Hull City 0-1 Luton Town: As It Happened

In a game of no quality whatsoever, a substitution from Nathan Jones has made the difference. 

LuaLua won the game late on but in truth Luton could and should have won by a bigger scoreline.

Biggest talking points though will be from the first half - Hull should have had a penalty - and after James Collins headbutted Angus Macdonald early in the second half, the referee amazingly didn't send him off, but only booked him. Hull were not good enough but they will feel aggrieved by those decisions.

 

Match Report to come later on!

GAME OVER! Luton Town win!

90+5 - Restarts after the injury. Luton winning all the free kicks.

90+4 - Stoppage. Blood in the face of a Luton defender.

90+3 - Luton slowing it down. They're in no rush. Ingram to boot this goal kick up...

90+2 - McCann cuts a frustrated figure on the sidelines. That'll be three games in a row they haven't scored.

90+2 - Sluga comes out and gathers. Doesn't look good for the hosts.

90+1' - Hylton could have scored then!

CLOSE!!!

90' - Hull pump it forward...

90 - Free kick to Luton down at the far side.

Five minutes of added time announced!

89' - Moncur's shot is blocked! Good effort there from the substitute.

88' - Free kick again to Luton. They will take their time on this!

LuaLua was the game changer. Looks like Hull are all but down.

Looks like Luton could be staying up!

Off comes Batty. On comes Keane Lewis-Potter.

Keane Lewis-Potter is readying himself. 

If it stays like this, Hull could effectively be relegated today...

Hull will be devestated. LuaLua cuts inside and from 25 yards and beats Ingram.

Lua Lua scores for Luton!

GOAL!

83' - Ingram saves the shot. Really good counter from Luton and Moncur should have scored.

82' - Hull throw in the Luton half. Elder to launch it in...

81' - Hylton has a chance there but drags the ball wide. Very close for Luton there!

81' - CLOSE!!!!

 

80' - James Scott wins the free kick. Nathan Jones doesn't seem too happy on the sidelines.

Ten minutes to go. More subs to be made?

79' - Scott wins the throw in his own half.

78' - Hull throw on the near side. Da Silva takes.

Luton change - Lee comes off, George Moncur on!

Hull claim a corner, but a goal kick is given. Seeing the replay the referee got it wrong. Some very very odd decisions from the referee today.

76' - Good defending from Da Silva. Just guides Lee out of play for a goal kick.

75' - Tom Eaves makes way for James Scott. He'll go out to the left and Magennis goes up top.

75' - Magennis almost lays Wilks in but the Luton defence clear their lines and Elder gives a free kick away.

CHANCE! Saved by Ingram!

73' - Tafazolli penalised. Hull need to stop giving away free kicks!

73' - Horrid from Glenn Rea. Right through the back of Wilks. That will have hurt! Free kick down near the near side. Honeyman on it.

Oooooo! Nasty!

72' - Hull yet to make a sub. Will they change it up?

71' - Luton looking the most likely here. Hull not offering anything going forward!

CLOSE! Mpanzu's effort is just wide!

Off go Cornick and Collins. On come Lua Lua and Hylton for Luton.

Back underway.

Big big chance there. Ingram puts the attacker off and Luton's chance goes begging. Drinks break is called.

67' - OVER THE TOP! 

Chances for both teams there. First Hull - no one gambled - and then Luton. Goals are coming...

CLOSE! Collins almost on the end of it. Corner to Luton. So close!

66' - Sluga gathers the ball and gets the ball going...

66' - BLOCKED! Batty has a pop but its well blocked.

65' - Handball by Luton. Free kick to Hull. Very scrappy at the moment!

64' - Luton knock the ball about, looking for openings...

64' - Soft free kick again for Luton. Been a feature of the game today!

63' - Goal kick Hull City. Header goes wide and it's Ingram to get the ball back in.

62' - CHANCE! MPanzu has his shot blocked and it's a Luton corner.

61' - Hull pressure but Luton clear their lines. They could counter...

60' - CLOSE! Lee strikes it but it whistles over Ingram's bar.

Luton will be furious the ref didn't play advantage there. They had the numbers in the box!

59' - Yellow card there for Da Silva - free kick to Luton on the edge.

57' - Back underway, there could be a few tasty tackles here!

Still can't believe that after the replay. Collins should be going for an early bath now!

That is a disgraceful decision. Collins threw himself at Macdonald, and he should be off the pitch. Hull will be furious. Let off there for Luton. If he scores today...

Collins will be very very lucky...

Surely the Luton player has to go!

