

Bristol City: O’Leary 4; Kalas 5, Vyner 6, Pring 6; Dasilva 6 (Conway 85’ n/a), Scott 7, Massengo 7, O’Dowda (Williams 76’ n/a) 6; Semenyo (Wells 76’ n/a) 7, Martin 6, Weimann 7.

Man of the match

For City, the terrific Massengo who showed plenty of running and kept the Robins moving forward, though Weimann, who was skipper for the night, was very effective too. For the home side, Adebayo who held the ball up wide and pounced for the second.

What’s next?

Bristol City head up to Preston North End, leg two of three away games in succession.

Luton Town host high-flying Blackburn Rovers.