Former Everton and current Luton winger Andros Townsend spoke to the Monday Night Club about the Toffees' ongoing relegation battle following a second points deduction. Townsend says the situation "makes a mockery of the Premier League".
Listen to the full episode of Monday Night club on BBC Sounds
We asked for your thoughts on Saturday's Premier League game between Luton Town and Bournemouth.
Here are some of your responses:
Luton fans
Nicola: Luton Town, you never cease to surprise me with the levels of commitment and fight you have! These three points are absolutely crucial in the fight we find ourselves in to avoid relegation. I couldn't be prouder of your heart, your spirit, and the way you have played. We are Luton Town and we will not give anything but 100%. Bring on the next game!
GDM: That second-half performance demonstrated what we are about. The passion, commitment and effort shown by all of the players was clear. You could see how much it meant to the players and the coaching staff at the final whistle. Jordan Clark was fantastic in the second half. I think that was Kabore's best game for us. I love this squad.
David: As happy as happy can be. What a victory and relentless application by the whole team. A fantastic cameo from Cauley Woodrow. The emotion at the final whistle was palpable - the Kenilworth Road earth shook. The dream is still alive and I am so pleased for Rob Edwards and the whole club.
Phil: The huge injury list hasn't dulled the Hatters' fighting spirit. The substitutes gave their all when they came on and we wanted it more than Bournemouth. Keep the belief. We have shown the Premier League what can be done on a shoestring budget, without breaking the rules!
Bournemouth fans
John: Bournemouth love to give the bottom teams, who are in trouble, a chance to escape the drop! Why? I do not know, but at least we are safe. Well done, Luton. Let's move on and beat Manchester United next week. Up the Cherries.
Caxtonia: Surely the job of a manager is to organise and guide his team to obtain the best result possible. It is not to criticise their performance after the match has been lost, which surely is a failure on his part as he had all of the opportunities to make beneficial changes while the match was in progress. The place for criticism is the dressing room.
Robert: Once again, the substitutions beggar belief. Iraola took off our best player by far, Semenyo, and brought on our worst player, Billing. Unsurprisingly, we then go on to lose this game.
Stew: Very nice Bournemouth. Please can we stop with the nice bits. Please just stuff the rest - you cannot be a saviour forever. Just beat everyone by as much as you can. That is Premier League football - like it or not.
Image source, ReutersLuton Town are going to stay up and Nottingham Forest are "in a mess".
That is the view of ESPN's senior writer Mark Ogden after watching this weekend's Premier League fixtures unfold.
A late winner from Carlton Morris against Bournemouth on Saturday drew the Hatters level with Forest on the edge of the relegation zone with just six games to go and, despite a promising performance at Spurs on Sunday, Nuno Espirito Santo's side were defeated.
"I have backed Luton to stay up, so I think Forest will get relegated," Ogden said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.
"There just seems to be a nervousness in how they are playing and in the way they approach games. It might be because they went through it last season and know how edgy it can be. They got away with last year but now there is a different vibe.
"As for Luton, this is almost a free hit with no pressure or expectancy. They have a spirit about them."
Ex-West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker agreed, praising the tenacity and mindset Luton have showed all season.
"There are no nerves and they just stick to their principles," he said. "They are getting results and believe in what they are doing.
"For Forest, the last thing they need is to keep conceding goals. They did not kill Tottenham off on Sunday either and they were punished."
Listen to more on the relegation battle from 26'05 on BBC Sounds
Image source, Getty ImagesCarlton Morris has netted nine goals for Luton Town so far this season, including the Hatters' 90th minute winner against Bournemouth, with former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin labelling him an "old fashioned" striker on Match of the Day.
"He has got a little bit of an old fashioned centre-forward about him," Dublin said.
"He is strong, pacey and keeps things very simple, but it works for him. He is 28-years-old, he has just come to the Premier League this season, and he is really enjoying his football as well.
