Colchester United's Dean Morgan scored his third goal in as many games to condemn Nationwide Division Two promotion hopefuls Luton Town to their third straight defeat.
Morgan pounced in the 58th minute to clinch a 2-1 win for Colchester and complete a miserable seven days for Luton.
Joe Kinnear's men have gone out of the FA Cup and the LDV Vans Trophy during a depressing week, and defeat to Colchester was the Hatters' first at home in the league since September.
Recalled striker Andrew Fotiadis had earlier fired Luton in front with his sixth goal of the season, but that effort was cancelled out by an excellently struck Karl Duguid free-kick in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Dean Crowe missed a simple chance to put Luton in front after just five minutes.
Colchester keeper Simon Brown then pulled off a brilliant fingertip save to keep out Steve Robinson's close-range header before Duguid's free-kick was caught by Mark Ovendale.
Brown denied Robinson again on the half-hour mark and Ahmet Brkovic's follow-up effort struck Colchester defender Mark Warren and went over the bar.
Fotiadis eventually beat Brown in the 34th minute, firing into the keeper's bottom left-hand corner from 15 yards after a strong run and pass by Emmerson Boyce.
But Colchester levelled the scores when Robinson fouled Duguid and was then penalised for dissent which saw the free-kick moved to the corner of the penalty box.
Duguid's punishment was swift, curling his free-kick around the wall and into Ovendale's top corner.
Ovendale charged off his line to deny Kevin Rapley in the 56th minute after Alan Neilson's sloppy backpass before Morgan netted moments later.
Chris Coyne's clearance was charged down and Rapley leapt on the loose ball before rounding Ovendale and crossing for Morgan to head into the unguarded goal.
Coyne came closest to grabbing a point for Luton with two long-range drives that tested Brown.
Captain Kevin Nicholls also hit the bar with an inswinging corner.