Matt Bloomfield’s pursuit continues for his initial win as Luton Town manager
Watford halted a bleak streak of five consecutive home losses with a convincing victory against relegation-threatened Luton Town in the M1 derby at Vicarage Road.
Tom Dele-Bashiru scored from the penalty spot after Mamadou Doumbia was fouled, and Edo Kayembe extended the lead with an easy tap-in.
Luton, having secured just one victory in their last 26 away matches over two seasons, struggled to create a significant chance on goal in the first half, with manager Matt Bloomfield continuing to look for his first win since assuming control in mid-January.
Their team was overhauled during the winter transfer window, yet with some players unfamiliar with English football and others promoted from League One like Bloomfield himself, he was relying on a quick cohesion, which has not yet occurred.
The win pushes Watford to ninth in the Championship, three points away from the play-off spots, while Luton stays at the bottom, five points adrift of safety with only 12 matches remaining.
The Hatters spent a decade and achieved four promotions to ascend from non-league to the Premier League, but they now face a real threat of dropping back two tiers in consecutive seasons after their departure from the top division last year.
They welcomed center-forward Carlton Morris back into the lineup after his recovery from illness, while Watford replaced the injured Moussa Sissoko with Tom Ince and made a change at right-back, bringing in Jeremy Ngakia—choosing to keep Vakoun Bayo on the bench following his three-match suspension.
Ngakia was shown a quick yellow card for a bad challenge on Lasse Nordas, which could have been a red if officiated by a stricter referee than Andrew Kitchen, as Luton appeared the more dominant side in the first 10 minutes.
However, they lagged when Mads Andersen attempted to guide the ball back to keeper Thomas Kaminski, who tripped Doumbia in the box while sliding out to retrieve it.
Dele-Bashiru scored from the penalty spot, marking his fourth goal of the season, while Imran Louza had an opportunity to double the lead after finding space on the edge of the box, but his left-footed shot went directly at Kaminski.
The second quickly followed, however, as Giorgi Chakvetadze outpaced Andersen on the left and evaded a desperate challenge from Amari’i Bell before laying the ball off to Kayembe, who was unable to – and did not – fail from two yards.
All the pressure rested on Bloomfield, who departed from a promotion effort with Wycombe, to generate something exceptional to uplift his team, yet Watford maintained the more significant threat with Georgia’s attacking midfielder Chakvetadze causing anxiety nearly every time he controlled the ball.
Andersen’s soft header hitting the net’s roof was the nearest Luton – who triumphed 3-0 when the teams clashed at Kenilworth Road earlier this season – got to responding before halftime, and he later received a yellow card for obstructing Ince as he moved ahead.
A reassessment was necessary, so Bloomfield introduced Jacob Brown and Shandon Baptiste at the beginning of the second half, while also handing an English Football League (EFL) debut to Congo centre-back Christ Makosso. However, an unmarked Isaiah Jones squandered an opportunity to lessen the gap by volleying wide after Morris evaded Kevin Keben’s challenge to deliver the cross.
Luton has not claimed victory in a league match at Vicarage Road since 1994, and while they had greater possession with Watford choosing to defend their lead and provide only occasional attacks, they lacked the skill to breach the home defense.
Morris departed after 83 minutes, unable to find the net for the 10th consecutive game across all competitions, and Chakvetadze prompted a solid late save from Kaminski as Watford achieved their first home league victory since December 26.
