Sunderland vs Luton Town FC (18th Mar 2023)

Report | Sunderland 1-1 Luton Town

The Hatters made it six matches unbeaten in the Sky Bet Championship, but had to settle for a point in controversial circumstances as Sunderland were handed a late penalty to draw level at Stadium of Light this afternoon.

Town led through Alfie Doughty's 51st-minute free-kick, but were pegged back by an 86th-minute Amad Diallo penalty - awarded after referee Scott Oldham harshly judged Amari'i Bell to have tugged the Sunderland substitute to the ground.

TownElijah Adebayo was selected to make his 100th appearance for the club as part of an unchanged side from the one that beat Bristol City in midweek, as the Hatters looked to make it six matches unbeaten - and eight away from home in the league - against a Sunderland side sitting 12th in the Sky Bet Championship table.

The former Walsall man had the game's first attempt on goal, firing a low 20-yarder that Sunderland keeper Anthony Patterson was right behind, as the Hatters started really well.

Amari'i Bell had the next chance on 15 minutes, playing a one-two with Morris to break into the Black Cats' box, only to send his right-footed shot off target when off balance.

Sunderland fired a warning shot two minutes later, Dan Neil hitting the outside of Ethan Horvath's left post with a curling shot from the edge of the area.

A scrappy period followed, lit up by Lockyer chopping the ball past a Sunderland attacked when under pressure in his own penalty area, before the Wales international picked up a 36th-minute yellow card for an off-the-ball trip on Luke O'Nien.

Chances were non-existent before half-time, with the Hatters enjoying plenty of possession and getting into good areas expecially through Alfie Doughty and Bell down the left, but unable to find the final killer ball to create an opening.

That all changed within six minutes of the restart, when Doughty opened the scoring with a set-piece routine straight from the training ground.

The left wing-back had seen a 49th-minute shot saved well by Patterson, after Berry and Morris had combined to tee him up on the left side of the area, when he took charge of a free-kick on the right angle of the box in the 51st minute.

Rolling the ball to Drameh along the 18-yard line, Doughty whipped his left-footed shot low through a forest of legs and past Patterson, who could do nothing to keep out the former Stoke man's second goal in a Town shirt.

Sunderland tried to reply immediately, Horvath reacting brilliantly to push away an O'Nien effort from a corner, before Lockyer threw himself in front of a shot from the edge of the box, then raced back to win a perfectly timed challenge on Jack Clarke as the hosts' left winger bore down on the Town goal.

Edwards made his first change on 57 minutes, replacing Berry with Jordan Clark, who had missed the last two games with a calf injury, before an exhausted Doughty - who had run himself into the ground - went off with 15 minutes remaining, with Fred Onyedinma on in his place.

Sunderland drew level in the 86th minute when Bell was harshly penalised for a foul on Amad, who picked himself up to smash the penalty past Horvath after referee Scott Oldham had eventually pointed to the spot after consultation with his assistant.

The draw keeps the Hatters in fourth position, seven points inside the play-off places, and unbeaten in eight away league matches as they head into the international break.

TOWN: Horvath; Drameh, Osho, Lockyer (C), Bell, Doughty (Onyedinma 75'); Nakamba, Berry (Clark 57'), Campbell; Morris, Adebayo (Woodrow 83'). Subs: Shea, Lansbury, Burke, Taylor.

Goal: Doughty 51'

BLACK CATS: Patterson, Batth (C), Ballard, Neil (Bennette 72'), Roberts, Clarke, Gelhardt (Ekwah 72'), Hume (Pritchard 72'), Ba (Amad 55'), O'Nien, Michut (Gooch 72'). Subs: Bass, Lihadji.

Goal: Amad 87'

REFEREE: Scott Oldham

ATT: 37,579 (1,054 Hatters)

Reaction | Rob Edwards on Sunderland draw

Hatters boss Rob Edwards felt a “wrong decision” denied his side all three points from their trip to Sunderland this afternoon, with the hosts’ controversial late penalty earning a share of the spoils.

Alfie Doughty had fired Town in front early in the second half, but referee Scott Oldham awarded the Black Cats a penalty for what he perceived to be a tug on Amad Diallo by the magnificent Amari’i Bell, which the Sunderland substitute converted with four minutes to go.

“Not to be today, but I feel like the players certainly deserved it,” said Edwards. “I thought the performance overall was very, very good. It’s a very difficult place to come, and we were in great shape, but ultimately a wrong decision has cost us.”

