Luton Town pulled off something of an escape that Harry Houdini would be proud of to take a point away from their trip to the City Ground in a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Here are our takeaways from the dramatic encounter.
Eli engages his own redemption
As the match ticked into injury time with the Hatters trailing 2-1, the visitors needed a hero in white to step up and be counted and the man who assumed that responsibility was Elijah Adebayo, as he expertly took down a long ball from Tom Lockyer on his chest inside the penalty area while holding off a hapless Joe Worrall before coolly firing past Matt Turner in the home goal to create the scenes we never tire of seeing in the away end.
It was special enough that this goal rescued a point which seemed unlikely to be achieved with 15 minutes to play but the fact that it came two weeks after the striker missed a chance he would have expected to take in the 1-0 loss to Tottenham before suffering horrendous racial abuse made the redemption strike all the sweeter. Those who criticise Eli in any form have a short memory for all he has done in just under two years with the club but this was just another reminder of the talent he has at his disposal.
Brilliant Barkley led the turnaround
With the Town seemingly going nowhere in the game after 70 minutes, boss Rob Edwards called upon his game changers to come on and impact the match in a positive way. One of those introduced was midfielder Ross Barkley and from the minute he came onto the pitch Luton looked so much better.
There has been many questions regarding whether the former Everton and Chelsea star ‘gets Luton’ or ‘still has it’. You better believe he does on both counts based on this cameo! He had the air of a man who knows he belongs at this level and he was hell bent to show it.
Clattered into for the free kick from which the opening goal was scored from then progressive pass and quality touches of the ball later he rolled the ball into the path of Tom Lockyer two minutes into injury time and we all know what followed from there.
Only Ross and Rob will truly know the fitness status of the midfielder but if and when he is able to start a game Luton still have a fine player on their hands.
Doughty does what we have become accustomed to!
There is still seven months until awards such as the Player of the Season are dished out but if it was being awarded on the opening quarter of the campaign few would be able to better the credentials of Alfie Doughty.
We have grown used to seeing the impact that Doughty can make in the attacking phase of the play but up against one of the better talents in the Premier League in Morgan Gibbs-White, we were reminded of his defensive qualities too.
The only time Gibbs-White was a real impact on the game was when he was taking set-pieces, apart from a lovely ball through in the lead up to the Forest opener which came from a Luton free kick which Doughty was back on the halfway line rather than shadowing the former Wolverhampton Wanderers player.
To keep him quiet and still be the attacking force we know he is further highlights how secure he is in that left-back spot. It is about time Gareth Southgate realised it too as was discussed on the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust podcast recently.
Handy Andros certainly still has it!
The other man who was introduced to the match at the same time as Barkley and Adebayo was Andros Townsend, who came on for his first Premier League minutes in almost 600 days, although you would have thought it was less than six days ago that he last played at the level such was the comfort he showed out there.
You wouldn’t expect miracles in the first 20 minutes both after such a long time out and for a new club but what we got was a calm presence and influence and a steady head.
His assist for the Chieo Ogbene goal was his first for the club and while I’m sure he would admit it wasn’t his cleanest free kick ever, it showed he knows exactly where dangerous balls should be landing. As Luton go into a tough three matches, the presence and experience of Townsend could be key.
Mengi might have nailed down a starting spot
Injuries to so many central defenders meant that it was the former Manchester United starlet Teden Mengi who was selected alongside Tom Lockyer in the heart of the back four and in the main he had a good game. It could be argued that he let Chris Wood get a run on him for the second goal but that effort had so much wrong about it prior to getting to that stage that it might be unfair to single him out.
There is certainly plenty of class about the youngster though, so much so that he might be spot on about his FIFA stats being questionable in that viral video!
He is comfortable on the ball but can handle himself in the air and with injuries beginning to mount up to fellow defenders, Mengi looks set for a decent run in the side in which he can nail down a starting berth even when the other players return.
Right-back an area of concern
Luton weren’t cut open too often at the City Ground but when they were it was down their right hand side where Reece Burke didn’t have the best of times of it up against former Manchester United starlet Anthony Elanga.
To be fair to Burke, he isn’t a natural right-back and was filling in there, but with Issa Kabore not really shoring things up much better when he replaced Burke there is a bit of a concern in that part of the pitch ahead of the trip to Aston Villa.
We have seen Chieo Ogbene operate there at times in previous matches while Alfie Doughty has also featured there, although surely he won’t be moved from the left-back spot.
Gabe Osho was on the bench in Nottingham and Jordan Clark could also perform there and he is closing in on a return but that position is the one in the team that just needs someone to grab it by the scruff of the neck and make it theirs.
Edwards reminds us of his ability to change a game
If you think back to last season, one of the many appealing things about Rob Edwards was his ability to change games for the positive with the use of his substitutes, something that wasn’t always the case with regards to his predecessor.
We got another reminder of it at the City Ground when four of the five changes the Hatters boss made had a big impact on the game.
It helps that he has better options on his bench these days but with Townsend assisting the first goal, Barkley having a hand in both goals and Adebayo scoring the all-important equaliser the impact of those three was obvious.
Cauley Woodrow had a shot blocked late on and linked the play up with some intricacy in and around the box at times too. With Luke Berry and Jordan Clark not on the bench but likely to be involved soon, the options will continue to be strong for Edwards so you suspect this won’t be the last time his changes will have the desired effect.
