Jordan Clark's first-half goal was his second of the season and his second in three games
Under–pressure Luton Town boss Rob Edwards steered his side to a spirited and fully deserved victory over fierce rivals Watford in a predictably feisty derby at Kenilworth Road.
A dominant Hatters side, who were 21st and had won just twice in nine league games before kick-off, led at the break thanks to Jordan Clark’s quick thinking, the midfielder diverting a Tom Holmes shot past keeper Daniel Bachmann.
The Hornets, who could have gone level on points at the top of the table with a win, could not deal with the home side’s physicality and failed to register an attempt on target before the break.
And they trailed 2-0 within two minutes of the restart when the outstanding Carlton Morris was left unmarked and headed home Alfie Doughty’s corner from three yards.
Watford, who remain sixth before the 15:00 BST fixtures, rarely looked capable of avoiding a fourth successive away league defeat.
And Edwards was able to savour a third goal against the side who sacked him in 2022 when Jacob Brown found the bottom corner with a fine low injury-time strike.
Luton’s muscular approach kept the visitors at arm’s length for most of the game.
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.
Prior to that, they closest they came was when Holmes almost gifted them a goal inside three minutes when he overhit a 45-yard backpass which bounced over Kaminski and went a fraction past the post.
But, after Reece Burke had a shot well saved, Holmes made amends by teeing up the first goal following Doughty's corner.
Another Doughty set-piece led to the simplest of headers for Morris - his third goal of the season.
Tahith Chong steered a shot over the bar from the edge of the box but although Watford had a brief spell of pressure, Luton always looked in control and Brown's tidy finish from a long route-one clearance by Kaminski wrapped up the points.
Luton boss Rob Edwards told BBC Three Counties Radio:
"It's been a tough start to the season, a tough start for all of us, we've taken a few hits - we've even taken hits during the game today, we lost two more centre-halves.
"People don't realise how hard this is at the moment, we finished off with two wing-backs at centre-back, who were incredible.
"I don't know where we'll be at for Wednesday but in the here and now, I'll enjoy it for 20 minutes and everyone else can enjoy it for the weekend.
"I care about this football club, I'm a fan as well as the manager. I don't like disappointing people and I've felt that this year - but today I felt the love and the passion [from the fans] around the stadium."
Watford head coach Tom Cleverley told BBC Three Counties Radio:
"We're all going to have to take what criticism comes our way on the chin, no one more so than me.
"We didn't compete well enough, we didn't do the dark arts well enough - they [Luton] try and pick out your weaknesses, they're on second balls and they're in the referee's ear and managing the time in the game.
"Quality-wise, it wasn't there for us, we didn't commit to playing our football, we showed little bits of fear.
"We made technical mistakes and that came from a lack of belief. Even when we do play out [from the back] with a little of risk, if one or two people don't really commit to it, then the whole thing breaks down."
