A relieved Rob Edwards admitted he felt drained after a marathon match of endurance against Crystal Palace as he and Luton Town finally celebrated a maiden Premier League win at Kenilworth Road.
Jacob Brown’s first-ever goal in the top flight secured a memorable victory after Teden Mengi had scored his first senior goal only to see Michael Olise equalise seconds later.
The winner came in the 83rd minute but Town were still battling a barrage of booming balls into their box well into the 103rd minute as even the 12 that were originally added on were extended.
Asked about his emotions after the victory, Luton manager Edwards said: “(It’s) really good. Relief. I feel drained now. It was the longest game I’ve ever been part of that didn’t go to extra time.”
Asked about how he felt during those marathon minutes at the end, Edwards said: “Horrible. It was tough, it was long. I tried to stay calm but I failed. There were a few times that I was down the touchline like a maniac, trying to get some information across.
“Trying to stay calm but we’d made all the changes and the players have then got to find a way and get over the line and they did that.”
When the final whistle came, Luton players dropped to the ground in exhaustion as fans went berserk with joy.
“I’m pleased for the supporters and for everyone connected to the club,” said Edwards, adding: “Here, at home, I think we’ve deserved a little bit more than we’ve got here. It was close against Liverpool, Wolves, Burnley could’ve gone another way, really. But it’s taken until today. That’s fine.
“We challenged the players this week and I’m really proud of them. They stepped up well.”
None more so than Luton’s defenders who had to see out a siege from the Eagles, and Edwards said: “Defenders stood up to it. There were some brilliant blocks towards the end and brilliant defending. We rode our luck a bit with them loading stuff in and being quite direct at the end.
“It was land of the giants. Balls coming into the box and we were trying to find a balance between pressing, but then we leave less numbers to defend. If you sit off a little more there’s more numbers to defend, but then you don’t get pressure on the ball so it’s trying to find that balance.
“They hit the woodwork, some really good blocks and we found a way to get over that line.”
Keeper Thomas Kaminski made some outstanding saves, while Mengi, in particular, made it his personal mission to keep Palace out in injury time and his boss said: “I’m really pleased for him. I thought he was immense today. In the air he was dominant, in his duels, he came out on top.
“He’s quick, he’s strong, he can play and he can finish as well. He’s a really good young player and that’s why we got him here.
“He’s really proving an excellent acquisition. The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for that.”
Brown’s winner cancelled out a feeling of frustration that, for the second home game this term, Town conceded seconds after scoring.
“For us to go and get the first one and then be pegged back within a minute or so again, lightning struck twice like it did against Burnley,” said Edwards.
“Players deserve a lot of credit there because they could’ve been quite flat after conceding, but they found a way and it was a brilliant counter-attacking goal.
“It was similar in a way to the Liverpool one, an excellent winning goal.
“That’s something we’re working on and we’ve got to continue to work on. Sprinting through the lines, through the backline and getting there for a one-touch finish.
“His run allowed Chieo to play the ball. If Browny doesn’t make that run Chieo’s probably got to get his head down and keep running.
“It was a brilliant ball. Chongy did really well before that to release Chieo. Chieo’s ball was fantastic but Browny made the run for him to play. It was a brilliant goal.”
