Luton Town FC vs Nottingham Forest (16th Mar 2024)

Report | Berry hits late leveller to give Town precious point

For the second Saturday running the Town found a way to earn one of their most important points of the season.

It came, with one minute left of the 90, from the sweet left boot of Luke Berry. The importance of the equaliser ensured the Hatters remain with three points of Nottingham Forest in the battle to stay in the Premier League.

The difference between a six-point gap and a three-point gap means the Town will sleep easier tonight thanks to Berry’s leveller – the 17th game in succession the Hatters have scored in the top-flight.

Battered, bruised and down to the bares bones – the Hatters hauled themselves back into this game despite injuries to Alfie Doughty and Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu adding to an already packed treatment room.

An injury sustained to Mpanzu shortly before the hour was harsh on the midfielder, who had enjoyed a fine afternoon on his 397th appearance for the club.

The Town began brightly – Ross Barkley firing three warning shots inside the first 15 minutes but Forest, however, had their noses in front at the break thanks to Chris Wood.

It came after a sustained period of pressure that firstly saw Reece Burke somehow hack a certain goal off the line following Divock Origi’s shot. For the goal, Morgan Gibbs-White swung over a teasing cross from the right and the striker reacted first to guide a shot beyond Thomas Kaminski.

The physiological impact from Wednesday’s defeat at Bournemouth allied with going a goal down here meant it was an uphill task for the Town – especially as Doughty was withdrawn at half-time with a hamstring injury.

With the Hatters having to shuffle an already weary pack, the Town had Teden Mengi to thank seven minutes after the restart to clear Anthony Elanga’s goalbound shot.

The two goal-line clearances would prove to be huge come the final whistle.

As time ticked down, the Hatters continued to huff and puff yet for all their possession they struggled to call Matz Sels, the Forest keeper, into any meaningful action.

Berry was called from the substitutes’ bench with four minutes left on the clock and within three minutes the former Cambridge man had the Town level. Reece Burke nodded down Ross Barkley’s corner and Berry spun to drive a left-foot finish beyond Sels.

The Town sensed an extraordinary win with seven added minutes shown but it was Forest who came closest to snatching all three points with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ryan Yates flashing shots wide.

But it finished all square to signal sighs of relief all around Kenilworth Road and, more importantly, two weeks until they resume their fight for survival – and to get much-needed bodies back.

See you at Tottenham.

Town: Kaminski; Kaboré, Ogenbe, Doughty (sub Woodrow 46), Burke, Mengi, Mpanzu (sub Townsend 60), Barkley, Clark (sub Berry 85), Chong, Morris.

Subs not used: Shea, Krul, Hashioka, Nelson, Piesold, Martins.

Attendance: 11,630, including 1,260 in the away end.

Reaction | Edwards reflects on Forest draw

Rob Edwards was happy to get a point from a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at Kenilworth Road.

“A point’s probably a fair result on reflection,” said the manager. “We’re getting a lot chucked at us at the moment as we all know and it's difficult for us to be at our best and that’s no disrespect to any of the lads that are involved.

“They've been incredible, amazing, and then to lose more, two more bodies as well, during the game in Alfie, at half-time, and Pelly, who I thought was brilliant today, fairly early on in that second-half, just made things even more difficult for us.

“So to be 1-0 down, shuffling the pack again it looked like he wasn’t going be our day.

“The supporters were brilliant today but everyone probably sensed there was a little bit of a lull towards end. Forest had banked up with that mid-block and it was hard to get around them over and them so it was just difficult to create big chances.

“But up steps up Luke Berry and I’m so proud of him. I’m pleased for him as well today. It’s his day and it’s a memorable one that and I think everyone at the football club and all of our supporters should be really proud of him today.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuIbKGge69Y – Rob Edwards interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vnqtBGJ3yg – Match highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgO94uiQMgs – extended match highlights

Berry snatches a crucial point for the Hatters as he grabs late equaliser against Forest

Premier League: Luton Town 1 Nottingham Forest 1

Luton's incredible battling spirit was there for all to see yet again as a first ever Premier League goal from midfielder Luke Berry kept the Hatters' hopes of staying up intact, earning Town yet another late 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road this afternoon.