55' - James Collins reacts to Macdonald's challenge and headbutts him!

53' - Hull will look to try get a foothold in the game here as they've been under the cosh since the start of the second half.

52' - Ingram punches the corner away. 

51' - Luton piling the pressure on. Batty comes across and Luton get the corner again.

50' - Hull eventually clear as there was confusion as to whether the ball had gone out or not. Everyone stopped!

49' - Corner for Luton Town. Blocked by Macdonald.

48' - Free kick comes to nothing. Free kick to the Tigers on half way. Neither side happy, studs up in the challenge from the Luton player Elliot Lee. 

47' - Batty gives a free kick away but again it seems very very soft!

No changes for either side at the break...

46' - Luton started this second half with more purpose. More physicality certainly...

45' - Surely a foul there on Stewart? But Luton get away with one...

We are underway!

Both teams back out...

And that is that. Half time at the KCOM. 0-0.

Into added time now. 

45' - Honeyman adjudged to be offside. Free kick to Luton.

43' - Ball back to Ingram is short but Ingram clears no danger. Goal kick given, and Ingram to take it.

42' - Good play from Cornick, and eventually the ball goes out for a goal kick. Better from Luton.

40 - Good play through the thirds from Hull, and Dan Batty very harshly penalised for following through with the challenge. Very Very soft... and Luton have a chance! Cornick had the chance and Macdonald slides in to block.

40' - Free kick comes to nothing as Hull clear, but Luton still have possession.

39' - Luton get the free kick over on the far side. Looked soft there, Elliot Lee went down very easily!

38' - Eaves header goes over the top, but good cross from Elder. Should have done better there, hit the target at least.

37' - Free kick to Luton. Honeyman pulled his man back.

35' - Grant McCann shouting from the sidelines not looking happy. Carter Vickers clears the ball for a Hull throw. They've had plenty but haven't tested Sluga.

34' - Fairly even so far from both sides. No real quality but plenty of effort.

34' - Tafazolli's header goes over the bar. Luton restart us.

33' - Magennis crosses and it's blocked, but it's a Hull corner!

32' - Ball hits the referee and play is stopped, as per the rule change. 

REPLAY - Definite shout for a penalty for Hull! If there was VAR here, Hull would be having a penalty kick right now!

30' - It was Magennis who body checked the Luton player there. Silly to give away! Da Silva had won the ball.

29' - CHANCE! Magennis has his shot blocked. Well won by Da Silva but free kick given for another challenge...

29' - Foul by Luton, Da Silva winning it this time. Ball going to be launched in by Honeyman no doubt...

28' - Ingram to take...

28' - Elder tries to cross but it's easily cleared. Hull win a free kick on half way.

27' - Goal kick given to Hull City. Correct decision as Luton were claiming a corner.

26' - Luton are looking for the ball over the top constantly. With two up top from them, though, you suspect this will pay off at some point.

25' - Back underway in the rain at the KCOM. Sluga starts it.

23' - Eaves penalised. Seems to happen alot these days... drinks break is called.

23' - Ingram gratefully grasps the ball there as a shot comes in from the edge of the area. 

22' - Chance for Luton - cross is cleared by Hull and the defense is made to work there. Throw to the away side.

21' - Tafazolli wins the header and then Wilks bumps into Sluga, but the keeper seems fine. Luton have the ball.

20' - Hull have a throw in...

19' - Luton clear again. Some pressure here from Hull after they'd gone quiet. Tafazolli gives the free kick away in the Luton defensive area.

18 ' - Carter Vickers struggling maybe? He doesn't look comfortable for the visitors...

18' - Nice ball from Da Silva finds Eaves and then Luton clear for a corner.

17' - Poor corner in the end from Elder, but MacDonald had a difficult task of doing anything with that.

HULL CORNER! Pressure from Wilks sees Luton play it safe to put the ball behind.

16' - Wilks tries to dribble through but Luton whack it clear.

15' - Eaves is isolated up front as a lone striker. Hull need to get him on the ball more.

14' - Free kick for Luton. The away side have had a lot of the ball - they look comfortable on it so far!

13' - Magennis flicks on but Honeyman can't quite get there.

13' - Luton want a penalty, but the flag is up for offside.

12' - Foul by Da Silva. Luton having lots of the ball...

10' - Hull try too much out wide and lose the ball. Luton get it forward quickly but nothing in terms of chances.

9' - After good work from Magennis and an overhit cross, the ball is recycled and Stewart has a blast from 30 yards but it doesn't trouble the Luton keeper.

