Charlton Athletic vs Luton Town. Sky Bet Championship.
The ValleyAttendance18,969.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash at The Valley
Saturday 22 February 2020 18:24, UK
Charlton put daylight between themselves and the relegation zone after running out 3-1 winners at home to Luton.
The three points put the south London side nine clear of Luton, who are rooted to the bottom of the Sky Bet Championship.
Both teams made three changes apiece. The hosts brought in Deji Oshilaja, Andre Green and Erhun Oztumer, while Luton started Harry Cornick, Glen Rea and James Bree.
The visitors started the game stronger in attack. However, Charlton had the first real opportunity after 14 minutes when Naby Sarr turned and shot in the area - but saw his effort rattle the crossbar.
Luton still continued to press, forcing a couple of corners that ultimately came to nothing.
The best chances still fell to the hosts and in the 27th minute Alfie Doughty shot just inside the area, which forced goalkeeper Simon Sluga to tip over.
Lyle Taylor broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when he was able to turn and shoot past the outstretched arms of Sluga, for his 10th goal of the season.
However, the lead - and the joy of the Charlton fans - was short-lived. Two minutes after Taylor opened the scoring, Luton equalised when the home defence failed to clear the ball properly, allowing Cornick to fire home.
Charlton should have retaken the lead three minutes after the interval after Taylor delivered an excellent low cross from the left, but Green was unable to fully connect to it and put the ball wide of the post.
James Collins had the ball in the back of the net in the 51st minute but he was adjudged to be offside. Oztumer fired over the bar five minutes later after connecting to a cutback by Green.
Charlton retook the lead just after the hour-mark with Taylor netting his second from the penalty spot, after Collins handled a George Lapslie shot.
Luton struggled to get a foothold back into the contest, but they almost forced an equaliser in the 78th minute when an effort by George Moncur was well saved by Charlton's Dillon Phillips.
The game was effectively sealed three minutes from time.
Lapslie played a one-two with Macauley Bonne, who was able to cross the ball in low from the byline, before the former was able to tap in for his first league goal for Charlton and put the contest beyond doubt.
Luton offered little afterwards and crashed to defeat after two straight victories.
Charlton's Lee Bowyer: "I thought we created enough chances in the second half to win the game comfortably. We moved the ball quicker, our movement off the ball was better. I thought we deserved to win the game.
"It was a big three points, they all are now. Every point is valuable - nothing is given to you in this league, you have to earn it. Today we earned the three points. There's a lot to play for, there's a lot more teams in this scrap than I think people realise - it's the teams above us that are going to get drawn into this."
Luton's Graeme Jones: "I've got no complaints with the lads, the big moment in the game was our offside goal, which we've looked at and it wasn't. They're huge decisions and they were given against little Luton again, which I don't like because at 2-1 up you're in the ascendancy.
"We give a silly penalty away and we're chasing the game. I've got no complaints from the players in terms of effort, having the temperament to play. But if there was ever something that swung on a big decision that was it. We were in a really good moment - if we had gone 2-1 up we understand how to control football matches, and I would have been very confident."
