Luton did what they could, manager Rob Edwards even saying he was piloting a new pair of underwear that he hoped was lucky. But this was a draw that provided little relief for their disadvantaged position in the Premier League relegation race.
That dreaded dotted line will hang over them after this. It didn’t help when Teden Mengi confused football with wrestling and gifted Everton a penalty which Dominic Calvert-Lewin sent on to leave Luton facing it at Kenilworth Road.
Elijah Adebayo equalized and bullied Ashley Young to score in his first start since February. But in the bigger picture, a draw wasn’t good enough.
They are level on points with Nottingham Forest, who know that a win over Sheffield United today will go a long way towards safety at the expense of Luton and Burnley. Everton obviously didn’t have to worry about that, having arrived here feeling unusually at ease.
While Jurgen Klopp took the opportunity to throw another stick of dynamite at TNT Sports while fretting over the timing of Liverpool’s games this season, Everton saved their explosiveness for three Premier League games in seven days.
Luton striker Elijah Adebayo equalized against Everton in the 31st minute on Friday evening
Adebayo brushed aside Ashley Young and fired his shot into the bottom corner
Three wins, five goals, zero goals conceded, safety assured, and with this Friday night trip to Luton organized by Sky Sports, when it was thought it could look like a relegation six-pointer.
Sean Dyche’s team shattered that narrative by confirming survival with a 1-0 win over Brentford on Saturday.
That created a strange feeling among the traveling supporters at this away match – a sense of relief, exaltation and intrigue about how they might perform minus the pressure of possible doom.
While they were singing about Premier Leaving pushing their points deduction where the sun don’t shine, this match was quickly overshadowed by penalties, of which only one was awarded.
First Tahith Chong went down as he charged past Jordan Pickford. Then Dwight McNeil got into a tangle of legs with Teden Mengi. Referee Tim Robinson made neither claim.
However, when Everton won a corner in the 20th minute, Luton knew that only Arsenal had scored more set-piece goals this season.
In his desperation to deny Jarrad Branthwaite, Mengi wrestled his man to the ground away from the ball. VAR David Coote sent Robinson to his field monitor where the penalty was awarded, as shown in the replays.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin hit his penalty through the middle to open the scoring for Everton
Luton defender Teden Mengi (centre) was penalized for holding Everton player Jarrad Branthwaite
The challenge was spotted by VAR and referee Tim Robinson was advised to review it
Luton fans feared the worst when they saw Young, the former Watford graduate who was the target of the boo-boys here, standing with the ball over the penalty spot. That was all for show. Calvert-Lewin took it and scored straight down the middle for his seventh Premier League goal this season.
Luton needed less than ten minutes to equalize when Sambi Lokonga’s ball in the penalty area found Elijah Adebayo, who outwitted the 38-year-old Young to bring the ball down before beating Pickford.
There were fans at Kenilworth Road who joked that this constituted abuse of the elderly as Adebayo scored on his first start for Luton since February.
In first-half stoppage time, Ben Godfrey’s Carlton Morris header had to be cleared off the line, prompting a roar as the players headed in for half-time.
You could argue that Luton are among the most entertaining teams in the Premier League. They have now both scored and conceded in 29 of their 36 games this season, a record equaled only by Swindon in 1994 and Southampton in 1995.
The supporters’ attacks on Young continued in the second half, with some even rudely chanting ‘let him die’ as the Everton left-back felt the full force of a head clash with Morris.
A sweeter song was reserved for Tom Lockyer, the Luton captain who this week said he would be ‘peaceful’ to retire if he cannot return after the cardiac arrest he suffered on the pitch in December.
Luton’s request for a penalty was denied after Tahith Chong went down in the penalty area
Everton came close to taking the lead when Jack Harrison tried his luck from 25 yards. The ball spun towards the top corner after a deflection from Gabriel Osho, but Thomas Kaminski made an acrobatic one-handed save to ensure the score remained level. Kaminski then stopped Calvert-Lewin from heading home his second goal of the evening from six yards, with the visitors looking more likely to score a late winner.
However, according to the statistics, Luton had scored 42 percent of their Premier League goals in the last fifteen minutes, the highest percentage of any side this season. They lived in the hope that an opportunity would come for Adebayo, Morris, Ross Barkley – anyone who could seize the opportunity to lift them out of the relegation zone.
Unfortunately for Edwards, it never arrived. Luton will remain in the bottom three, now hopeful others cannot capitalize on their inability to win here.