Luton Town Edge Towards Premier League Trap Door in Wolverhampton Wanderers Defeat

Wolverhampton Wanderers earned their first Premier League win in six matches as goals from Hwang Hee-chan and Toti Gomes secured a 2-1 victory over Luton Town. 

Hwang put Wolves in front when he cut inside and saw his shot deflected into the bottom corner on 38 minutes, and Toti headed in from Mario Lemina’s cross on 50 minutes to give Luton a mountain to climb in their bid for top flight survival. 

Carlton Morris volleyed in from close range with 10 minutes remaining as Town rallied late on, but they failed to seriously test José Sá in the Wolves goal thereafter, and Gary O’Neil’s side claimed a deserved victory at Molineux.

The Hatters started brightly when Ross Barkley let rip from 25 yards and forced Sá to dive to his right and parry the ball away. However, Wolves swiftly took control, and Hwang forced Thomas Kaminski into a low save after racing onto Lemina’s through ball.

Town played an open, attacking game and created another opportunity to score on 37 minutes when Jordan Clark crossed from the left and Morris rose to head towards goal, but Toti did just enough to prevent the Luton striker from making firm contact.

Approximately 20 seconds after Sá collected Morris’ effort, Wolves were ahead. The home keeper kicked upfield to Matheus Cunha who wriggled free of Reece Burke and passed to Hwang. The South Korean twisted and turned in the box before shifting onto his right foot and finishing into the bottom right corner, via a deflection off the outstretched left leg of Teden Mengi. 

After the VAR controversy in midweek that saw Wolves harshly denied an equalising goal against Bournemouth, the home fans inside Molineux cheered sarcastically when referee David Coote eventually awarded Hwang’s goal against Luton. 

Emboldened by Hwang’s first goal in 2024, the old gold doubled their lead five minutes into the second half. João Gomes’ short corner was eventually whipped into the box by Lemina, where Toti escaped Daiki Hashioka’s feeble attempt to mark him and dived to head in from six yards out.

From then on Town appeared jaded and defeated, and could have fallen further behind when Nelson Semedo ran into acres of space down the right flank, a result of Rob Edwards shifting Alfie Doughty to right wing-back, substituting Hashioka and replacing him with Cauley Woodrow. The Portuguese eventually rolled onto his left foot but saw his tame shot saved by the legs of Kaminski. 

Luton did manage to halve the deficit in bizarre circumstances on 80 minutes. Doughty’s left-wing corner was met by Woodrow, who miscued his wild volley which flew straight back to Town’s number 45. Doughty then crossed to Burke at the back post, whose header back across the box was instinctively volleyed into the net by Morris from eight yards. 

Despite Wolves’ dominance throughout the game, the stage was set for a grandstand finish at Molineux. However, Luton seemed incapable of exerting themselves and applying some more pressure on the Wolves goal, despite some positive touches from returning striker Elijah Adebayo who came off the bench on 78 minutes. 

In one final push, Town substitute Luke Berry saw his half-volley held comfortably by Sá. As Coote blew his whistle one last time, Luton’s players dropped to their knees before applauding their 3,000 travelling fans. Edwards then walked the length of the pitch before being serenaded by The South Bank. While the home fans sang “Super Robbie Edwards” to the man who represented Wolves 111 times as a player, the Luton manager appeared despondent. The Hatters have three games left to save their Premier League status.

Yoane Wissa Nets Twice as Brentford Thrash Luton to Dent Hatters’ Premier League Survival Hopes

Brentford produced a five-star performance in a 5-1 win over Luton Town at Kenilworth Road, practically assuring the Bees of Premier League survival and severely damaging the Hatters’ hopes of staying up. 

Yoane Wissa scored twice in the first half as the rampant Bees took control. Then Ethan Pinnock headed in from Sergio Reguilon’s corner, and Keane Lewis-Potter bundled in from Bryan Mbuemo’s cross to make it 4-0 on 64 minutes. 

Substitute Kevin Schade added salt to the Luton wound with four minutes of normal time remaining, before Luke Berry pounced on a rare Brentford mistake to score a goal that gave Town little consolation in second-half stoppage time.

Spirits were high at Kenilworth Road when Town manager Rob Edwards named Teden Mengi, Gabriel Osho and Albert Sambi Lokonga in his starting lineup – three influential players who had missed recent matches through injury. 