8' - Luton still having a lot of the ball. Looking in for the ball in behind... Ingram gets the ball for the first time. First league start of the season for the Hull goalie.

Just a side note, Hull have not gone 4-4-2. Magennis is actually on the left, instead of up top with Eaves. Wilks is on the other wing.

6' - Honeyman can't believe Luton have won a free kick but it comes to nothing. Luton keep the ball, though.

5' - Stewart fouls the Luton player and the free kick is taken quickly. Dan Batty is down holding his head though... Berry took a swing at him there. Lucky boy the ref didn't see that...

5' - Luton look to settle it down. Passing around the back, looking for openings.

4' - Luton gambling with the ball over the top, and then Stewart wins the free kick.

3' - Close again! Wilks just couldn't get on the end of Honeyman's ball. Sluga gratefully grasps the ball!

2' - Tafazolli close there! Early pressure from Hull. 

2' - Honeyman's effort is tipped over and the Tigers have a corner!

1' - CLOSE!!!!!!

1' - Honeyman and Elder over this one...

1' - Early chance for Eaves, and then Berry takes out Elder on the edge of the box. Good start from the Tigers.

Luton shooting from left to right in this first half.

Underway!

Here we go! Luton get us underway!

Both teams are now out. Kick off almost here!

On come the home side to the pitch...

Teams about to come out...

Back at the start of the season, Hull City got their first away win of the season since March 2019 with a 3-0 victory over the Hatters at Kenilworth Road. Oh what they would give for that again today!

Keep it with VAVEL for all your updates from the game!

Despite six changes for the hosts, there is no place in the starting line up for youngster Keane Lewis-Potter, who was the only player to come away from the Wigan game with any credibility. A tad harsh? City fans on social media seem to think so...

Nothing to pick between either side, really.

Hull 6/4 to win the game. Luton 13/8.

The draw is 12/5.

Luton boss Nathan Jones spoke about the last two games of the season in his press conference.

“There’s only two games to go, lots can and will happen in these games.

"What we’ve got to make sure is we come out of the weekend in good shape, leading us into a game where, if someone told you we’ve got to try and beat Blackburn to stay in the league, I think there’d be a lot of people who would’ve taken that, especially six or five games ago.”

“We can’t defend like we did and expect to get anything from the game – it’s as simple as that.

“We were second best in all areas and just didn’t turn up. There’s no point in me trying to shy away from that and say anything different.

“We improved in the second half but the game was way, way gone by that point. It hurts and everyone was embarrassed by the final score.

“We’ve got to pick the bones out of the performance tomorrow when we anyalyse everything and go through it with the players.

“We’ve got a huge game to get ready for against Luton on Saturday and we’ve got to pick a team that is ready to fight and get the three points.”

He's changed it today. Will it be enough?

That's the current score at The Valley. It looked like Charlton had lost, but in the 93rd minute they've levelled it up!

CHARLTON EQUALISE!!!

City academy product Sonny Bradley will be skippering the Hatters today. Odds of him scoring against his old club? 30/1 first goal scorer, 13/1 any time. Worth a punt!

With De Wijs dropped it’s the Australian who wears the armband.

No surprise to see Pennington and Bowler drop completely out of the squad for their displays the other day.

Also, Brentford have slipped up and lose to Stoke City by 1-0 - surely a huge step taken by Stoke to avoid the drop? That also means Leeds United are crowned Champions.

Wigan still lead Charlton 2-1 at The Valley...

Plenty of activity on Luton's twitter - fans seem delighted Glen Rea returns for this huge game!

So, Long is dropped. Tafazolli and Macdonald come in at the back, and Elder is the skipper. Stewart and Batty come in as well as Eaves up top with Magennis. First time McCann has gone two up top since... ever?

Long, De Wijs, Burke, Toral, Lewis-Potter, Bonds, Samuelson, Scott, Jones.

Ingram; Lopes, Tafazolli, Macdonald, Elder; Honeyman, Stewart, Batty; Wilks; Eaves, Magennis.

Shea, Carnie, Tunnicliffe, McManaman, Hylton, Shinnie, Moncur, Lualua, Kioso.

Starting XI: Sluga, Potts, Bradley, Berry, Lee, Cornick, Rea, Ruddock Mpanzu, Carter-Vickers, Collins, Bree.

At the bottom of the Championship, all eyes at the KCOM will be on the Charlton Athletic v Wigan Athletic game currently being played. As it stands, Wigan are 2-1 up which would take them to 13th position on 60 points (before their 12 point deduction). Charlton will remain 21st on 47 points, two clear of both Hull City and Luton Town. 