Oldham made the spot-kick award on the call of his assistant, after a delay of several seconds.

“Between them they came to the decision, I know it happens quickly, and they’ve had a discussion and felt that was what the right decision was.

“We have the benefit of looking back at it, had a really strong feeling at the time, but it’s not a penalty, I feel like the boy has bought it and dived the opposite way really.”

“Then what that did was it changed the momentum and the whole dynamics of the game because it lifted them completely, 30-odd thousand people backing them and getting right behind them, and we could have gone from three points to nothing quite quickly.

“So I’m extremely proud of the lads, and I know the supporters here will be proud of the players, and the people listening back home will be proud of the lads, as it was some shift.”

The point extended the Hatters’ unbeaten run to six league matches, and eight on the road, and the manager added: “We had to dig in and they had the ascendancy, no doubt about it and then it was a case of hanging on to what we had, but that wouldn't have happened without that wrong decision and all we ask is we get the right ones at crucial times in big, big games as every game is now.

“So we’re bitterly disappointed, but proud of the players. They gave everything, as they always do and it’s a difficult place to come.

“Tony’s got them playing a good brand of football, they've got very good individual players and are very difficult to play against, so I don't want to take anything away from them, and I'm not saying that they wouldn’t have scored anyway after. But that moment was a killer for us."

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

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fwywBrbTNE – Tom Lockyer interview

Luton held by Sunderland after Black Cats are awarded a controversial late penalty

Championship: Sunderland 1 Luton Town 1

A controversial penalty saw Luton's run of three successive wins was ended at the Stadium of Light this afternoon, as they were held by Sunderland.

Alfie Doughty's fierce strike in the early moments of the second period appeared to have been enough for the Hatters to have picked up another three points and really put the pressure on the non-player second placed Sheffield United.

However, with four minutes to go, Amad Diallo then tangled with the arm of Amari'i Bell inside the area, going to ground with minimal contact.

Although referee Scott Oldham, officiating his first game at this level, originally appeared to be unimpressed with the appeals, after a long delay, and possibly bowed by the 35,000 inside the ground he did indeed whistle and point to the spot, Diallo thumping home to ensure Rob Edwards' side left with just the one point to their name.

Going into the game, Luton had kept an unchanged side from the 1-0 win over Bristol City on Wednesday night, although Jordan Clark was fit enough to return to the bench.

Making his 100th appearance for the club, Elijah Adebayo tried to mark the milestone with an early goal, having a go from range with his left foot on three minutes, Anthony Patterson saving easily.

With 15 gone, Bell, showing no signs of the ankle injury that forced him off during the latter stages of the midweek triumph, exchanged passes with Carlton Morris to break into the area, but had to take the shot on his right foot and shanked well wide.

Sunderland threatened themselves, Jack Clarke beating Cody Drameh twice and finding Dan Neil, his 20-yarder clipping the outside of the post with a puzzled Ethan Horvath thinking it was going wide.

The game then became a cagey affair with both sides having spells of possession, but unable to create anything that resembled a real chance, Allan Campbell not quite picked out by Drameh, while at the other end, Gabe Osho made an important clearing header as the hosts attacked.

Luton, with Bell's powerful surges a real out, continued to look a real threat through both wingbacks, the only thing missing was a final ball, Sunderland timing their blocks impressively.

In the second period, Town had a wonderful chance early on when Afie Doughty overlapped Carlton Morris and his low shot looked destined for the bottom corner, but for the fingertips of Patterson.

The keeper didn't cover himself in glory on 51 minutes though, as Luton played a clever short free kick routine on the corner of the box.

Doughty found Drameh who instantly rolled it back to him, the wingback's fierce drive flying through a crowd of players and also going straight through the startled keeper.Sunderland immediately upped their intensity, as they got the ball wide, a deep cross seeing Luke O'Nien fire goalwards, Ethan Horvath making good ground to palm the ball clear.

Lockyer, who was winding up the home crowd a treat, made a wonderful block to prevent the Black Cats creating another chance and did the same when sliding in on Jack Clarke superbly to stop a purposeful break into the box.

Sunderland had a great opportunity to level on 66 minutes, as with Town's defence suddenly stretched and out of position, the unmarked Joe Gelhardt was found in the area, but dallied and eventually dragged wide under pressure from the recovering Luton back-line.

