Luton Town Relegated as Fulham Score Four on Premier League Final Day

Luton Town’s relegation to the Championship was mathematically confirmed on the final day of the Premier League season as Fulham coasted to a 4-2 victory at Kenilworth Road. 

Adama Traore opened the scoring on 43 minutes with just his second goal of the season. Then Chiedozie Ogbene was fouled in the box and Carlton Morris equalised from the penalty spot in stoppage time, only for Town to sloppily concede a second goal – scored by Raul Jimenez – two minutes later.

Jimenez headed in his second goal and Fulham’s third only four minutes after the restart, before Alfie Doughty’s low free-kick trickled in to reduce the deficit on 55 minutes. But Harry Wilson sealed Fulham’s fourth and final away win of the Premier League season on 69 minutes, condemning Luton to an immediate return to the second tier.

Luton required victory over Fulham, a Burnley win over Nottingham Forest, and an almost impossible 12-goal swing to stay up on the final day. The Hatters had accepted their fate, but were once again given relentless support by those in the stands. 

Fulham dominated the ball in the early stages, however Luton came closest to scoring when Morris controlled Daiki Hashioka’s cross and attempted to chip over the onrushing Bernd Leno, but the German stopper made himself big and pawed the ball away with his right hand. 

Elijah Adebayo was the next Luton player to find himself through on goal when he controlled Jordan Clark’s clever pass, however the Town forward squandered the chance by shooting straight towards Leno who blocked with his legs. 

The Hatters were made to pay for their wastefulness when Fulham intercepted Thomas Kaminski’s loose kick in midfield, with Harry Wilson passing to Traore who volleyed emphatically into the bottom right corner with a thunderous volley from the edge of the box. 

Town responded immediately when Kaminski made amends with a long ball over the top of the Fulham defence to the pacey Ogbene. The winger saw his shot blocked by the floored Antonee Robinson, and as the ball rebounded to the Republic of Ireland international, Calvin Bassey took him down and conceded a penalty.

Hatters captain Morris rolled into the bottom right corner and led Leno the wrong way from the penalty spot, but Luton immediately exhibited the defensive frailty that has blighted their season to concede a second Fulham goal in the third minute of stoppage time. 

Harrison Reed passed in behind the Luton back line to Wilson on the right flank. He raced beyond Town teenager Joe Johnson – who had come on for the injured Teden Mengi – and served the ball on a platter to Jimenez who stroked into the bottom left corner from just inside the box. 

Jimenez doubled his tally four minutes into the second half when he met Reed’s free kick with a glancing header which bounced into the net via the inside of the left post. No Luton player took responsibility for marking the Mexican as he wandered into the box, an all too common occurrence during the second half of Town’s season. 

Doughty made the scoreline three-two when his wide free-kick skidded past Robinson and then Leno to give the home crowd something to cheer. But Fulham possessed too much attacking firepower to be pegged back. 

Wilson went within inches of scoring a tremendous goal when he whipped a free-kick against the crossbar. Then the Welshman scored a goal worthy of his excellent performance. Luton lost the ball in midfield and the consequent counter attack resulted in Traore laying off to Wilson who majestically stroked into the top left corner with the inside of his left foot. 

Having accepted defeat and relegation, Luton manager Rob Edwards withdrew Kaminski and replaced him with reserve goalkeeper James Shea, who was greeted with chants of “Luton’s number one.” Shea has now represented Luton in all four professional divisions, and marked his Premier League debut with a save, tipping over Tom Cairney’s goalbound effort. 

After the full-time whistle, Luton’s players were serenaded one at a time by the home crowd who thanked them for their efforts during the club’s first season in the Premier League. In a campaign that promised plenty but was blighted by injuries and recurring mistakes, the Hatters fought valiantly but consistently fell short. The club will now return to the Championship, but will undoubtedly be stronger for the experience.

Luton All-but Relegated from Premier League as David Moyes Triumphs in Final Home Game as West Ham Manager

Luton Town relinquished an early lead to fall to a 3-1 defeat at West Ham in David Moyes’ last game as Irons boss – a result which effectively condemned the Hatters to Premier League relegation. 

