Elijah Adebayo led the line for Luton Town and scored a last-minute winner to snatch all three points from an entertaining game against Stoke City.
The 26-year-old finished clinically into the top-right corner in the 90th minute to add to an earlier equaliser from Carlton Morris.
Stoke forward Tom Cannon opened the scoring after just six minutes but the visitors, who acquired only four shots on target throughout the whole match, couldn't hold onto their lead and eventually lost what would have been a hard-fought point down in the South.
Had the Hatters been more clinical in this game, they could have gone two or three goals up in the opening half, particularly when Ben Wilmot was forced to clear off the goal line in a contested ambush from Luton.
Stoke did have their chances on goal but none turned out to be too threatening, a strike from Liverpool loanee Lewis Koumas being the best chance, which forced Lukas Kaminski into a strong stop.
From their victory, Luton now move into 14th, five points from the relegation zone.
Stoke drop two places in the league into 17th, and are four points above the drop after winning just two matches in their last 12 matches.
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Elijah Adebayo's goalscoring form continues
Luton's reply to Cannon's opener was quick, aggressive and tenacious. The Hatters never gave up in the press and on-ball movement was fluid between a team which, based on Tuesday's performance, shouldn't be in the bottom half of the EFL Championship table.
That played into the hands of the hosts, who continued to fight even in the 90th minute when fans started to make their exit.
It wasn't until, clinging onto everything they had, Stoke gave away a cynical free kick on the left, giving Jordan Clark the chance to ping a cross into a very contested penalty area.
Viktor Johansson had a busy night at Kenilworth Road which summed up his entire season as the Sweden goalkeeper sits on the most saves in the Championship.
During this run of play, Johansson punched the ball clear but was unfortunate in the next passage when Tom Kraub had a flippant, but dangerous, shot from the edge of the area.
It ran through the box with no real predictable outcome - it could have been smashed clear by a defender, ran out for a goal-kick, or into the back of the net, which it did.
Adebayo twisted his body and fired in his fifth goal of the season, the highest tally for a Luton player so far, and gave his side the bragging rights before both teams meet in their next clash in April.
It marked the third game in a row where Adebayo has found the net, and this time it was probably at the most important goal of his five this season.
In his last game against Swansea, Adebayo showed the same fight as his team did against Stoke and it paid off massively.
He pressed quickly and managed to get to a short back-pass from Swansea defender Ben Capango and finish from a tight angle to put his side into the lead.
That goal epitomised Luton's determination and, if they keep it up, not only could Adebayo be in for many more goals, but Luton could become an unpopular opinion to make the play-offs if they make a serious push up the table.
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Second half performance lets Stoke down again
Throughout the 2024-25 season so far, there has been some common themes across the Championship and one of them is Stoke letting games slip in the second-half.
The Potters have conceded 17 goals in the second half from their 20 league games so far this season. That, compared to nine in the first half, transpires quite a significant descend in their second half performances.
It's cost them many points and it's a huge reason why Narcis Pelach has only managed to pick up three wins during his time as Stoke manager.
The most notable results from Stoke's second half woes came against Southampton in the League Cup and Burnley in the Championship.
Both teams are much stronger than Stoke based on position in the English pyramid, but the Potters had very good performances against the pair before breaking down in the second half of both games.
In the Southampton game, Stoke went two goals down before revitalising their hopes in the second half, but a late winner - in a similar scenario to the Luton game - meant they exited the cup following that defeat.
The Burnley game was a much better display by Stoke, but again fell off in the second period to a Jay Rodriguez opener and Josh Brownhill penalty.
They have also thrown leads away, in particular against Queens Park Rangers which was the second game of this ongoing six game winless run.
Stoke took the lead through a Tom Cannon stunner before Ben Gibson scored an own goal just after the hour mark to drop two vital points in a league where the finest of margins could be the difference between relegation or staying up.
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Win for Luton could be a turning point
It would be harsh to say that Luton didn't deserve the victory against Stoke on Tuesday, and it comes down to the hosts' tireless determination which got them that winner in the last minute of regulation time.
Since their relegation from the Premier League, Luton have struggled to find the dominance they had in the Championship in the season they went up.
Despite being heavy favourites to return to the top-flight before the 2024-25 campaign began, just six games from 20 for Rob Edwards' side means they currently sit 14th in the table.
However, the victory against Stoke could be a turning point for the Hatters, who've shown positive signs in their latest fixtures.
At home, Luton are currently five games unbeaten and have earned 18 points from a possible 33 at home.
The problems come for them in their away form, where they have only earned three points from 27 available to them.
You would assume Edwards is pushing the important of away results, even if they can get a draw and earn one point, with a difficult fixture against Blackburn next week.
And if Luton can fix their away form, there's no reason why they can't make the play-offs, or at least get close to doing so with easier fixtures at home coming up against Derby County and Bristol City.
What will steer this turning point the most for Edwards' side is the offensive threat and the use of that to score goals, which was on show frequently throughout the game against Stoke on Tuesday.
Clark was a huge threat for most of the game, and Adebayo, although quiet for large parts, managed to score the all important goal at the end and finish off a deserved victory for the hosts.
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Stoke have the talent, but they aren't being utilised properly
With an abundance of loanees from Premier League clubs, Stoke have a really strong squad on paper which should push the team to do well, but the results have said otherwise.
The Potters have finished 16th, 15th, 14th, 14th, 16th and 17th chronologically in their six seasons in the second tier, and look to be undergoing another challenging year.
However, if Pelach can utilise his group and use them in a way which compliments his style of football, we could see the Potters thriving in the Championship in seasons to come.
Andrew Moran, on loan from Brighton, has been a magnificent pick-up for Stoke and shows real quality when playing deep with Tatsuki Seko, or higher up behind Cannon.
The 21-year-old has made 17 appearances this season and scored two goals with one assist.
Him, alongside Koumas, whose talent is highlighted amongst a group of players who often struggle to play enticing football, pose a threat to their opponents most weeks, but they can't seem to succeed under Pelach's tactics.
Koumas has played all over the place for Stoke, but more specifically on the right in recent weeks which has shunned his potential.
The Welsh forward played his best football on the left but leaves Pelach with a tough decision regarding his other threatening winger, Bae Junho.
Koumas has also played in the number 10 role, which suited him as well, though against Luton, Pelach opted for a 4-4-2 in oppose to his usual, and more successful 4-2-3-1 set up so there was no room for a central attacking midfielder anyway.
Million Manhoef shows real quality, but could opt to pass instead of shooting from all sorts of angles at times, but there's always the possibility of it going in with the Netherlands midfielder.
And Ashley Phillips, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, has made an incredible impact to Stoke's defensive line, and even adds maturity despite being 19 years of age.
The defender has appeared in 10 league games this season and will undoubtedly become better and better with experience.
Other defenders such as Eric Bocat and Junior Tchamadeu have excelled this season too, but Ben Gibson and Michael Rose could do better when it comes to their role after below-par starts to the season.