After a minute of applause in memory of late former Luton manager Joe Kinnear, Town made a positive start when Alfie Doughy stung the palms of Brentford keeper Mark Flekken. But Brentford swiftly gained control and were unfortunate not to take the lead when Lewis-Potter saw his close-range header saved brilliantly by Luton stopper Thomas Kaminski. 

Thomas Frank’s Bees did break through on 24 minutes when Kristoffer Ajer passed upfield to Mbuemo who played Wissa through on goal. The Brentford number 11 took his shot early and caught Kaminski by surprise, curling into the top right corner from the edge of the box. 

Brentford were highly effective on the counter attack and came mighty close to doubling their lead when Reguilon surged forwards and laid to Wiss, who subsequently rolled to Mbuemo on the edge of the box. The Cameroon international curled a left-footed shot against the bar with Kaminski rooted to the spot. 

The intelligent movement of Brentford’s attacking players caused the hosts endless problems. Wissa was at the centre of the action once again in stoppage time when he exchanged passes with Mikkel Damsgaard and rolled out to Mbuemo on the right flank. Reece Burke made a complete mess of his attempt to clear Mbuemo’s low cross, and Wissa was waiting to gratefully poke past Kaminski from six yards. 

Burke, who had been ill all week in the lead up to the game, did not return at the start of the second half, and was replaced with midfielder Luke Berry. But Luton remained dishevelled and disjointed after the break. 

Brentford scored their third goal on 62 minutes when Pinnock overpowered the out-of-sorts Osho with ease, heading into the top corner from Reguilon’s left-wing corner at the Oak Road End. 

Town were completely lacking in the qualities that have made them competitive throughout this Premier League season, and heads dropped even lower two minutes after Pinnock’s header when Osho was caught out of position as Damsgaard chipped over the top for Mbuemo who lunged to prod across goal. Disastrously, Kaminski opted against coming to claim the cross and Onyedinma misjudged the flight of the ball completely. Lewis-Potter was only too glad to steam in at the back post and head in from two yards. 

Some Luton fans – whose support has been overwhelmingly positive all season – finally turned on their team and exited the ground. 

Each Town player had been instructed to mark his opposite man all over the pitch, and Luton looked increasingly ragged as Brentford exploited Luton’s tactics with intelligent movement. 

With four minutes of normal time remaining, the brilliant Brentford side scored a fifth goal. Mbuemo threaded through to Vitaly Janelt who unselfishly rolled across the box for substitute Schade to thump into the net. 

Mark Flekken had been little more than a spectator after the first 10 minutes, but the Dutchman was denied a clean sheet in stoppage time when Berry anticipated Janelt’s inaccurate pass and beat substitute Christian Norgaard to the ball. From there, Town’s number eight rounded Flekken and hammered past Nathan Collins on the line. 

Berry’s goal gave the Town fans who remained inside Kenilworth Road something to cheer, but it remains to be seen how much such a heavy defeat has damaged the team’s morale. Following Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 defeat at Everton, Luton remain one point from safety with four matches to play.

Jérémy Doku shines as Manchester City Move Top of the Premier League With Thrashing of Luton Town

Jérémy Doku scored one goal and won a penalty as Manchester City hammered relegation-threatened Luton Town 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s men were dominant from start to finish, and took the lead inside two minutes when Erling Haaland’s wild volley struck Daiki Hashioka in the face and flew into the top corner. Town then defended resolutely until the 64th minute when Mateo Kovacic volleyed into the roof of the net from the edge of the box. 

Doku was wiped out by Fred Onyedinma on 76 minutes before Haaland rolled in from the spot, and after Ross Barkley pulled one back for the visitors, Doku scored an excellent goal of his own, with Joško Gvardiol netting his first Premier League goal in stoppage time.

Having pushed his players to their limits in the 3-3 draw at Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday night, Guardiola rested John Stones, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish for the visit of lowly Luton – the Bedfordshire club’s first trip to City’s stadium since a Conference play-off final defeat to AFC Wimbledon in May 2011.

Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne had missed the thriller at the Bernabeu through illness, but was named in the starting XI against the Hatters, and he influenced the game immediately by sending Haaland through on goal. Town goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski stood tall and blocked with his legs, but after Doku’s follow-up attempt was blocked by Alfie Doughty, Haaland volleyed flush into the face of Hashioka and into the top corner. 

Rob Edwards’ Luton have been decimated by injuries in recent weeks, and they defended valiantly for the rest of the first half, with Kaminski being drawn into a couple of routine saves and Matheus Nunes striking the base of the post from an acute angle after receiving a pass from Rico Lewis. 

