Peterborough United 1-1 Luton Town: Jonson Clarke-Harris' late equaliser denies play-off chasers
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Jonson Clarke-Harris hit his 10th goal of the season and then struck a post in stoppage-time
Jonson Clarke-Harris salvaged a late point for Peterborough as the Championship strugglers held play-off chasers Luton.
The Hatters hit the front soon after the break when Fred Onyedinma fizzed a ball across the six-yard box where Danny Hylton tapped in.
But Joe Ward swung a fine cross into the Luton box where Clarke-Harris powered in a header with three minutes left.
Luton, who would have climbed to third with a victory, remain fourth, three points clear of seventh-placed Blackburn, while Peterborough are 10 points adrift of safety following Reading's win.
While a draw ultimately saw them lose ground in their increasingly unlikely survival bid, Peterborough came within an ace of a crucial winner in stoppage time.
Jack Taylor somehow planted a free header wide from six yards and moments later Clarke-Harris' thunderous low shot cannoned back off a post and agonisingly to safety as Luton escaped with a point.
Luton twice had to battle back to draw with Millwall on Saturday and found themselves in a tussle again as the basement side created the greater share of chances in an even first half.
Hatters goalkeeper James Shea did superbly to tip Frankie Kent's header against the post early on, and Kwame Poku whistled a long-range volley narrowly wide, while at the other end home keeper David Cornell turned Elijah Adebayo's powerful header over the bar.
Henri Lansbury was the architect of Luton's opener moments after coming on, his superb raking pass setting Onyedinma away to tee up Hylton's fourth goal of the season.
And for much of the second half it looked enough to give Luton a sixth league win in 10 as Peterborough struggled to muster a response, but the frantic finale gave their rivals hope in the close-fought hunt for the play-off spots.
Peterborough United boss Grant McCann told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire:
"I thought for 85 minutes of the game we were the better team. There was a five-minute spell in the second half where they got on top of us and scored, but that's the Championship for you.
"But we rallied, we got better and we kept working. Last 20 minutes I thought we were excellent and there was only one team who was going to go on and win it - there were some really good chances.
"If I look over the last six games I think we've been competitive out of five of them. After getting beat (4-0) by Middlesbrough I told the lads we can't be that inconsistent.
"I see the team tonight fighting and running - that's got to be the benchmark and that's just a given in this team now."
Luton Town manager Nathan Jones told BBC Three Counties Radio:
"We were 1-0 up after 85 minutes and just had to see the game out and we didn't do that.
We had a warning just before with a header at the back stick, then they scored and then could have won it. We probably should have lost the game.
"We've been nowhere near our best tonight, but credit to Peterborough - they are grafting, they really needed a win and they went for it.
"It's tough coming away so any point away is a good one, especially at this point, but I'm a bit frustrated we didn't see the game out and at the level of performance."