Billed as a must-win game going into the contest, with victory seeing the hosts leapfrog their opponents going into the international break, a bright opening was then followed by the exertions of the past seven days catching up with a clearly exhausted squad riddled by injuries, who to their credit, still managed to find something in the closing moments to register what could be a vital point.

The Hatters made one change from the side who were playing a third game in a week, and going into the fixture on the back of a heart-breaking 4-3 defeat at AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday night, the majority having to go again, although Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu replaced Daiki Hashioka. The alteration saw Issa Kabore drop into the left-sided centre half role vacated by Hashioka, with Chiedozie Ogbene moving to right wingback, Jordan Clark out to the right wing, with Mpanzu partnering Ross Barkley in midfield for his first start start since the 4-3 defeat to Arsenal on December 5.

The ex-West Ham youngster made a terrific sliding challenge to prevent the visitors from taking a potshot early on, which worryingly saw him need some running repairs, something that was going to become an all too familiar theme for the long-serving midfielder. Once back on though, he began a bright period for the Hatters, cutting out a clearance and finding Carlton Morris, who teed up Ross Barkley to test Matz Sels with a first time effort.

Barkley looked to do it by himself in the opening stages, as his intentions were clear, seeing another swerving attempt gathered by Sels and then jinking around one marker to have another pop, dragging narrowly wide on his left foot. With every touch and tackle made by Mpanzu being heartily cheered from the home fans, there didn't seem any major signs of any kind of hangover from Wednesday night lingering.

Forest showed they weren't here to just sit back though, ex-Liverpool striker Divock Origi being sent through on the right and dinked over the advancing Thomas Kaminski, but it didn't have the power or direction, Kabore able to get back in time. Willy-Arnaud Boly's header from a free kick bounced wide, while Morgan Gibbs-White sent a free kick sailing harmlessly over as Forest began to have their first real spell of authority.

They were denied an opener on 32 minutes by a quite brilliant goal-line clearance from Reece Burke, who after the ball fortunately deflected for the Reds forwards, was on hand to slide in and prevent Origi's shot from finding the back of the net. Luton's good fortune lasted all of a minute though, as they were behind 60 seconds later, a moment of real quality from Gibbs-White splitting the Town defence, Chris Wood stabbing his volley into the roof of the net.

Town tried to hit back, Chong taking aim and shooting narrowly wide via a slight deflection, before the Hatters’ lack of luck was summed up in the space of a minute. Firstly, Mpanzu did brilliantly to take a ball down on the right and saw his thunderous cross cleared inches over his own bar by a Forest defender, when a little lower and it was 1-1.

Luton then did have the ball in the back of the net, Teden Mengi bundling home from a corner, but as he was off celebrating, referee Darren England, who had already made himself very unpopular with the home supporters for a number of questionable decisions, blew for a handball, as the leveller was frustratingly chalked off. The break saw Doughty replaced by Cauley Woodrow, Forest almost doubling their lead, Gibbs-White racing on to a ball forward, unable to beat Kaminski who had come out to meet him.

Town should have gone closer from a corner, Clark sending a presentable volley into orbit, but with 51 gone, Luton had Mengi to thank for keeping them in it as Origi shouldered Ogbene off the ball and lift over Kaminski, but the centre half, who was called up to the England U21 squad in the week, never gave up the chase, sprinting back to clear away just in the nick of time.

Having been in the wars, Mpanzu was then sent flying into the advertising hoardings by Murillo on 55 minutes and after trying valiantly to run it off, had to accept defeat, the disappointment etched all over his face, as Andros Townsend came on with an hour gone. With the visitors now in the ascendancy, Murillo tried his luck with a stunning free kick from well inside his own half, Kaminski having to backpedal and acrobatically tip over his own bar.

Gibbs-White wasn't far away as Forest kept up the pressure, knowing a second would more than likely break Town's already battered and bruised resistance, the Hatters offering little in terms of finding an equaliser, Townsend curling straight at Sels. Somehow Luton lifted themselves off the canvas once more though, as their inability to accept defeat saw them win a corer. Barkley took it, and after Burke nodded it skywards, Berry, as he has done so many times before in a Luton shirt, found a glimmer of space to swivel and shoot beyond Sels.

With seven minutes of stoppage time added, Town couldn't quite go to the well once more, as Forest were able to clear their lines from a number of set-pieces, the Reds almost snatching what would have been a confidence shattering victory, Ryan Yates' slamming wide. Although not the victory Luton were desperate for, the point was enough to keep Rob Edwards’ side above water with nine games now to go, and more importantly, three away from Forest, who now wait to see just how many points, if any, they are going to be deducted in the coming weeks due to breaking Premier League rules.

