Aleksandar Mitrović grabbed a hat-trick, with goals from Dan Potts and Kazenga LuaLua not enough for the Hatters to get anything out of the game.

The result sees the Town slip down to 18th with 13 games played.

Jones said: “I think the first thing we have to accept is, they’re an exceptional team with an exceptional budget. I think first half we maybe gave them a little bit too much respect, we changed it for the second half and really played on the front foot, we took the game to them and drew the half 2-2. So there’s some pleasing aspects.

“We were in the ascendancy at that point [when they scored their third goal]. We didn’t need to be gung-ho, we just needed to be playing each phase with a level-headed approach and the goal would have come, I have got no doubt. Composure, if we got the ball out wide, we would have got the second goal – we didn’t, Ryan gives the ball away with a bit of a rash challenge, all of a sudden you’re defending a wide free-kick, we didn’t defend it well enough, a Premier League striker scores two goals. But you look at yourself first, it can be prevented, we don’t have to give it away. I think Ryan gives the pass away and then reacts to it. So that’s disappointing, but I am thinking Harry Cornick had a fantastic chance at 1-0, there were key moments that didn’t go our way and went Fulham’s way and that’s probably why we lost.

“The players need to know that that’s our DNA now [to create chances]. I think we were joint fifth top goalscorers going into tonight. It’s Luton Town, with the greatest respect, you have to speak about the budgets, it’s not a level playing field. So for us to achieve that at Fulham is good, but we want to win football matches, that’s what we’re here for. There’s another level of the game we need to go to be killers, be ruthless, do whatever it takes, to win the game and we are getting there, we are definitely getting there, it’s just frustrating that we have taken a bit of a step backwards tonight.”