"He was born in Cambridge, a bit of a tie towards me. He started his career at Norwich, another tie towards me. He has been out on loan at Oxford, York and Hamilton Academicals as well. So, he has really worked hard to get to this position.
"I like that all he is ever thinking about is trying to make the team better, getting into good goal-scoring positions, and he is quite calm under pressure as well.
"He is a big lad, he doesn't mind the physicality of the game either. When he gets into the right positions, all he wants to do is try to get an effort on goal. He is good to watch.
"His hold up play is good. He will play it to his team-mate and then he will forget about it. All he wants to do is get into that area where he is hoping the ball will come into.
"His goal was a lovely finish - on the volley, it comes across his body, he has moved the defender out of the way with his strength, and then he has used a bit of guile. Then there was the emotion. I think he deserved it."
Luton have raised their interest in Blackburn's 28-year-old Republic of Ireland striker Sammie Szmodics but face competition from Brentford. (Sun, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesRob Edwards went through the full spectrum of emotions during this gritty comeback victory.
He was a frenetic figure on the sidelines in the first half, his body language adding to a tension on the pitch and a nervousness in the stands.
However, whatever message the Hatters boss delivered at half-time to Luton's players had the desired impact.
Luton were purposeful with their play, decisive with execution of their tactics and showed much greater control in possession of the ball.
Edwards regained his composure, and so did his team.
Even when they fell behind to the Cherries they kept their nerve to graft their way back into the game with two enterprising goals.
When Carlton Morris popped up to net the winner the pressure value of a first win in 11 games was released, Edwards turning to celebrate with the supporters.
When the full-time whistle Edwards was clenching his fists and beating his chest in response to chants of "Town are staying up".
Kenilworth Road will have a crucial role to play in the remaining home games against Brentford, Everton and Fulham.
It could prove to be the difference.
Luton manager Rob Edwards has been speaking to BBC Sport following the comeback win: "We spoke before the game about how important it was. You can guarantee effort, try to be organised and carry out a game plan, but you can’t guarantee a win.
"The character we showed, we found the result when it was really important to do so.
"I thought the second-half performance was really good. There was a belief there. The substitutes made an impact. I am really pleased.
"I feel we have had one and a half really difficult games against Bournemouth - the Tom [Lockyer] situation the first time and then we were 3-0 up and lost 4-3. It is a nice feeling to turn that around and grind that win."
On his plans for tonight: "I will probably start losing sleep about Manchester City and trying to think about how to stop them."
Here are the key facts and figures following Saturday’s game between Luton Town and Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Luton picked up their first win in 11 Premier League matches (D3 L7) and also went unbeaten in back-to-back home Premier League games for the first time.
The Hatters' victory is the first time that they have won a Premier League match after conceding first.
Bournemouth remain without a league double over Luton since 2007-08 and the late defeat also ended their five match unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Jordan Clark’s equaliser was his first Premier League goal for Luton Town, after 18th appearances in the competition, and his first league goal since netting against Middlesbrough in the Championship in December 2022.
Justin Kluivert’s assist was his first in the Premier League in his 25th appearance. He has been involved in three Premier League goals (scoring two and assisting one) in his past five matches.
Both Luton and Bournemouth failed to record a shot on target in the first half of this match. It is just the second time this has happened in the Premier League in 2023-24 (also Aston Villa v Tottenham in March).
Carlton Morris' dramatic late winner boosted Luton's Premier League survival hopes as they came from behind to beat Bournemouth.
Marcus Tavernier gave Bournemouth the lead early in the second half with a crisp shot from just outside the corner of the penalty area.
But Jordan Clark restored parity with a clinical 73rd minute strike from inside the box.
The Hatters ended a run of 10 games without a win in dramatic fashion when Morris guided the ball home from Cauley Woodrow's cross in the 90th minute.
Luton remain in the drop zone but only behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, who are away to Tottenham on Sunday, on goal difference.
Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?
Luton fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here
Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.
BBC Radio 5 Live commentaries:
All kick-off times BST
Listen to radio commentaries and follow live text updates here
Chris Sutton is making predictions for every Premier League game this season against a variety of guests.
