Burnley record hugely impressive win at Luton in final game of EFL opening weekend
Cool finishes from Josh Brownhill and Wilson Odobert put Clarets 2-0 up
Tahith Chong halves Luton's deficit but Dara O'Shea adds third for Burnley and Vitinho fires in fourth
Both clubs were relegated from Premier League last season - after both were promoted together season before
New Burnley boss Scott Parker's first competitive game in charge of Clarets
Luton have now not beaten Burnley in past nine meetings - their last win over Clarets was in 2000
FT: Luton 1-4 Burnley
A thumping opening weekend in the English Football League ends with a thumping win by Burnley.
But the fun and games doesn't stop there.
Tomorrow we have the small matter of the EFL Cup kicking off, with 32 fixtures to whet the appetite.
We'll be back tomorrow evening to take you through the action as the road to Wembley begins.
For now though, thank you for joining us.
FT: Luton 1-4 Burnley
Image source, PA MediaBurnley manager Scott Parker on Sky Sports:
"I'm absolutely delighted. A lot of work goes in and you never really know where you are until the first game of the season. We set up to get a result and I have nothing but praise for my players.
"As a coach it was very good to see. This is a team that has been relegated, I have been in that situation and there is a psychological element to go from that to try and become a winning machine. This is a big result. Luton will be right up there around it. We had to show another side to us at certain moments.
"The first two goals are everything we talked about pre game, runs in behind were key and exploiting the space in their system."
FT: Luton 1-4 Burnley
Burnley captain Josh Brownhill to Sky Sports:
"For the first game of the season it was really tough but through pre-season we had a buzz and we certainly showed that today.
"Luton go man to man and we didn't want to be caught playing out from the back. We were outstanding from minute one. We have worked hard and learned a lot from the manager already."
FT: Luton 1-4 Burnley
Simon Oxley
Luton commentator on BBC Three Counties Radio
It was always going to be difficult for Luton. Injuries have disrupted the start of the season.
If you were coming up against a mid-table team, you might have gotten away with it. But not Burnley.
They’ve got a deep squad, they looked at it and sharp.
FT: Luton 1-4 Burnley
Burnley goalscorer and man of the match Dara O'Shea to Sky Sports:
"Before the game we wanted to bring commitment and desire. We had to dig in deep, this is a tough place to come and we are really happy to take three points.
"Everyone today was spot on and that gave us the platform to go on and play."
FT: Luton 1-4 Burnley
Geoff Doyle
BBC Three Counties Radio sport
Luton have been soundly beaten.
Too many off nights from some of the senior players.
It’s a wake-up call.
FT: Luton 1-4 Burnley
Glen Little
Ex-Burnley winger on BBC Radio Lancashire
To win here, you’ve got to do everything.
You’ve got to be strong at the back, defend set plays, and take your chances when you get them.
And that’s what we’ve done.
FT: Luton 1-4 Burnley
Simon Oxley
Luton commentator on BBC Three Counties Radio
A few boos from the home supporters.
I think the nature of the defeat will only go to emphasise the need to bring in reinforcements, certainly in midfield.
Luton were very much second best.
Luton 1-4 Burnley
All over at Kenilworth Road.
A rather bruising defeat for Luton who, other than a 15 minute spell in the second half, looked well off the pace.
Burnley on the other hand start their season with a thumping away win and looked superb for much of the 90 minutes.
Scott Parker's tenure as Clarets boss begins with a comfortable win. Has a marker been set?
Luton 1-4 Burnley
Simon Oxley
Luton commentator on BBC Three Counties Radio
It's been a strange performance from Luton. Defensively they're a bit shell-shocked, and Adebayo looks off it.
Meanwhile, Burnley have some really cultured players. They'll be one of the best teams in the division.
Luton 1-4 Burnley
Luton look a mess at the back.
One ball fails to be dealt with and Burnley almost strike for their fifth as they mistakenly leave the door open for Han-Noah Massengo who can't quite find the net.
There's still quite a chunk of time left to be played.
Luton 1-4 Burnley
Six minutes added on.
Luton 1-4 Burnley
Wilson Odobert, who scored Burnley's second goal this evening, makes way.
Luke McNally comes on for the final few minutes.
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Without Barkley, Luton look lost. Adebayo and Morris [have] no service.
Tony (Stockport)
Luton 1-4 Burnley
Geoff Doyle
BBC Three Counties Radio sport
Luton have just been overrun by the movement from Burnley.
They’ve been hugely impressive.
Luton 1-4 Burnley
That's Shandon Baptiste's last bit of action in this game.
He's replaced by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu.
Luton 1-4 Burnley
Shandon Baptiste volleys from outside the Burnley box, with his effort picking up a deflection for a corner to the hosts.
Luton send it in but it's immediately cleared.
Not long to go.
Luton 1-4 Burnley
Luton boss Rob Edwards aware that time is not his side's friend.
