Super Eagles-eligible forward Elijah Adebayo returned to action after an 11-week injury-enforced absence but was powerless in stopping Luton Town from losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday.
The 26-year-old was introduced in the second half with the scoreline reading 2-0 in favour of Wolves, but Calton Morris struck late to reduce the deficit, although the visitors were unable to complete a late comeback.
Luton Town have missed the services of Adebayo, who scored nine goals in the Premier League before being blighted by a hamstring in February. In the striker’s absence, the Hatters have badly struggled in front of goal as they dropped to the relegation zone.
Adebayo returned to the matchday squad ahead of Saturday’s game against Wolves, and made a cameo appearance as Rob Edwards’ side fell to a 2-1 defeat on the road. Hwang Hee-Chan opened the scoring for the hosts after 39 minutes before Toti Gomes doubled their lead five minutes after the half-time break.
Elijah Adebayo makes first appearance since February
While Morris halved the deficit with 10 minutes remaining, Luton Town couldn’t find the all-important equaliser despite mounting a late onslaught.
The good news for the Hatters, though, is that their second top scorer has returned to the field after missing the last 11 weeks due to injury. Adebayo suffered a hamstring injury in a warm-up ahead of the club’s Premier League clash against Manchester United on February 18.
It was initially feared that the former Fulham forward would be ruled out for the rest of the season but he has recovered in time to help Luton in their fight for survival. Adebayo replaced Ross Barkley in the 78th minute, and although he had very little impact against Wolves, his return comes as a huge boost to Luton’s survival bid.
The Hatters currently occupy the 18th position in the Premier League with just three matches remaining. They are, however, just a point behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, which means while Adebayo may have made a belated return, his contributions could still help the club to beat the drop if he rediscovers his scoring touch.
