Luton slide to defeat at home to 10-man Plymouth Argyle

Luton Town were beaten 3-2 at home by Plymouth Argyle despite the Devonians being reduced to ten men.

Plymouth had taken the lead through Matty Sorinola, before a Jerry Yates penalty brought the home side level.

Bradley Ibrahim put the visitors ahead for a second time in stoppage time, but a second Luton penalty after the break was scored by Nahki Wells, with Plymouth then seeing captain Joe Edwards sent off.

However, Luton were unable to find a winner and instead fell 3-2 behind when Ibrahim scored for a second time, in what ended up being the game’s decisive goal.

The result means Luton have lost home games against the two sides relegated with them from last season’s Championship in close proximity, having lost to Cardiff at Kenilworth Road last month.

Having been off last week for international call-ups, Luton had been hoping to push on after their comfortable win at Burton Albion in the last game before their weekend off.

They faced a Plymouth side who had started slower under former Watford boss Tom Cleverley, but who arrived after picking up 2 wins in their previous 3 outings.

The side who made the long trip from Devon to Bedfordshire would get the opening goal, when Sorinola met Lorent Tolaj’s cross and headed in a 15th minute opener.

Luton responded quickly, however, equalising within 5 minutes. The hosts were given a penalty after a foul by Brendan Wiredu on Lasse Nordas, and Jerry Yates scored the penalty to put the Hatters back on level terms.

The hosts could’ve taken the lead just after, with Plymouth keeper Luca Ashby-Hammond denying strikes from Zack Nelson and Millenic Alli.

But Plymouth had a danger of their own and having spurned a few half-chances, it would be Plymouth who scored the game’s third goal when they made it 2-1 in first half stoppage time.

Ibrahim was able to make the goal by himself, with the Plymouth midfielder swiping the ball off Nelson before firing past Josh Keeley.

Luton boss Matt Bloomfield made a double change at half-time and his side duly managed to grab a second equaliser, again coming from the spot. Sorinola was deemed to have fouled Gideon Kodua, and from the spot, Wells scored the Hatters’ second penalty of the day.

Less than two minutes after the second Luton equaliser, Plymouth then had Edwards sent off after the midfielder’s challenge on former Exeter man Alli was deemed worthy of instant dismissal.

With a player advantage on the field, Luton pushed for a third, with Yates missing the target from close range before Wells was denied by Ashby-Hammond.

An eventful game had a further twist when Plymouth had manager Cleverley sent off, but that incident would then be followed up by the visitors taking the lead for a third time.

Plymouth won a corner and somewhere amidst a chaotic scramble, an attempted Luton clearance struck Ibrahim and bounced into the Luton net to make it 3-2 to the visitors.

The Hatters pressed to try and make it 3-3, with Wells denied by Ashby-Hammond and the keeper denying Christ Makosso.

But despite there being ten minutes of second-half added time, Luton had no answers as they slipped to defeat in the mid-September sunshine.

Luton will be seeking to make amends next time out, when they make the trip to play Lincoln City.