Albert Sambi Lokonga gave Luton a dream start at the London Stadium when he headed in unmarked from Alfie Doughty’s cross, and Town held on to their lead until half time. 

But the Hammers regrouped in the second half and put Luton to the sword, with James Ward-Prowse sweeping into the bottom corner, Tomas Soucek volleying in, and 19-year-old George Earthy scoring his first senior goal.

Elijah Adebayo made a goalscoring return to the Luton lineup in the 1-1 draw at home to Everton, and the striker caused West Ham problems in the early stages with his direct running. 

In the sixth minute, Adebayo saw his shot blocked by Vladimir Coufal and Doughty retrieved the ball on the left flank. The full-back took one touch before expertly curling a cross onto the head of Lokonga, who drifted to the edge of the six-yard box and planted a header past Alphonse Areola and into the bottom left corner. 

The Hammers appeared low on confidence following the 5-0 defeat by Chelsea, but began to control possession shortly after Town took the lead. Jarrod Bowen first struck the outside of the post when he connected with Lucas Paqueta’s left-wing cross, then saw his low effort booted clear by the sliding Teden Mengi. 

Luton’s defence cracked under the pressure nine minutes into the second half when Bowen dribbled down the right wing and fired a low cross into the danger zone. Luton keeper Thomas Kaminski stuck out a foot which diverted the ball back into the danger zone where Ward-Prowse was waiting. The Hammers number seven fired clinically into the bottom left corner, evading the litany of Luton players who threw their bodies at the ball in desperation. 

With heads bowed and shoulders slumped, Luton’s players toiled through the rest of the match, visibly beginning to accept their fate. Kaminski made a fine save to keep the match level when the exciting Mohammed Kudus crossed from the left and Michail Antonio headed back across goal. The Belgian shuffled across his goal before changing direction and acrobatically pawing the ball away with his right hand. Bowen could only drag his follow-up attempt into the side-netting.

West Ham’s second goal arrived on 65 minutes when Town failed to clear their lines from a corner and Ward-Prowse delivered into the box from the right wing. Lokonga headed to the edge of the box where Soucek slammed a powerful left-footed volley into the bottom right corner, giving Kaminski no chance.

Earthy made his Premier League debut in the 2-0 defeat at Fulham back in April, and the midfielder was handed his second appearance in the final 15 minutes against Luton. The teenager celebrated winning the Mark Noble Young Hammer of the Year Award by scoring his maiden goal just seconds after coming on, tapping in at the near post from three yards once Kudus had dribbled to the byline. 

After a slow start, West Ham’s players had given Moyes a fitting London Stadium send-off. The Scotsman won the Europa Conference League with the Hammers in 2022/23 but will be replaced with Julen Lopetegui after a turbulent 2023/24 campaign. 

Meanwhile Luton had nothing left to give after Earthy’s goal. And once the full-time whistle blew, the Hatters staff and players – including ailing captain Tom Lockyer – congregated in front of their 3,000 fans in the away end. 

For approximately 10 minutes, players, staff and fans applauded each other as the Premier League survival dream faded. Town manager Rob Edwards shed a tear as supporters sang his name and unfurled a banner which read “we’re proud of you”. 

Once the players eventually turned and walked towards the tunnel after throwing their shirts into the crowd, they were applauded by the home supporters too. Edwards praised the fans in his post-match press conference. “It’s unique. I don’t think you see it in football very often. We’re in a world where it’s all about results, but I think what our supporters have shown is an unbelievable understanding, intelligence, compassion, and just total support, which in this day and age is pretty unique. 

“There is a connection there between the players, staff and board. It doesn’t happen very often. We’ve grown and improved so much. Where we’ve come from and where we are now. This club’s only going in one direction.”

Luton require a win over Fulham, a Burnley victory over Nottingham Forest, and a 12-goal swing to survive on the final day. Agonisingly, Town have consistently fallen short in a season that promised to be one of the greatest in Hatters history, but everyone associated with the club can be proud of its rise and valiant attempts to stay seated at the top table.

Luton Miss Golden Opportunity to Escape Premier League Relegation Zone in Everton Draw

Luton Town moved ever closer to Premier League relegation on Friday evening by failing to beat an already-safe Everton side in a 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road. 

