Luton were knocked out of the Carabao Cup after a third round 1-0 defeat at League One side Exeter City yesterday evening.
A late goal from Deme Mitchell was enough for the Grecians to go through, and to find out how the Hatters rated on the night, see below.
1. James Shea: 6.5
Surprise inclusion when the teams were named as he began a first league contest for the first time since a 1-0 defeat at Preston in August 2024 in place of Keeley. Sadly it was the same scoreline as that day too, Luton beaten 1-0, although the keeper himself didn’t let anyone down. The odd underhit clearance, he was thankful that Wareham hit the post early on, as he did well to keep out a header from a corner and also saved from Cox's deflected attempt at the second opportunity too. Sweeney’s curler was too good for him after the break though, but he did tip over another effort from outside the box Photo: David Horn
2. Reuell Walters: 6.5
One of the five alterations in what was a much-changed Hatters XI from their 3-0 victory over Leyton Orient, as he was in for a first league start since the 2-0 win at Peterborough back in August, Town finally having a genuine right back on the field. Always showed for the ball as Luton tried to work the ball out from the back, taking up some decent positions and trying to find a team-mate. Took a quick throw to find Clark for a shot, while his tigerish defending meant he lost one duel all afternoon and was neat and tidy enough in possession as well. Photo: Liam Smith
3. Joe Johnson (STAR MAN): 7.5
Third game in the space of a week for the youngster as he was one of the main bright points, answering Wilshere’s call to show he can play during such a congested schedule and not let his levels drop. Looks full of confidence as he was happy to receive the ball and invite players on to him before driving forward, getting out of a number of tight spaces impressively. Good athleticism to get back and block some crosses too, as the only slight issue was giving away the odd cheap foul, one of which saw the hosts score the only goal of the game. Did win the most duels out there though and had a just under 90% pass completion rate, so could well have solved Wilshere's need for another left back during the transfer window. with nine Photo: Shaun Botterill
4. Teden Mengi: 6
Had so many touches of the ball, over 100, as he tried to get things moving from the back, creating some nice angles for his team-mates, particularly in the first half as some of Town's build-up was effective until it broke down in the final third. Yet again he had a high pass completion rate, but the majority of them were short attempts, as when he went long, wasn't quite as accurate. Doesn't always appear to react quickly enough or smell the danger at times, leaving a few balls in behind which allowed the hosts to get into some good positions, although did get back well to prevent Niskansen from scoring when he had turned Johnson. Definitely didn't need to see as much possession as he did in the closing stages when Luton should have been pressing for an equaliser. Photo: David Horn