Luton 3 Huddersfield 3: Adebayo brace breaks duck but Terriers let ‘off the hook’

Revenge should’ve been a dish best served with a double helping of Elijah Adebayo, but Luton boss Nathan Jones admitted his men let Huddersfield “off the hook” by conceding three goals from corners and scoring two of them. 

The Town striker finally ended a 12-game duck to bag a first-half brace, but both were to rescue the Hatters after they’d twice handed the visitors the lead. 

Jordan Clark put the hosts ahead at the break, but after Carlton Morris broke the deadlock by heading an own goal and Dan Potts – on his 200th appearance – handled to let Jordan Rhodes score from the spot, Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu came on for the second half and also nodded into his own net. 

For a Huddersfield side bottom of the division for expected goals, they were gifts. 

Manager Jones said: “Every time they had a set play it looked like we were going to head it in. We scored two own goals, didn’t do the basics well enough, but apart from that we were magnificent. 

“We had 24 shots, 11 on target, three goals. We wanted to be aggressive. We targeted certain areas and certain people. Really, the game-plan was perfect apart from we just could not head the ball out of our 18-yard box when they had a set play. 

“I think they only had four set plays and three of them went in. We’ve headed two in ourselves. That’s not good enough. We can’t do that. 

“To score three at home and be as dominant as we are, we’ve let them off the hook again. 

“We should’ve beaten them last year, that’s the thing for me. Last year, I don’t understand how we didn’t go to Wembley. 

“I can’t understand the amount of chances we missed. We’ve let them off the hook again tonight and that’s really devastating for me.”

It took the shine away from Adebayo, who re-announced himself on the Championship stage after a frustrating start to the season that limped along almost as much as his late, last-throw-of-the-dice cameo in the play-off semi-final heartbreak against Huddersfield in May. 

There, at the John Smith’s Stadium, clearly still injured, Adebayo hobbled around pitifully to no avail, but here he was back to his devastating best, bullying Terriers defender Luke Mbete for his second. He should have finished on the winning side. 

Alongside Morris, who came away with assists for both of Adebayo’s goals, Town had been exhilarating in attack. But, at the back, they’d provided nothing but gifts for the basement boys. 

It wasn’t quite the woe at home to Wigan, but they keep conceding goals at Kenilworth Road – seven in the last four – so after netting three, to come away with just a point, is frustrating in the extreme.