Dominic Calvert-Lewin gave the Toffees the lead from the penalty spot after VAR identified Teden Mengi had wrestled Jarrad Branthwaite to the ground as Dwight McNeil swung in a corner kick. 

The returning Elijah Adebayo scored the equaliser for the Hatters, controlling expertly on his chest before lashing past Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal. Town threw everything at the visitors in pursuit of a winning goal, and were denied with the last kick of the game when Andros Townsend’s goalbound effort was blocked by Branthwaite.

Everton secured Premier League safety last week by winning three games in a row, and the Toffees made a positive start in Bedfordshire when McNeil crossed from the left flank and Mengi stretched to inadvertently poke towards his own goal. Town keeper Thomas Kaminski showed sharp reflexes to swat the ball away, and Mengi redeemed himself by blocking James Garner’s follow-up attempt. 

Sean Dyche’s side were awarded a penalty on 24 minutes when Mengi crudely blocked Branthwaite’s run towards the six-yard box. The corner was initially cleared and play continued until referee Tim Robinson was called to the pitchside monitor by Nottingham-born VAR David Coote. 

With the penalty awarded, Calvert-Lewin struck low and down the middle from the spot. Kaminski – who dived to his right – got a foot to the ball but was unable to keep it out. 

Adebayo was starting a Premier League game for the first time since withdrawing from the warm-up before the 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United on May 18th. And the imposing forward proved just how much the Hatters have missed him by controlling Albert Sambi Lokonga’s chipped pass on his chest, fending off Ashley Young and firing past Pickford with his left foot. 

Inspired by Adebayo’s 10th Premier League goal of an injury-hit season, Luton strived for a swift second goal, and almost scored when Alfie Doughty crossed from the left and Morris headed across goal from the back post, seeing his effort headed off the line by Ben Godfrey. 

Kaminski has been one of the stars of Luton’s season, and he made an excellent save early on in the second half when Jack Harrison’s effort from the edge of the box deflected off Gabriel Osho and spun towards the top corner. The Belgian flung himself to his right and tipped behind for a corner. 

Luton had Kaminski to thank once again on 78 minutes when Harrison crossed from the right, and McNeil rose at the back post to centre for Calvert-Lewin, whose powerful header was pawed over the bar acrobatically by the Luton goalkeeper. 

Rob Edwards’ side had dominated the ball in the second half without placing the Everton defence under significant pressure. As the clock ticked into the final 10 minutes, Ross Barkley – who played 150 Premier League games for Everton – let fly with a volley from 25 yards that Pickford patted down and claimed. 

With Luton still one point inside the relegation zone and Nottingham Forest facing some favourable fixtures, Town knew they had to throw everything at Everton to find a winning goal. Deep into six minutes of stoppage time, substitute Cauley Woodrow crossed from the left to fellow game-changer Luke Berry who flicked a header towards the far corner. Pickford arrived at the ball in plenty of time, but took the extra safe option of stooping to his left and parrying behind for a corner. 

Doughty took the resulting corner as Town committed all eleven players to the Everton box. Mengi won a header and Berry rose to execute an overhead kick. The sublime effort would have brought the house down if it had gone in, however Harrison was standing in the way and blocked the ball behind for another corner. 

The Hatters had one final opportunity to score a dramatic winning goal when Doughty whipped in a free kick from the left in the eighth minute of stoppage time. The delivery was headed to the edge of the box where substitute Townsend thrashed towards the bottom left corner, but Branthwaite stuck out a defiant right leg to divert wide. 

As the impressive Everton defender celebrated his point-saving block, Robinson initially awarded a corner before opting to blow his whistle for full time. Meanwhile, tensions boiled over as Berry responded to an unnecessary nudge and pushed Pickford in the chest, with players from both sides stumbling into the net. 

On the touchline, Edwards stood distressed with his head in his hands. Luton now have just two games to escape Premier League relegation, a task made even more difficult on Saturday afternoon, as Nottingham Forest moved three points clear of the Hatters with a 3-1 win over already-relegated Sheffield United.

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.