For this weekend's games, he takes on darts stars Luke Littler and Nathan Aspinall, who both support Manchester United.
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
Luton have had a couple of bad results which have hit their hopes of staying up hard, but the one that will really haunt them if they go down is their collapse from 3-0 up to lose 4-3 to Bournemouth on 13 March.
The Hatters keep on running teams close, but keep on being on the wrong side of close scorelines. How can they change that? Well, keeping a clean sheet feels vital to me given their situation, and they haven't managed one of those since their last league win, over Brighton on 30 January.
They have proved they have got a goal or two in them, now they need to improve at the back - but I don't think they will keep a clean sheet against Bournemouth.
The Cherries seem to have got the balance right between defence and attack and the run they are on has taken them towards the top half of the table.
Littler's prediction: Luton have got Ross Barkley going box to box. I am a big fan of his. 2-1
Aspinall's prediction: I don't actually think Luton are as bad as their results have been recently. I've gone for four away teams so far, so I am going for a home win here. 2-1
I spoke to a Luton fan who was on his way to the Arsenal game on Wednesday and he said they were going to the title challengers but they might be playing their youth team players.
It was tongue in cheek, but it told the story.
There is always management when it comes to injuries and it comes down to risk and reward. There will be times when you bring a player back and you think "we should have left him for another two weeks" - but they need to be in the team because the team is struggling.
It has a knock-on effect because it is ultimately a risk. It is not just down to the medical team, it is the manager and the player themselves. The player will want to be available and play.
Sometimes you can get away with and sometimes you cannot.
International breaks have cost a lot of teams players. That has not really affected Luton in a big way, but their players are playing high-intensity football.
There are a lot of games and they do not get the rest they need. When you are pushing your body to the max, you have to expect injuries.
Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Three Counties Radio commentator Simon Oxley believes Saturday's game at home to Bournemouth is "massive" if Luton Town are to reignite their survival bid.
The Hatters have not won since January and relinquished a 3-0 lead to dramatically lose 4-3 in the reverse fixture at Vitality Stadium on 13 March.
"We said similar for the Nottingham Forest game because it came off the back of that agonising defeat at Bournemouth, but this one really is must win," Oxley told the Luton In The Prem podcast.
"That's what the manager told the players after the game at Arsenal - that's what they're focusing on.
"They'd say they want to win every game every week, but this one in particular is massive.
"Games are running out. They are three points adrift as things stand. They need to get points on the board - 10 games without a win.
"I know some of those have been very difficult, obviously, but they need to get back in there and just start picking up points again - and picking up three points.
"Some of the draws have been very good but they've got to start getting wins."
Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist
Manager Rob Edwards has been speaking to the media before Luton Town host Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday (15:00 BST kick-off).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Edwards is "hopeful" defender Reece Burke will be available but no other injured players will recover in time.
Midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga remains sidelined but is "pushing" to return for the Brentford game on 20 April.
Elijah Adebayo and Chieo Ogbene "are progressing" but need longer.
On whether he will be forced to rush them back to help the team fight against relegation: "It is not on my mind right now and it is something the players would have to buy into as well because it is their bodies. They are really keen to push and they are. It will be rational and educated risks, but we will see when we get to the latter stage of the season."
He said the four remaining home games "are like cup finals" and "the supporters will play a huge part" in helping the Hatters grind out results.
On opponents Bournemouth: "It is not going to be easy but we know we can win. We can take some confidence from things we did well in the reverse fixture and learn from things we didn’t."
Edwards said he "wants to see the players wear their hearts on their sleeve" and "give it everything" to get points.
On survival hopes and pressure: "As difficult as it will be, a win against Bournemouth would put us in a fantastic position. We’ve been really focusing on this game because it can give us more belief and confidence. Three points at this stage would be really important."
He said "the players have accepted the pressure" of the seven remaining games and added: "We have to do our job and try to control our destiny."
Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences here
I have been in lots of relegation battles. I got relegated in my first year in the Premier League with Manchester City when I was only a teenager. I had to deal with that adversity so I know what it is like.
I do not think people crack or feel anxious in relegation fights, but you know when you are beaten. It is hard to fully motivate yourself as a team to get the desire to go back out there.
In these battles there are always people complaining and there are changes too. Managers are under pressure and fans add pressure as well.
There is no doubt that it is difficult.
There might not be a lot of hope for those teams in the relegation zone at the moment, but those players will still want to be playing in the Premier League next season. So they still have to use this time to shine because they inevitably will want a move back to a top-flight club.
Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford
Here are the key facts and figures before Saturday's Premier League fixture between Luton Town and Bournemouth.
Luton won their last home league game against Bournemouth, beating them 3-2 in the Championship in January 2022. They last won consecutive such games against them in meetings in October 1936 and October 1963.
Bournemouth came from 3-0 down to beat Luton 4-3 in the reverse fixture at the Vitality Stadium. They last did the league double over the Hatters in 2007-08 in League One, which included a 4-3 home win.
Luton Town are winless in their last four home Premier League games since a 4-0 win over Brighton at Kenilworth Road in January. The Hatters have conceded first in all four games, having scored first in five of their previous seven on home soil.
Bournemouth have won five away Premier League matches this season, as many as they won last season. Only in 2015-16 have they won more away matches in a single top-flight campaign.
Luton have conceded 34 goals in 18 matches at Kenilworth Road in all competitions this season, their most in a season since 2019-20. Their average of 1.9 goals conceded per game is their joint-worst ratio on home soil in a season as a league club, along with 1962-63.
Since losing six out of seven away Premier League matches between May and November last year, Bournemouth have lost just two of their last nine on the road ). They’ve netted 23 away goals this season, only scoring more in the 2018-19 Premier League campaign .
There have been 48 goals scored in 15 Premier League matches played at Kenilworth Road this season with Luton scoring 22 and 26 for their opponents. There’s only been five stadiums that have seen 50+ goals scored in 16 or fewer games, most recently Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road in 2010-11.
Since returning to the Premier League last season, Bournemouth haven’t lost a single match against a newly promoted club, winning two and drawing two as a promoted club themselves last season and winning four out of five games this season and have scored at least two goals in each of their last six.
We asked for your thoughts on Wednesday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Luton Town.
Here are some of your responses:
Arsenal fans
Vince: It is testament to how far Arsenal have come under Arteta that this game would be newsworthy only if it didn’t end in a home win. Before this, particularly at the closing stages of a season, a game against relegation battlers was potentially a banana peel or a test of Arsenal’s steel. None of that rubbish now. Bring on Brighton and Bayern!
Mark: We treated the Luton game like a training session when in reality goal difference this year could be vital. This could come back to haunt us.
John: Played like Champions. Every player contributed to the team. This is team work.
Luton fans
David: Another North London visit and noble defeat, there must be a lot of sore throats in Luton with the fans in full voice throughout. The patchwork quilt of a team worked relentlessly and with a bit more composure in the box could have got a miraculous point. It's a must-win against Bournemouth. Rob Edwards deserves it.
Nathan: I thought the boys gave everything they had to the cause. We defended brilliantly in the second half and most of the first half too, restricting a top side to mostly half chances. Arsenal were clinical when they had to be. We just missed that final killer pass or cross to really give the Arsenal defence something to really think about. COYH!!
Justin: We took a bit of time to settle into the game but considering the amount of injuries we have, I think overall we gave a good account of ourselves against a very good Arsenal side. I think a lot of people thought we would be onto a hiding and that didn't happen.
Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from this midweek's Premier League fixtures.
If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.
A little more from manager Rob Edwards after Luton's defeat at Arsenal: "I believe we can do this, with every fibre of my being I believe in this group. We are competing in this league, we have had a lot of injuries and it has knocked our rhythm. We're in the games we're playing. We weren't out of it."
Image source, Getty Images
