Carlton Morris scored a controversial late and long-awaited goal as Luton rescued a huge point in a Premier League relegation clash at Burnley, which even his manager thought would be disallowed.
The striker’s header was perfect, but it was partner Elijah Adebayo’s impact on home keeper James Trafford that spiralled this battle at the bottom into a nerve-shredding, VAR-fuelled, finale.
Again and again the tape was rewound at Stockley Park for agonising take after take, with the evidence eventually being determined as a harmless collision.
The goal stood. And now, the fortunes of these two clubs could cannon off in entirely different directions.
In four previous visits, Town have come away with a point every time, yet in the 2024 edition, the Hatters hogged the lion’s share of possession (61 per cent) for the second league game in a row but were staring down the barrel of a damaging defeat that would have pulled the two clubs closer together in the drop zone.
Boss Rob Edwards talked prior to the game of the psychological edge that victory could afford his men and the damage it could inflict on Burnley come the final Premier League reckoning in May.
Well, their haul wasn’t what he’d wanted, but the manner of the outcome could well have the desired effect.
“It’s nothing less that what we deserved either. I know it’s slightly controversial, the equaliser, but overall it’s nothing less than we deserved,” said Edwards.
Yet it won’t be the way Town started this contest – full of verve and aggression – but the way that it ended that will dominate the narrative.
“These days, if any kind of touch on the goalkeeper and he goes down, it gets given,” said Edwards.
”At the time I was just thinking, right, this is going to get given as a foul. I genuinely think it’s close. Eli doesn’t look for him, really. He almost gets nudged a little bit into James Trafford, but Carlton finished it well.
“In the end, the goals stands and we’re thankful for that. They’ll be frustrated and disappointed but, as I say, we deserved to at least get a point from this game tonight. In my head, we deserved to win.”
Considering the Clarets cantered to 101 Championship points last term, and Luton joined them the hard way via the play-offs, there really was very little sign of that dominance for certainly the first 20 minutes.
Ross Barkley forced a flying save from Trafford and Adebayo’s legs, long as they are, weren’t enough to connect with a teasing Doughty daisycutter.
But then in the 36th minute Wilson Odobert’s electric pace beat Teden Mengi to the byline and his cutback was converted via deflection by Zeki Amdouni.
“I was delighted with the first half but frustrated at the same time to come in 1-0 down,” Edwards told the BBC.
“I was quite aggressive with my half time team talk, to be honest, in a positive way, because we can’t play that well and come in 1-0 down in this league. We can’t do it.
“But there was so much to like about that performance tonight. We quietened their crowd. Our crowd were enjoying it because we were so dominant.
“When we lost it, we won it back quickly. We pressed really aggressively. We had loads of control. We got behind them and we did have good opportunities. We had lots of shots blocked.
“Trafford made a decent save from Ross (Barkley). The one that flashed across from Alfie and Eli doesn’t quite get on the end of it. There were lots of goos thing there.
“In the end, it was probably more of a hopeful cross that got us the equaliser.”
It was substitute Morris’ first goal in 15 games, stretching back to his winner at Everton in September.
Edwards told TNT Sports: “He has been amazing since he hasn’t been starting, but he come on and affected the game at Sheffield United and came on tonight and affected it.”
Though celebrations had to wait for VAR’s ruling, it eventually meant that Town draw level on points (16) with Everton, though they still remain in the bottom three on goal difference.
Crucially it also keeps Burnley four points behind, on 12, with the ominous looking task of having to be the first club ever to avoid relegation from the Premier League having picked up less that 15 points in their first 20 games, now 21.
For them, this will feel like a defeat and for Town, after their eighth game unbeaten at Turf Moor, the possibilities just keep presenting themselves.
