Hatters given a right Royal pasting as Meite hammers four in Reading debacle

Luton’s hopes of staying in the Championship were left in tatters after a dreadful hammering at the hands of Reading at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

The hosts had gone into the game confident of cutting the gap to to safety and hauling in a number of sides, like the visiting Royals, after making an excellent start to life after lockdown, going three games unbeaten.

However those hopes were completely and utterly obliterated after a first half which saw visiting striker Yakou Meite notch a 17-minute hat-trick, as Town’s defence simply parted time and time again for the Ivory Coast international to take full and clinical advantage.

It didn’t get any better after the break either as George Kovacs and then Meite again were on target to pile on the misery as Town lost for the first time since Nathan Jones returned as manager.

In the end, there was not even any point looking at results elsewhere, as they mattered little on an afternoon where the Hatters looked odds-on to be playing League One football again next term, unless they can muster a miraculous recovery from this humiliating reverse.

Despite going into the game on the back of a tremendous 1-1 draw at Championship leaders Leeds United, Luton boss Nathan Jones made four changes, selecting a side that appeared, on paper at least, brimming with attacking intent.

In came top goalscorer James Collins, plus Harry Cornick, Izzy Brown and Elliot Lee, with Danny Hylton, Callum McManaman, Martin Cranie and James Bree dropping to the bench.

But despite dominating possession, they could only manage one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, opposed to the Royals’ 10, with half of them flying beyond Simon Sluga and into the net.

The visitors started better and really should have been in front on 11 minutes when Tyler Blackett’s low cross shot was palmed out by Sluga, Meite looking for all the world to net the rebound, only to see Dan Potts covering round to make a vital block on the line.

Luton were inches away from taking the lead themselves as Cornick did superbly to dink over a ball from the right and Collins just couldn’t keep his header down as it clipped the bar and bounced clear.

The hosts had appeals for a penalty as Matty Pearson thought he was tugged back in the area trying to reach Sonny Bradley’s flick, but nothing was given.

Town then fell behind in disappointing fashion on 17 minutes, when a long ball forward was picked up by the visitors, Meite being played through the by George Puscas, easily slipping the ball underneath Sluga.

It got worse just moments later, with a calamitous goal to concede, as a Luton defence, which had looked so solid at Elland Road on Tuesday, was anything but on this occasion.

Gabriel Osho’s tame cross wasn’t dealt with by Sluga, the ball slipping out of his grasp, while Pearson cleared Puscas’s follow up straight to Meite, who made no mistake in finding the bottom corner.

A shell-shocked Luton took a while to drag themselves off the canvas, Tom McIntyre almost adding a third, his effort deflecting into Sluga’s gloves.

Meite then did complete his hat-trick on 36 minutes though when sprung through by Ovie Ejaria, he easily beat Sluga, leaving the hosts staring down the barrel of a horrible defeat.

Boss Jones reacted by making two half time substitutes, James Bree and Luke Berry on for Brown and Ryan Tunnicliffe, as Luton tried to least gain some respectability to proceedings.

However, it was still Reading who looked the more likely, Sluga parrying John Swift’s shot behind, while those hopes were then wrecked on 57 minutes, Michael Morrison’s towering back post headed nodded in by Puscas.

Meite then had his fourth of the afternoon on 62 minutes, easily getting the better of Luton’s flimsy back-line to bear down on goal and find the net once more.

Luton had a sniff on 65 minutes, Collins unable to convert Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu’s cross from close range, and they should have scored late on, a good move leaving Potts in the clear, only to be denied by Rafael as Town’s six game unbeaten run, and realistic chances of staying up this term, went up in smoke.

Hatters: Simon Sluga, Matty Pearson, Dan Potts, Sonny Bradley (C), Cameron Carter-Vickers, Ryan Tunnicliffe (James Bree 46), Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu (Andrew Shinnie 82), Izzy Brown (Luke Berry 46), Elliot Lee (Danny Hylton 70), Harry Cornick (Martin Cranie 70), James Collins.

Subs not used: James Shea, Callum McManaman, George Moncur, Jacob Butterfield.

Royals: Rafael, Michael Morrison, Andy Rinomhota, John Swift (C Omar Richards 78), Ovie Ejaria (Michael Olise 70), Tom McIntyre, Yakou Meite (Garath McCleary 70), Tyler Blackett, Pele (Ayub Masika 61), Gabriel Osho, George Puscas (Sam Baldock 78).

Subs not used: Sam Walker, Chris Gunter, Liam Moore, Lucas Boye.

Booked: Pele 15.

Referee: James Linington.