Has anyone checked whether someone, somewhere, has declared that it shall forever be Groundhog Day inside Kenilworth Road?
For the second home Premier League game running, Luton Town battled for the whole second half against ten men, this time from Tottenham, squandered a hatful of chances only to come away with a sense of what if. It was a similar story against Burnley on Tuesday night too.
Here, having ridden their luck, particularly in the first ten minutes – with Richarlison passing up gifts and Thomas Kaminski denying more determined Spurs who couldn’t been 3-0 up – Town got a break.
An untouched Yves Bissouma, who had earlier been booked, threw himself to the ground on the edge of Town’s 18-yard area and referee John Brooks cautioned him for diving and sent him for an early bath moments before the break.
But, like against Wolves a fortnight ago, the Hatters conceded. The hosts weren’t alert to a 52nd minute corner, James Maddison dropped a shoulder and Alfie Doughty fell for it with the England international’s cutback converted by Micky van de Ven.
What made it more gut-wrenching was Elijah Adebayo’s head-in-hands miss, moments earlier, with the goal gaping. He opted for the wrong foot, the ball got stuck and Guglielmo Vicario, who would’ve expected to see his net bulge, gratefully smothered the ball.
It wasn’t the last miss either. Jacob Brown, Chieodozie Ogbene and substitute Cauley Woodrow, with virtually his first touch, all passed up huge chances to level.
It is now firmly a problem for Luton and one boss Rob Edwards must be pulling his hair out over. His men competed, kept Tottenham talisman Son Heung-Min quiet, and had the lion’s share of the second half, but when it comes time to pull the trigger they falter.
And when Tom Lockyer nodded the ball home on the line at 40 minutes, after Adebayo aimed an up-and-under onto the post, it was disallowed because the striker had pushed Cristian Romero get to the ball.
Town are not expected to beat teams like unbeaten Spurs, who moved top of the Premier League with this victory, but they did more than enough to at least earn a point, and yet didn’t.
Deja vu, Groundhog Day, call it what you will, that’s starting to sound all too familiar.