Luton have tried to play open, expansive football against even the best teams in the country this season, but made the sensible decision to try to frustrate City with a low defensive block. That approach was largely successful until the 64th minute when Julian Alvarez took a corner quickly and fizzed a pass across to the edge of the box where Kovacic slashed a right-footed volley into the top of Kaminski’s net. 

Even at two nil down, Luton had to choose their moments to attack wisely, and narrowly missed a chance to halve the deficit when Fred Onyedinma robbed Gvardiol on the right flank. Onyedinma then centred for substitute Cauley Woodrow, who got underneath the shot and curled onto the crossbar with City keeper Stefan Ortega rooted to the spot. 

Onyedinma had endured a torrid afternoon due to Doku’s direct running, and the Luton full-back was finally lured into a clumsy siding tackle on the Belgian on 76 minutes, giving referee John Brooks no choice but to award City a penalty. From the spot, Haaland rolled into the bottom left corner, deceiving Kaminski who dived in the opposite direction. 

With the game already won, City afforded Luton more possession in the final 10 minutes, and Town carved out another opportunity to score when Woodrow received Barkley’s quick throw and flicked through his legs for Doughty who drove towards the bottom corner, but was denied by the outstretched left leg of Ortega. Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu – who was making his 400th Luton appearance – chested the loose ball but was unable to celebrate his landmark game with a goal, smashing into the side-netting at Ortega’s near post. 

Town did pull a goal back on 81 minutes when Nunes miscontrolled Ortega’s goal kick and Barkley pounced, rounding the Portuguese who slipped to the turf before performing two stepovers, shifting the ball onto his left foot and striking across goal into the bottom right corner, giving the 3,000 travelling fans something to cheer. 

Doku added a sensational fourth City goal with three minutes of normal time remaining. He shimmied left and right, terrorising Onyedinma again before shifting the ball onto his right foot, curling through the legs of Hashioka and in off the far post. Four-one to City. 

In one more exhilarating act of trickery, Doku then pulled three Luton players towards him as he dribbled down the left flank. City’s number 11 then rolled into Gvardiol who had ventured upfield. From just outside the box, the Croatian defender took a touch and curled a shot into the top left corner with his weaker right foot.

Incredibly, the home sections of the ground were half-empty as Gvardiol netted his maiden Premier League goal. Somehow Guardiola’s City are so good that they have made winning mundane, and on Sunday afternoon they regained poll position to win their fourth title in succession when both Liverpool and Arsenal fell to shock home defeats against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. 

For Luton meanwhile, they remain in 18th position, one point and one place below Nottingham Forest who drew at home to Wolves. The Hatters now have five games to save their season and preserve their Premier League status, starting with a home fixture against Brentford on Saturday. 

Carlton Morris Nets Last-gasp Winner Against Bournemoth as Luton Reignite Premier League Survival Hopes

Carlton Morris scored a 90th-minute winning goal as Luton recorded a vital 2-1 victory at home to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon. 

Marcus Tavernier fired a rocket into the bottom corner to hand the Cherries the lead seven minutes into the second half, but Jordan Clark whipped in a fine equaliser on 73 minutes – his first top flight goal. 

Clark’s equaliser set up a grandstand finish and Luton earned a much-needed win – their first in 11 Premier League matches – when Morris wriggled free of his marker to tap in from substitute Cauley Woodrow’s cross.

Bournemouth dominated the early stages at Kenilworth Road and could have taken the lead after ten minutes when Tavernier curled a free-kick against the frame of Thomas Kaminski’s goal, with the Belgian stopper ending up in the side-netting as he scrambled across the line. 

That same post was struck once again when Justin Kluivert shot through Teden Mengi’s legs from the edge of the box, and his low effort flicked the woodwork before rolling behind. 

Luton were living dangerously and had another close escape midway through the first half when Tavernier’s corner was prodded towards goal by Dominik Solanke at the back post, however Kaminski showed sharp reflexes to paw away with his outstretched left hand. 

The Hatters weathered the storm and were perhaps fortunate to go into the break level. The hosts finally produced their first noteworthy chance of the game after the interval when Ross Barkley beat Ryan Christie to the ball and fed Morris who drilled across goal towards the bottom left corner. Dropping down to right, Bournemouth captain and keeper Neto showed his class by firmly parrying the ball wide. 

