Bournemouth 2 Luton 1: ‘We should be top three,’ says Jones, but misses cost Town – Report and reaction

Nathan Jones lamented Luton’s finishing as they lost at Championship leaders Bournemouth, with the manager saying his men should be a top three side based on the expected goal statistic, but missing “guilt-edged chances” and conceding too easily is costing them.

On the south coast, with the scores goalless, an unmarked Elijah Adebayo squandered the best of Town’s chances, firing over from five yards after Harry Cornick had laid it on a plate.

The striker then chased down and blocked a clearance from goalkeeper Mark Travers, but couldn’t make the most of it when the ball squirmed loose.

But Philip Billing put the Cherries in front, showing Adebayo how to keep a cool head to stroke in Ryan Christie’s inventive dink over the top of the Town defence. And the attacker then turned provider a second time with a cross to pick out Dominic Solanke, who headed in from close range to put Luton at a two-goal disadvantage at the break.

Though Reece Burke pulled one back, turning in Luke Berry’s low cross just past the hour mark for his first goal for the Hatters, after Travers had expertly prevented a Bournemouth own goal, they couldn’t find an equaliser. Adebayo sent a header wide when he should’ve hit the target and Town slumped to their first defeat in five games.

Boss Jones said: “I’ve accepted responsibility in there (dressing room), tactically. But for 20 minutes we were excellent, outstanding. We move the ball well, got into good areas, we pressed well well and we had a glorious chance, a guilt-edged chance. You’ve got to score them in the Championship.

“If we score that then, yes, it’s an entirely different game because we’re not chasing the game at 2-0 down, for a start. Then Elijah has another chance, he presses the keeper and, out of nothing, they really get two chances and take them.

“We leave Solanke free, six or seven yards out and he doesn’t miss those. Then Billings drifted off the back of Gabby (Gabriel Osho), who actually had a bit of a job to do on him today, and that’s the learning curve because we had far more chances than them, better chances, more territory, but we just couldn’t get that goal and they have quality.

“I can’t say they defended better than us because we probably had the same chances as them, if not better, but the trouble is we didn’t take ours. Our XG (expected goals) is top three. We should be top three. If we take the chances, but we concede nearly every chance.

“Blackburn away. The first two chances Blackburn had, until we went gung-ho they were the only chances they had and they’re 2-0 up. We can’t keep doing that, in away games, home games, any game.

“We’re having enough chances to win plenty of games. It’s not like we’re nicking a goal and having to defend it. Maybe we’ll have to start doing that and just shutting up shop and trying to nick a goal.
“But we were defensively disciplined. We won the ball, we pressed them well, we broke, we had a great chance and didn’t take it and that’s what happens.

“But, in the second half I couldn’t fault them. We came out, we were front-footed, we penned them in and they weren’t the fluent side that they are in every game and we showed that we can compete massively at this level.

“We’ve got two home games (against Coventry and Huddersfield) that we have to make the most of because we’re a few games without a win now and it’s not for the want of trying because, at Bristol City, we had enough chances to win two games. Against Swansea, three up and it should’ve been four and five.”