Under-pressure Luton Town manager Rob Edwards guided his team to a spirited and well-deserved victory over fierce rivals Watford in a predictably intense derby at Kenilworth Road.
The dominant Hatters, who were sitting in 21st place and had won just twice in their previous nine league matches, took the lead at halftime thanks to Jordan Clark’s quick thinking, as the midfielder deflected a Tom Holmes shot past goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.
Watford, who could have equalized on points at the top of the table with a win, struggled to cope with the home side’s physicality and failed to register a single shot on target before the break.
They fell behind 2-0 just two minutes into the second half when the impressive Carlton Morris, unmarked, headed in Alfie Doughty’s corner from close range.
Watford, currently in sixth place ahead of the 15:00 BST fixtures, rarely appeared capable of avoiding their fourth consecutive away league defeat.
Edwards was also able to enjoy a third goal against the team that dismissed him in 2022 when Jacob Brown found the bottom corner with a well-placed low strike in injury time.
Luton’s physical style of play kept the visitors at bay for most of the match.
Tom Cleverley’s Watford side did not force Thomas Kaminski to make a save until the 55th minute, when the Belgian comfortably kept out Tom Deli-Beshiru’s curled effort.
Before that, the closest Watford came to scoring was when Holmes nearly gifted them a goal within the first three minutes, overhitting a 45-yard backpass that bounced over Kaminski and narrowly missed the post.
After Reece Burke had a shot well saved, Holmes redeemed himself by setting up the opening goal following Doughty’s corner.
Another set-piece from Doughty resulted in a straightforward header for Morris, marking his third goal of the season.
Tahith Chong sent a shot over the bar from the edge of the box, and although Watford enjoyed a brief spell of pressure, Luton always appeared in control. Brown’s composed finish from a long clearance by Kaminski sealed the victory for Luton.