Before the second half had developed any rhythm, Kluivert dribbled down the right and rolled infield to Tavenrnier who smashed first-time into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box, celebrating with a golf swing towards the Kenilworth Road End. Shortly thereafter, the scorer was withdrawn due to injury and decided to taunt the crowd with a ‘one nil’ hand gesture.

The woodwork at the Oak Road End was rattled for a third time when Morris cut in from the left and curled against the base of the post, with Clark seeing his follow-up effort blocked by Adam Smith. 

Despite being decimated by injury in recent weeks, Rob Edwards’ team kept fighting and levelled the match when Clark was tackled on the edge of the box and Luke Berry – who had come on as a second-half substitute – tackled Lloyd Kelly and the loose ball fell to Clark who whipped emphatically into the bottom right corner. 

The game had undoubtedly changed after Cherries manager Andoni Iraola substituted the dangerous Antoine Semenyo. Suddenly Luton and their supporters were full of belief, and the ground swelled as Morris retrieved the ball from the net and raced back to the centre circle. 

Cauley Woodrow earned Town a crucial point with his late header at Crystal Palace last month, and the forward came off the bench once again to make an invaluable contribution, crossing from the left flank with his right foot. Morris shook off Illia Zabarnyi and side-footed into the bottom corner, sending the 11,779 crowd into raptures. 

The Hatters negotiated the final few minutes with guile and determination, learning from their recent mistakes and avenging the catastrophic 4-3 defeat at Bournemouth a few weeks ago. As the full-time whistle blew, those inside Kenilworth Road were filled with joy and optimism that the Hatters can survive in their maiden season in the Premier League. 

Martin Odegaard Stars as Arsenal Keep Pace in Premier League Title Race with Luton Win

Martin Odegaard scored the opening goal on Wednesday evening as Arsenal moved top of the Premier League table with a comfortable 2-0 home win over relegation-threatened Luton Town. 

The Gunners skipper fired into the bottom left corner after Luton midfielder and Arsenal fan Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu was dispossessed by Emile Smith-Rowe, with Odegaard eventually lashing in with aplomb from 15 yards to score his 30th Premier League goal for the club.

The hosts netted a second on the cusp of half time, with Hatters defender Daiki Hashioka inadvertently deflecting into the net after Smith-Rowe pulled back from the byline, helping Arsenal leapfrog Liverpool and reach the Premier League summit, if only for 24 hours. 

Arsenal were without Bukayo Saka after the winger suffered an injury in the 0-0 draw at Manchester City, and Gunners manager Mikel Arteta gave starts to Smith-Rowe and Reiss Nelson in Saka’s absence. 

Arsenal dominated possession at the Emirates Stadium without posing a serious threat to the Luton goal in the first 20 minutes, but they punished the luckless Hatters on 24 minutes when Mpanzu was robbed of the ball in midfield and Kai Havertz laid off to Odegaard, with the Norwegian cutting across the ball skilfully with a left-foot shot which slammed into the bottom left corner of the net.

Rob Edwards’ Luton side has been decimated by injury in recent weeks, and the Hatters were camped on the edge of their penalty area for much of the first half. Keeper Thomas Kaminski came to the rescue when he saved from Smith-Rowe after Odegaard’s exquisite flick, and Mengi eventually cleared the danger following two courageous blocks. 

Kaminski was called into action once again moments later when he parried a low shot from Havertz, and once again the tigerish Mengi was there to block Nelson’s follow-up attempt. 

Declan Rice was also rested by Arteta, and Thomas Partey – who deputised for the England midfielder – almost found the net towards the end of the first half when Doughty miscontrolled Leandro Trossard’s effort and cleared into the Frenchman and narrowly wide.

Arsenal established a two-goal lead on 44 minutes when Trossard passed to Smith-Rowe who glided to the byline and picked out Nelson. After the ball rolled in, the goal was initially awarded to Nelson inside the stadium, but replays showed Hashioka had unwittingly applied the finishing touch. 

Going into the match, Luton had scored in 18 consecutive league matches, but rarely troubled David Raya’s goal. Barkley curled a tame free-kick towards goal in the final action of the first half, but it was comfortably collected by the Spaniard.

Luton took more attacking risks in the second half as Arsenal allowed the visitors more time on the ball, and Fred Onyedinma showed some promise on his Premier League debut when he danced through the right side of the area before crossing into Raya. 

Minutes later, Doughty surged down the left flank and reached the byline. His overhit, chipped cross eventually rolled out to Hashioka on the edge of the box, but the Japanese defender’s fierce effort was blocked by the impregnable Gabriel.

