Chris Wilder says his Sheffield United players “chucked it away” and must improve their mentality if they are to climb out of trouble after losing to Luton in an extraordinary game.
The Blades fought back from 1-0 behind to lead 2-1 only for the Hatters to secure victory after two own goals in the space of four minutes.
A 14th Premier League defeat leaves Wilder’s side stuck at the bottom of the table, seven points from safety, before a trip to Manchester City on Saturday.
“We really should be talking about a home win. We really should be talking about us getting a third win [in the league], not throwing it away,” added Wilder.
“There has been a lot of positivity lately but this is a backwards step that hurts.”
Asked if his players were feeling sorry for themselves, Wilder said: “I don’t give a monkey’s how they feel. They are professional footballers.
“Everyone has to be accountable. These boys have got to have that attitude of being strong mentally.”
A howler by Wes Foderingham gifted Luton the lead when Alfie Doughty’s 17th-minute attempt slipped through the keeper’s legs into the net.
The Blades thought they had turned it around after the interval, Oli McBurnie equalising after Sam Allison – the first black referee to take charge of an English top-flight match for 15 years – played a smart advantage when James McAtee appeared to have been fouled.
With fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest winning earlier at Newcastle, the Blades needed all three points and captain Anel Ahmedhodzic fired them in front from close range after Luton failed to clear.
But two own goals – first a flicked header by Jack Robinson and then by substitute Anis Ben Slimane – allowed Luton to seal back-to-back Premier League wins after their 1-0 victory over Newcastle last Saturday.
Blades throw it away
Sheffield United will wonder how they let this lead slip after producing a stirring fightback in the second half.
After a recent improvement in results since Wilder returned earlier this month, this was a worrying step in the wrong direction.
After conceded an equaliser deep into stoppage time in the previous game at Aston Villa, they again failed to hang onto the lead against Luton.
They have reached the halfway stage of the season with just nine points on the board.
Wilder now has the job of lifting his players after a highly damaging defeat.
“We handed them the game,” added the Blades boss. “We can only look at ourselves. We have to get back on the bike pretty quickly. You can’t just turn a game over like that.”
Hatters show incredible spirit
Luton’s players celebrated in front of their own fans after a significant win that strengthens their hopes of climbing out of trouble.
The Hatters remain in the bottom three but are just one point from safety, with out-of-sorts Chelsea the visitors to Kenilworth Road on Saturday (12:30 GMT) as they hunt a third successive league win.
After the trauma of captain Tom Lockyer having cardiac arrest on the pitch at Bournemouth, Luton have shown incredible spirit to secure six points from their past two games which could be crucial to securing their Premier League future.
“I don’t know,” said boss Rob Edwards when asked if what happened to Lockyer had brought his squad even closer together.
“I get we have won two games in a row but we have been playing well for some time now.
“That said we do want to embody what Tom is. He has been such a success in football because of his bravery.”
Luton looked down and out after falling 2-1 behind but somehow emerged with a win from a remarkable encounter.
Carlton Morris came off the bench and orchestrated the turnaround, with first Robinson and then Ben Slimane putting through their own net to leave the Blades bereft.
