HATTERS NEED TO FIND THE HUNGER

AT Elland Road on Wednesday evening, a metal column blocked this reporter's view of the Leeds United goalmouth for the opening 45 minutes. Not that it mattered. There was about as much action at that end of the pitch as an average day in the Sea of Tranquility.

- Chris Dunlavy

• Lost Luton searching for answers to slump

• Chris Dunlavy reports on another painful night for Rob Edwards' Luton Town in the Championship...

Not that it mattered. There was about as much action at that end of the pitch as an average day in the Sea of Tranquility.

Poor Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier must have been frozen to the bone as temperatures in West Yorkshire dipped into the minus numbers, but that was nothing compared to the icy feeling of dread that gripped Rob Edwards as his toiling Luton side slumped to yet another lifeless defeat their ninth in just 17 Championship games.

Goals from Sam Byram, Joel Piroe and a wonderfully deft Dan James lob earned Leeds a handsome 3-0 victory, but it was a scoreline that did not adequately reflect the dominance of Daniel Farke's men, or the total absence of meaningful resistance.

The Hatters finished the contest with 23 per cent possession but there were times in a one-sided first-half when that number dipped as low as 14 per cent.

Striker Jacob Brown touched the ball 12 times, none of them in the opposition penalty area.

In central midfield, Marvelous Nakamba, Tom Krauss and Jordan Clark had 79 touches between them. Ao Tanaka, the Leeds 'quarterback', had 133 on his own.

Difficult