Pompey failed to increase their advantage over the relegation zone after Saturday’s defeat to Luton.

The Blues put on a disappointing showing at Kenilworth Road, with Jordan Clarke’s 36th minute strike the difference between the two sides.

The defeat in Bedfordshire ended John Mousinho’s side’s three-game winning run and abruptly halted their climb up the Championship table.

The Blues boss was far from impressed with his side’s display on Saturday afternoon when speaking to The News. He said after the defeat: ‘We were really poor in the first half and shot ourselves in the foot by conceding the goal in the way we did.

‘It was too much for us. We huffed and puffed in the second half and had loads of possession, opportunities to cross the ball and set-pieces but didn’t put Luton under enough pressure.

‘There are games when if it’s not quite happening for you in possession and you can’t find that magic touch in front of goal you come away with a 0-0. But you don’t defend as poorly as we did for 45 minutes and that happens, so we’re really disappointed. I just can’t see why we started like we did.’

A win on Saturday afternoon could’ve lifted Pompey 12 points clear of the relegation zone ahead of a vital run-in with 22nd-placed Plymouth not in Championship action this weekend. Instead, Luton’s win now sees the Blues sit eight points above the bottom three, while the Hatters move above the Pilgrims in the table.

Meanwhile, Derby’s poor run continued with a 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough and extended the Rams’ winless run to 12 league games, who now occupy the foot of the table. Stoke could only manage a draw at home to Watford while Oxford United fell to a 3-2 defeat to play-off chasing Coventry.

In midweek, the survival race intensifies with Cardiff taking on Burnley while Hull welcome relegation rivals Plymouth to the MKM Stadium.

Next weekend, Pompey welcome league leaders Leeds United to Fratton Park in front of the Sky Sports cameras. The Blues will be without defenders Rob Atkinson and Hayden Matthews, with the club announcing after the defeat to Luton that the pair will be sidelined with long term injuries.

With the race for Championship safety hotting up, we’ve taken a look at the latest relegation odds from Bet365.