It's going to take something quite special to get anything out of this game.
Image source, Rex FeaturesLuton 1-4 Burnley
Glen Little
Ex-Burnley winger on BBC Radio Lancashire
Foster does well, then he does extremely well. He slips in Vitinho and it flies in off the post.
That’s the icing on the cake.
Luton 1-4 Burnley
I kid you not, Burnley are sending Wout Weghorst on.
Weghorst hasn't played for Burnley in two years and has turned out more recently for Manchester United during his loan spell at Old Trafford in 2022-23 than he has for the Clarets.
He comes on from the bench alongside Han-Noah Massengo with Lyle Foster and Lucas Pires coming off.
Dara O'Shea heads home for Burnley, who won the Championship title with 101 points two seasons ago
Burnley began life under Scott Parker with a hugely impressive statement win against fellow Championship promotion hopefuls Luton.
Relegated from the Premier League alongside Sheffield United in May, both sides are expected to challenge at the top end of the table this season but Burnley looked a level above an admittedly depleted Hatters team.
Captain Josh Brownhill opened the scoring and Wilson Odobert doubled the visitors’ lead before half-time with an equally composed finish.
Untypically tentative and lacking their trademark intensity, the Hatters could have found themselves four down without a fantastic pair of saves from Thomas Kaminski at the start of the second half, the Belgium goalkeeper denying first Dara O’Shea and then Vitinho in front of the away end.
Tahith Chong’s close-range effort briefly gave the hosts hope of a comeback but O’Shea was not to be denied, heading powerfully home, before Vitinho arrowed in a late fourth.
Scott Parker has won promotion to the Premier League with both Fulham and Bournemouth
Parker’s last competitive game in charge of an English side was a harrowing 9-0 defeat at Anfield. A repeat never looked likely from the moment Brownhill ran clear of a young Luton defence to steer through the legs of Kaminski.
Parker has pedigree at this level - taking both Fulham and Bournemouth up - and his team were organised, confident and surprisingly direct throughout.
The first two goals came from early long passes in behind the Luton backline in a notable change from the patient possession game favoured by new Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany and they were a threat from set-pieces throughout.
After Chong pulled one back, O'Shea's powerful header was excellently guided in before Lyle Foster ran from his own half to tee up Vitinho for a low drive.
Twenty-eight teams have bounced back from relegation at the first attempt since the formation of the Premier League, including both Leicester and Southampton last season.
Both of these teams will aim to join that list, with Luton boss Rob Edwards saying on Friday that he “embraced” the expectation of returning the Hatters to the big time at the first time of asking.
His team has been shorn of quality in midfield and he has first-choice defenders missing but this was a worrying start.
A brief spell at the start of the second period saw Elijah Adebayo flick a header onto the bar and Chong score, but other than that Burnley were comfortable.
They won the second tier with 101 points under Kompany two seasons ago and could well be the team to beat again.
Rob Edwards took Luton to the Premier League through the play-offs
Burnley manager Scott Parker:
"The execution of what we went out to do was incredible, and the belief and the confidence that this result will bring.
"From afar, people will look at it and will talk about it. But the biggest thing is the statement we've proved to ourselves.
"A lot of hard work has gone in, a different voice from myself. To a man, the players were superb."
Luton manager Rob Edwards to BBC Three Counties Radio:
"It's not the result we wanted and there will be frustration.
"Our vulnerability is that ball in behind with the way we play and that showed up tonight. We have to work hard to make sure that doesn't happen.
"If you take the goals out of that there was a good performance from a young team and we will continue to get better. We have six or seven players who will be back soon and we want to get one or two in as well.
"Burnley are a good team and they punished us. We dominated a lot of the game."
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| |
| 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 0 |
| |
| 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| |
| 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| |
| 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 0 |
| |
| 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| |
| 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| |
| 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| |
| 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| |
| 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
| |
| 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
|
Manager: Rob Edwards
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
Manager: Scott Parker
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Rob Edwards
Formation: 3 - 4 - 2 - 1
Manager: Scott Parker
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Championship
All competitions
All competitions
All competitions
After winning four league games in a row against Burnley between 1998 and 2000, Luton are now winless in their last eight against the Clarets (D4 L4).
Burnley have won each of their last four away league games against Luton Town – only at Manchester United (1914-1921) and Hull City (2010-2015) have they ever won five consecutive away league visits.
Luton lost 4-1 at Brighton in their opening match of the 2023-24 season, but haven’t lost their season opener in consecutive Football League campaigns since a run of three between 1995-96 and 1997-98.
Burnley haven’t lost their opening match in any of their last six Championship campaigns (W3 D3). Their last such defeat was at Sheffield Wednesday in 2008-09 (1-4), though they would go on to be promoted that season.
This is the first time two teams relegated from the previous season’s Premier League are kicking off a Championship campaign against each other since 2009-10, when West Brom and Newcastle played out a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns.
