Luton’s injury crisis lurched into catastrophe as three Hatters were withdrawn to compound Town’s plight ahead of Son Heung-min’s 86th minute counter-attack killer that saw Tottenham come from behind to dent a Premier League survival bid.
With ten senior players already injured, Rob Edwards had to contend with the early departures of Alfie Doughty, Reece Burke and Tahith Chong, who had given Luton an early lead, in off the upright after Ross Barkley’s third minute assist.
Doughty was removed after he’d prevented a goal by the finest of margins, clearing off the goal-line with only millimetres to spare, so Town did ride their luck, particularly when the eventual match-winner saw a shot cannon off both posts, with Teden Mengi blocking the rebound.
But Spurs had hardly had seige to Thomas Kaminski’s goal after that and Luton left the field at the interval still in front and, at the time, out of the Premier League’s bottom three.
But, as has happened on 11 previous ocassions, Luton conceded early in the second half, in calamitous fashion as Issa Kabore shanked into his own net. But the Hatters had conceded as many in the final 15 minutes of games and, again they shot themselves in the foot.
From an attacking corner, Spurs countered with Son starting and finishing the move courtesy of a killer deflection. Even with nine added minutes, Luton could not find a response and, thanks to Nottingham Forest’s draw against Crystal Palace, they were quickly returned to the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference.
That is unlikely to change for a positive when Town, with potentially 13 players injured, return to north London on Wednesday to facing title-chasing, top-scoring Arsenal.
