Elijah Adebayo gave Luton an early lead before Portsmouth hit back immediately through Gassan Ahadme, with the Town unable to grab a winner despite coming close to taking the lead on several occasions.
With the Kenilworth Road faithful making themselves heard for the first time since Christmas, the game started at a fast tempo.
Jordan Clark’s early corner was cleared before it was floated back into the danger area, with ‘keeper Alex Bass left stranded as Harry Cornick headed towards goal, but his effort was cleared before Potts’ rebound was blocked inside the penalty box.
New signing Fred Onyedinma threatened the Pompey goal early on, cutting in from the left and firing wide from outside the box before setting up Luton’s opener inside ten minutes.
After once again cutting in from the right, the former Wycombe man slipped a neat ball into the path of Elijah Adebayo, who turned with his first touch and calmly finished into the far corner.
It wasn’t long before Portsmouth grabbed the equaliser. A long ball from Bass was flicked on by John Marquis, with new signing Gassan Ahadme finishing past Sluga to draw Pompey level.
Luton reacted well to Pompey’s equaliser. Onyedinma once again worked some space down the left, with Bass making a smart stop at his front post to keep the scores level.
Onyedinma was proving to be Luton’s most prominent creative spark in the first half, showing his speed and dribbling ability on numerous occasions as he frequently drove forwards down the left flank.
Jordan Clark drove through the middle and found Onyedinma down the left, who crossed in off his right foot with Cornick darting across goal, forcing Bass to punch clear.
Minutes before half-time Luton almost took the lead through the ever-influential Onyedinma. Bradley floated a diagonal ball into Adebayo, who knocked a header towards the former Wycombe man, but his first-time effort was saved by Bass low to his right.
Luton started the second half in similar vein to the first, with Onyedinma and Adeabyo once again linking up. Onyedinma crossed from the left and Adebayo glanced towards goal, but his header was straight at Bass.
Ten minutes into the second half Harry Cornick came close to giving the Hatters lead. Adebayo received with his back to goal and found the onrushing Cornick through down the right, who charged forward and struck across goal with Bass once again saving well.
The Hatters made five changes with twenty-five minutes remaining, with the replacements fitting in seamlessly as Luton upped the ante on their League One opponents.
Full-back James Bree was the next player to come close to giving the Hatters the lead. After a spell of possession in Pompey’s half, substitute Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu worked the ball out towards Bree on the right, who unleashed a fierce low drive that shaved the outside of the far post.
Bree delivered a dangerous out-swinging corner that Dan Potts headed against the crossbar with a powerful header at the back post late on, as the Hatters were unable to break through the Pompey defence in the closing stages.
TOWN: Sluga (Shea 65), Bree (Kioso 80), Burke, Bradley (Osho 65), Potts, Rea (Naismith 65), Campbell (Perreira 80), Clark, Cornick (Mpanzu 65), Onyedinma (Mendes Gomes 65), Adebayo
Goals: Adebayo (10)
