5 games that cost Roberto Di Matteo the Aston Villa job

August 10, 2016: Luton Town 3-1 Aston Villa (EFL Cup)

Luton’s Gray celebrates his goal against the Villans – Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

After suffering a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in their Championship opener the weekend before, at least the Villans would earn their first win of the season at the second attempt, against League Two opponents Luton, right?

Nope.

Despite Jordan Ayew giving the visitors the lead inside 13 minutes, Jake Gray equalised with a tidy finish ten minutes short of the interval, before a second-half strike from Cameron McGeehan, plus an own goal from defender Jores Okore, summed up Di Matteo’s evening at Kenilworth Road as Villa crashed out of the EFL Cup in the first round.