With 18 to go, home boss Tony Mowbray switched things up dramatically, making four substitutions, while Town's goalscorer Doughty was replaced too, Fred Onyedinma on.

One of the changes, Jewison Bennette tried his luck from distance, Horvath happy to collapse on his tame drive.

Out of nowhere, the Black Cats then had their penalty, levelling things up, as they sensed an unlikely winner in the five minutes of stoppage time that followed.

Horvath managed to get enough on a dangerous cross into the box though, grabbing the loose ball, as the Hatters made sure they left with something to their name, extending their unbeaten away run to eight matches now ahead of a well deserved fortnight off for the international break.

Black Cats: Anthony Patterson, Dan Ballard, Danny Batth ©, Patrick Roberts, Luke O'Nien, Abdoullah Ba (Amad Diallo 55), Jack Clarke, Dan Neil (Pierre Ekwah 72), Edouard Michut (Lynden Gooch 72), Joe Gelhardt (Jewison Bennette 72), Trai Hume (Alex Pritchard 72).

Subs not used: Alex Bass, Isaac Lihadji.

Hatters: Ethan Horvath, Cody Drameh, Gabe Osho, Tom Lockyer (C), Amari'i Bell, Alfie Doughty (Fred Onyedinma 75), Marvelous Nakamba, Allan Campbell, Luke Berry (Jordan Clark 57), Elijah Adebayo (Cauley Woodrow 83), Carlton Morris.

Subs not used: James Shea, Henri Lansbury, Louie Watson, Joe Taylor, Reece Burke.

Bookings: Lockyer 36, Woodrow 80, Adebayo 81, Morris 90.

Referee: Scott Oldham.

Attendance:

Hatters boss left 'bitterly disappointed' with 'wrong decision' to award Sunderland a late spot-kick

Town concede late on as Black Cats snatch equaliser

Luton boss Rob Edwards was left ‘bitterly disappointed’ with what he felt was clearly a ‘wrong decision’ from referee Scott Oldham to award a late penalty against his side in their 1-1 draw at Sunderland this afternoon.

With four minutes to go and the Hatters appearing to be making it four successive victories, Amari’i Bell and Amad Diallo barely tangled in the area, the latter throwing himself to the ground after what was minimal contact at best from Town’s centre half.

It looked like the official, who taking his first ever Championship contest, wasn’t about to be fooled by the theatrics of the Manchester United loanee, but after waiting for what appeared an age, then awarded the spot-kick after a discussion with his assistant, which was thumped home by Diallo.

A frustrated Edwards said: “It was not to be today, but I feel like the players certainly deserved it (win).

"I thought the performance overall was very, very good, a very difficult place to come and we were in great shape, but ultimately a wrong decision has cost us.

“Between them they came to the decision, I know it happens quickly, and they’ve had a discussion and felt that was what the right decision was.

"We have the benefit of looking back at it, had a really strong feeling at the time, but it’s not a penalty, I feel like the boy has bought it and dived the opposite way really.”

“What that did was it changed the momentum and the whole dynamics of the game because it lifted them completely.

"Thirty-odd thousand people backing them and getting right behind them and we could have gone from three points to nothing quite quickly.

"So I’m extremely proud of the lads and I know the supporters here will be proud of the players and the people listening back home will be proud of the lads as it was some shift.”

Asked if he had spoken to the referee afterwards for an explanation regarding the decision, Edwards continued: “They felt there was a pull, I’ve obviously then said there wasn’t.

"I know it happens quick, and they’ve got to make those split second decision, but in the position we’re in, a huge game today, as every one is now, we need the right decisions to go for us.

"If it was a penalty I’d come here and hold my hands up and say it was and we had to deal with it.

"But it changed the whole dynamics of the game as well and there’s two points there that we won’t be able to get back.”

Once Diallo had levelled, Luton managed to stave off any further attacks to make sure they moved a point closer to Sheffield United in second, cutting the gap to six.

Edwards added: “We had to dig in and they had the ascendancy, no doubt about it and then it was a case of hanging on to what we had, but that wouldn't have happened without that wrong decision.

"All we ask is we get the right ones at crucial times in big, big games as every game is now.

"So I’m bitterly disappointed, proud of the players, they gave everything as they always do and it’s a difficult place to come.

"Tony’s (Mowbray) got them playing a good brand of football, they've got very good individual players and are very difficult to play against.

"I don't want to take anything away from them, and I'm not saying that they wouldn’t have scored anyway after, but that moment was a killer for us.”