Hello, and welcome to the live coverage of Vavel UK's coverage of Hull City vs Luton Town.

My name is Luke Flanagan, and I'll be covering the game today. This is a massive one for both sides and if ever the phrase "relegation six pointer" describes a game, this is it. 

Team news to come in around 20 minutes!

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Do not miss a detail of the match with the live updates and commentaries of VAVEL. Follow along with us all the details, commentaries, analysis and lineups for Hull City vs Luton Town. I'm Luke Flanagan, and I will speak to you on Saturday! Until then!

Luton Town boss Nathan Jones knows his side must be at their best as they prepare to face the wounded Tigers after the mid-week mauling by Wigan.

“The game could go either way and all we can do is just prepare us.

"I don’t want to keep repeating that because that’s a cliché but that is all we can do.

“It was a shock, we’ve had a couple here where we’ve been the ones dishing out the eights and sevens, we've also been on the end of a seven and they’re difficult results to take.

"What I imagine Grant (McCann, Hull boss) will be looking for is a reaction, now how big a reaction he gets, I don’t know.

"What we can’t do is second guess that.

"We have to be prepared and ready ourselves and if we play to the maximum of our ability and then we come short, then we hold our hands up.

"What would be a real shame is if we don't turn up the weekend and we allow Hull to get a foothold in the game and that’s what we don’t want.”

Cliff Byrne stood in for manager Grant McCann in the pre-match press conference and was optimistic about his side's chances.

"It’s another opportunity for us to go and put in a performance. Yes, the magnitude of the game has risen significantly with where both clubs are sitting in the table at the moment. There’s no-one shying away from that. There’s no-one sugar-coating anything but it’s a real opportunity to go out, embrace the challenge and perform".

"I believe the personnel within the team is very similar to the team we played at Kenilworth Road earlier in the season. The football club itself has been very similar – in terms of the personnel. Nathan (Jones) has gone back in there and that’s the only shift.

"We’ll just be fully focused on ourselves. We know what we’re about and we’ve got to be fixed and focused on what we need to and want to do. We have to play the game, not the occasion. The magnitude of the game is clear for all to see, but it’s up to us as a group to control our performance and work towards our game-plan".

If you want to directly stream the game, you can find it: Hull City fans - Tigers TV; Luton Town - iFollow (both £10 for a pass).

If you want to follow it on the internet, VAVEL UK is your best option! Keep it with us for the fastest updates and reaction!

(Possible 4-1-3-2): Sluga; Bree, Carter-Vickers, Bradley, Potts; Ruddock; Shinnie, Berry, Lee; Cornick, Collins.

(Possible 4-3-3): Ingram; Mcloughlin, Tafazolli, De Wijs, Elder; Batty, Honeyman, Toral; Lewis-Potter, Scott, Wilks.

Centre half Matty Pearson remains a doubt for Saturday’s crucial trip to Hull City after suffering an ankle injury.

The 26-year-old defender had started the first four games since lockdown ended, moving to right back for a number of fixtures, before being dropped for the 1-1 draw with Barnsley.

However, he was then absent for the 2-0 win at Huddersfield last Friday and 1-1 draw with QPR in midweek, and will not feature against Hull City either.

There were no other injury concerns discussed by boss Nathan Jones.

There were no injuries reported by assistant manager Cliff Byrne in the pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon. Fans were quick to take to social media to discuss Grant McCann's absence, with Byrne simply saying he was "sharing" responsibility by doing the interview. With no injury worries though, may see the Hull management ring the changes after the horror show against Wigan.

Luton have three draws, a win and a defeat in their last five games and are in better form than their hosts. Returning manager Nathan Jones has got a tune out of his players who looked dead and buried before the shutdown of the league, but have now given themselves a fighting chance of staying in the division.

Hull City suffered their worst defeat in nearly 109 years on Tuesday night, losing 8-0 away to Wigan Athletic. The Latics were 0-7 up at half time and shockingly, it could have been more. It has been a nightmare week for the Tigers and they will look to get their season back on track with a positive result against relegation rivals.

Both teams will be desperate for the win here to give themselves a chance of survival. Only two games remain for clubs to ensure they are playing Championship football next year.

Hull City vs Luton Town will be played at the KCOM stadium, in Hull, England. The kick-off is scheduled at 15:00 BST.

Welcome to VAVEL UK’s LIVE coverage of the 2019/20 EFL Championship match: Hull City vs Luton Town! My name is Luke Flanagan and I’ll be your host for this game. We will provide you with pre-game analysis, roster updates, and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.com!