The Premier League’s relegation zone would make a perfect escape room. Solve various puzzles, find a way out, and earn a prize — in this case the right to stay in the lucrative league for another year and avoid falling through the trap door to the Championship.
Luton Town had the opportunity to temporarily drag themselves out of the bottom three on Saturday afternoon but failed to even get close. Their 5-1 home defeat to Brentford, a team who started the day just seven points ahead of them, has severely dented their chances with four rolls of the dice to go. It means their goal difference is now 10 worse than Nottingham Forest and 14 worse than Everton, who played each other yesterday. Everton won that match, leaving Luton five points off Everton, who have a game in hand, and a point off Forest.
Saturday was arguably Luton’s worst performance of the season and not just because of the timing. It came as fellow strugglers Burnley beat Sheffield United 4-1 to breathe life into their own impossible dream. They are now just two points off Luton.
“Not one team have managed to do what we have done to Luton at Kenilworth Road,” Brentford manager Thomas Frank boasted after his side’s ninth win of the season. He recognised what a rarity it was to take three points away to Luton so easily and by such a healthy margin. The last time Luton conceded this many goals at home in the top flight was in a 5-0 loss to Manchester United in 1984. It is the first time Brentford have ever managed to score five goals in a top-division away game, this being their 160th attempt.
Liverpool had Luis Diaz to thank when his late equaliser salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw here. Arsenal needed a stoppage-time Declan Rice winner to prevail. Manchester City won 2-1 after Luton went in ahead at the break. Tottenham Hotspur looked relieved when the whistle blew on their scrappy 1-0 victory. Manchester United held on for a 2-1 win having taken a 2-0 lead inside seven minutes. Aston Villa needed an 89th-minute winner from Lucas Digne to secure three points.
Playing at Kenilworth Road is something the majority of top-flight teams have found difficult. This is why Brentford arrived in Bedfordshire ready for a scrap. They did not expect to be putting the home team on the heap so easily. Especially considering their star forward Ivan Toney was absent through injury.
It was the first goal that categorised the afternoon as one to forget for Luton. Goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski cleared the ball long but Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock won the aerial duel ahead of Carlton Morris. Ross Barkley failed to get a foot on the ball and could only clear it in the vague direction of Tahith Chong.
Kristoffer Ajer got there before Chong and hit a first-time pass to Bryan Mbeumo who, with the outside of his left boot, played Yoane Wissa in behind. Wissa took the shot on first time and found the top corner impressively. It was swift and punishing, everything Luton know they too can be at Kenilworth Road.
Edwards said it was actually at around the 70-minute mark, with his team trailing 4-0, that he realised the chase was up.
Late on in games is often the time Luton’s backup generator kicks in but on Saturday there was no sign of it. Brentford’s two headed goals in the 61st and 64th minute, scored by Pinnock and Keane Lewis-Potter, extinguished any orange embers of hope that remained as Luton wobbled uncomfortably towards defeat.
Their one highlight was when Luke Berry seized upon a loose pass in stoppage time to round goalkeeper Mark Flekken and give Luton fans something to shout about. Their sense of humour was still just about intact as they started to chant: “We’re going to win 6-5!”
Edwards and Luton captain Carlton Morris were struck by the support they were met with not just for that goal but also at the final whistle. It was their most sombre lap around their home pitch this season but Luton fans remained in numbers, doing their best to drown out a celebratory away end. Brentford fans sang, “We are staying up” after their second goal and again at full time. Luton fans could only envy them and dream of replicating that chant here against Fulham on the final day.
What concerned Edwards and Morris most was the drop-off in belief. After a ‘pfft’ and a pause when asked if there were any positives he could take, Morris called the game a “learning experience”. That was the best he could muster before vowing the final four matches will not look like that.
Edwards said there was no ranting or raving from him in the dressing room. He was still struggling to put his finger on exactly what went wrong and what caused Luton’s tank of optimism to look the most empty it has all term.
“I think they have got a very good chance (of survival),” Frank said. He is not the only manager to speak so highly of Luton. The majority have. Though none of them left with an easier three points. That is what will worry Luton fans going into games against Wolverhampton Wanderers (away), Everton (home), West Ham United (away) and Fulham (home). If there is a single repeat of this low-energy performance, that could well be that.
“At this stage of the season what we can’t do now is lose or blame people,” Edwards said. “I can’t become a different person just because we lost a game of football. The players know there needs to be a response. There is still an opportunity for us to be playing in the Premier League next season and we don’t want to give that up easily. After today, I am pretty confident we will respond in the right way.”
Luton have to respond if they are to escape before it’s too late.
(Top photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
