Luton served up a brilliant Sky Bet Championship performance to comprehensively defeat local rivals Watford 3-0 and claim the local bragging rights at a jubilant Kenilworth Road.
The hosts gave their fans a scare early on when full debutant Tom Holmes’s ill-advised backpass flew over the head of Thomas Kaminski, only to bounce inches wide of a post.
Giorgi Chakvetadze then saw his shot deflect behind as Luton went close when Reece Burke stayed onside, forcing Daniel Bachmann in a smart save at his near post.
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Jordan Clarke scores Luton Town’s first goal against Watford from an ‘untidy’ corner kick.
As expected the action remained frenetic, Tom Dele-Bashiru curving a hopeful attempt over the top from just outside the box
Town then took the lead in the 11th minute in the most fortuitous fashion as Alfie Doughty’s corner was volleyed goalwards by Holmes and hit the knee of midfielder Jordan Clark, who was actually looking to get out of the way, with the ball somehow bouncing off him and into the net.
Now dominant, the Hatters could have had a second in the 20th minute, another corner causing real trouble and the ball rebounding out to Tahith Chong on the edge of the box, but he could not keep his effort down.
Home centre-half Mark McGuinness made a brilliant sliding challenge on Vakoun Bayo, while Carlton Morris was freed by a ball on the left from Chong, seeing his pass to Elijah Adebayo just cut out by Ryan Porteous.
Chong went for a second, his effort deflecting into the gloves of Bachmann, as Chakvetaze showed that the visitors were not out of the game, finding space to rifle narrowly over.
A head injury to Holmes meant Daiki Hashioka came on at half-time and Town made the perfect start just two minutes in when another Doughty set-piece saw Morris left all alone at the back post and the Hatters skipper got the goal his performance truly deserved, powering a header past Bachmann.
Luton then lost Burke to an injury when overstretching in the middle of the pitch as teenager Joe Johnson had to come on, giving Town an even more patched-up defence.
Kaminski did well to keep out a curling attempt from Dele-Bashiru, before another injury saw Chong make way for Marvelous Nakamba.
Town now had to dig in, Doughty doing superbly to block from substitute Kwadwo Baah, as Jacob Brown came off the bench for Luton and almost had a third, his shot deflecting behind.
Watford had hopeful claims for a penalty turned down in the 71st minute, Daniel Jebbison’s backheel hitting Hashioka, but the visitors never looked like getting back into the contest and Festy Ebosele made an awful attempt.
Hatters great Pelly Ruddock sent Adebayo away, the striker denied by Bachmann, but Luton did score a killer third in stoppage time, Brown capping off a truly magnificent day for the Bedfordshire side with his first goal of the season.
Watford played the final seconds with 10 men as Angelo Ogbonna was sent off for his protests in the aftermath.
The managers
Luton’s Rob Edwards:
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Watford’s Tom Cleverley:
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