Hatters: Thomas Kaminski, Issa Kabore, Teden Mengi, Reece Burke, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu (Andros Townsend 60), Alfie Doughty (Cauley Woodrow 46), Ross Barkley, Jordan Clark (Luke Berry 86), Tahith Chong, Chiedozie Ogbene, Carlton Morris (C). Subs not used: James Shea, Tim Krul, Axel Piesold, Zack Nelson, Dominic Dos Santos Martins, Daiki Hashioka.

Forest: Matz Sels, Ibrahim Sangare, Neco Williams, Morgan Gibbs-White (Nicolas Dominguez 83), Chris Wood (Callum Hudson-Odoi 76), Harry Toffolo, Anthony Elanga, Ryan Yates (C), Divock Origi (Felipe 76), Willy-Arnaud Boly, Murillo. Subs not used: Matt Turner, Cheikhou Kouyate, Giovanni Alejandra Reyna, Danilo, Andrew Omobamidele, Rodrigo Duarte Ribeiro.

Referee: Darren England.

Booked: Kabore 30, Toffolo 84, Sels 90.

Attendance: 11,639 (1,260 Forest).

Luton chief is so impressed by Town's fighting spirit as they claim a late Reds point

Hatters hit back to finish 1-1 with Nottingham Forest

Luton boss Rob Edwards paid tribute to his side’s fighting spirit as they ended a tough week on something of a high by scoring a late, late equaliser for the second week running to gain what could be a hugely important point in their bid to stay up when drawing 1-1 with Nottingham Forest this afternoon.

The Hatters had looked like they were going to suffer a second successive defeat, having been beaten 4-3 by AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday night, when Chris Wood scored from close range in the first half to put the Reds in front. However, Luke Berry came on to net from a corner in the final minute and draw Town level with his first ever Premier League goal.

Having gone into the game with the wounds of the second half midweek capitulation fresh in their minds, the visitors with a whole week off under their belts, Luton made a good fist of it in the first period, Ross Barkley going close on three occasions. They understandably struggled to keep those levels going after the break, as their crippling injury list looked like it was catching up with them, until Berry struck.

Speaking afterwards, reflecting on the result, Edwards said: “The way the game was going, really pleased in the end. It’s been a challenging week to say the least and I think not just football, life. Everyone’s going through stuff, everyone gets knocked down, everyone gets disappointments, everyone gets things go against them and it’s about how you deal with it and how you react that’s really important.

"I think this group has shown that’s how you react. They’ve got so much character and no matter what’s thrown at us at the moment, we’ll keep going and that doesn’t mean we’re always going to get points, I know that, we’re not always going to play well, but they’ll always keep going and keep fighting, and I love them for that.”

With nine first team players missing, including Elijah Adebayo and Sambi Lokonga, Luton once more had two goalkeepers on the bench, plus three U18s players who have just a few brief minutes of top flight football between them. That was added to with Alfie Doughty going off at half time with a hamstring strain, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu also having to be replaced in the second period too, as Edwards continued: “It’s difficult for us with a full group to be competitive in this league, which we have been.

"We’ve drawn two games and lost a mad game by a single goal, that’s hard anyway, never mind with what we’re missing at the moment. I love the group of lads that are fit and available at the moment, but to have nine senior players out and two more go down today as well. It's difficult for us and there's so many people playing out of position, even if it’s just one position down or up, in a different kind of position.

“Issa (Kabore) on the left (of the back three) and Chieo playing right back really, it was hard for us to really get a rhythm and be at our best. We had lots of possession but it’s difficult to get behind Forest and create big chances. They defended well and low and slowed the game down a lot in the second half, which was their prerogative.

"I thought the game was almost petering out but again we popped up with a set-play that was important and then we wanted to try and push, the crowd are up for it, but couldn’t find another."

Luton know have a week off due to the upcoming international break, which made this result even more important, as Edwards added: “With where we would have been if we had lost the game, it would have been a blow that for us, so we can actually go into this break on a little bit of a high. The manner of the performance, and with everything that we’ve gone through this week with all the injuries, the lads have shown a lot of character.”