Kaminski was almost punished for a sloppy clearance in the later stages of the match when substitutes Jorginho and Eddie Nketiah combined, but the Belgian made amends by stooping down to his right and pawing Nketiah’s shot behind for a corner. 

In the final phase of the match, Issa Kabore was cleverly blocked in his attempt to attack Doughty’s left-wing cross. As the ball rolled out of the area, Hashioka crossed back in from the right into the six-yard box where Barkley headed harmlessly over, triggering the referee to blow his full-time whistle. 

The Luton fans had supported their team relentlessly in the final 20 minutes of the game, and players and staff congregated in front of them to show their gratitude after the match. The connection between players and supporters remains strong, but Luton need wins quickly if they are to achieve Premier League survival. 

Son Heung-min scores late winning goal as Luton Drop into Premier League Relegation Zone

Son Heung-min scored an 86th-minute goal as Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to earn a deserved 2-1 win over relegation-threatened Luton Town.

Tahith Chong had fired the Hatters into a third-minute lead to stun the home crowd, and Rob Edwards’ men defended their advantage until the 51st minute when Issa Kabore sliced Brennan Johnson’s cross into his own net. 

Son finally broke Luton hearts with four minutes of normal time remaining, seeing his shot deflected past Luton keeper Thomas Kaminski at the end of a blistering counter attack.

Only three minutes had elapsed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when former Spurs man Andros Townsend raced down the right flank and passed to Ross Barkley, who picked out Chong on the left side of the penalty area. The midfielder took one delicate touch to set himself before lashing across goal into the bottom right corner, sending the 3,000 travelling fans wild. 

Spurs should have equalised straight away when Timo Werner broke forward and tied Kabore in knots, but could only shoot inches wide of Kaminski’s post. 

Despite Luton’s ongoing injury woes, the Hatters were bold and aggressive in their approach to the game, but played themselves into trouble when Teden Mengi’s short pass to Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu was intercepted by Pape Matar Sarr. 

As Tottenham broke away, Dejan Kulusevski swiftly passed to Son who skilfully rounded Kaminski. However, the South Korean’s luck was out as his shot hit both posts. Kabore then blocked Werner’s shot with his chest and Mengi miraculously cleared Sarr’s fierce strike off the goal line.

Town were fortunate to take their lead into the half-time break, and their luck run out six minutes into the second half when Johnson – who had come on for Kulusevski at half time – crossed dangerously in front of the Luton goal, and Kabore could only skew into the net with his shin. 

The equalising goal finally stirred the previously tepid Tottenham crowd, and they were almost celebrating another goal when Pedro Porro crossed from the right and Son swept towards the target, but Kaminski blocked with his legs. 

Having become the first player to score for Luton in each of the top four divisions with his late equaliser against Nottingham Forest, Luke Berry was handed a start against Spurs. He acquitted himself well until being substituted for Jordan Clark on 63 minutes. 

Just two minutes after his introduction, Clark controlled Vicario’s punched clearance with his chest on the edge of the box, volleying towards the bottom corner. The Spurs keeper scrambled back across his line, dived down to his right and tipped the ball round the post. 

Spurs regained control and came within millimetres of taking the lead for the first time on 78 minutes. Werner’s incisive pass released substitute Giovani Lo Celso down the left flank. He pulled back from the byline to Johnson who was waiting to tap in from three yards.

Unbelievably, the Englishman’s effort hit Kaminski and rolled along the goal-line, with Alfie Doughty booting off the line. All inside the stadium waited in anticipation for referee Jarred Gillett to award a goal, but replays showed a tiny fraction of the ball had not crossed the line.

The Luton side – which has been decimated by injuries in recent weeks – fought valiantly in an attempt to emerge with a point, but were the architects of their own downfall in the 86th minute. Barkley’s corner was headed away at the front post and Clark miscued a volleyed pass on the edge of the box.

Tottenham broke rapidly down the left flank and Werner centred for Johnson who laid off to Son. Multiple Town defenders threw themselves in front of Son's low shot, and Daiki Hashioka was the unfortunate man to deflect the effort beyond the helpless Kaminski, marking Son’s 160th goal for Spurs.

With the fans in the steep and imposing North End bouncing in celebration, the exhausted Town players had no response in stoppage time, sliding back into the relegation zone. Tottenham meanwhile remained in 5th place, but moved within three points of fourth-placed Aston Villa in the hunt for Champions League qualification.