Nottingham Forest have failed with an appeal against their four-point punishment for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules.
This means that Nuno Espirito Santo's side remain on 29 points with two games remaining - three clear of 18th-placed Luton Town.
How are you feeling, Hatters fans? Is it a lifeline to your Premier League survival?
Former Premier League winger Andros Townsend says Luton are "still alive and kicking" in the relegation battle, and believes the team would have been delighted to be in this position with two games remaining if offered the scenario at the start of the season.
However, Townsend admitted there is "massive amounts of frustration" over certain results in 2024 that could have helped the Hatters earn crucial points.
Listen to Townsend on Monday Night Club here
On the latest episode of Monday Night Club, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton says the points deduction situation has been unfair on Burnley and Luton, describing it as an "absolute shambles".
Listen to the full episode here
We asked for your views on Friday's match between Luton and Everton.
Here are some of your answers:
Luton fans
Muhammed: We needed to win this game really, playing home against a team that plays a similar direct style. We need the teams below us to do us a favour now, because it's not looking good.
Jon: Hard working, but their results over the last number of games are not good enough. Points total any other year would see them relegated already. Showed up big spending clubs at times this year but have suffered from a couple of key players being injured.
Andy: Poor, lacked belief, how could they miss so many chances late on?
Mark: Once again, Luton Town's defence let their goalkeeper Kaminski down.
Everton fans
Adam: Really solid performance by Everton. Teams fighting relegation are tricky opponents especially at their home grounds. A draw was fair result. Everton build confidence and belief - that’s 45 points on the board this season.
Mike: Luton were the better side. They were playing for their lives. We were safe. The same 11 that have performed so well recently ran out of steam. They also highlighted how poor the squad is. The euphoria of staying up will soon be replaced with the reality that we will be circling the plug hole again next season. Dyche is still the man for us though.
Mark: Everton didn't play with the freedom and confidence of a team now free of relegation worries. They had the best of the chances to add to their goal but Luton were much better in the second half. Defensively it was another solid performance from the Blues and they dealt fairly easily with Luton's late attacking surge. A good away point gained.
Greg: I suppose you could call it a hard-fought point and after the miracles the players have produced since the Chelsea debacle, we can have no real complaints. Luton have beaten us twice this season and they bullied us out of those games, so it was good that we matched them physically except maybe for the goal.
Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Friday and Saturday's six Premier League fixtures.
If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer here.
And you can watch highlights of Sunday's games on Match of the Day 2 here.
Listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries in full:
Image source, Getty ImagesLuton manager Rob Edwards to BBC Match of the Day: "We obviously wanted to win the game. We threw everything at it so I am disappointed right now. But I can't fault the players. The players gave it absolutely everything, so did the supporters. I'm really proud of everybody, but yeah, of course I wanted to win the game."
On the decision to award Everton a penalty: "I don't think we can complain too much. Teden Mengi has been incredible for us. He's a young player with a massive future. It's just another bit of learning for him."
On Elijah Adebayo's goal: "He's got that, and you can see we've missed him. He's a key player for us and it's great to have him back."
On Luton's chances in the final moments: "I feel sick, I'm ready to take off in celebration. We threw everything at it. We were pushing until the end and that is us. We've been like that all season.
"The supporters can see when the players are giving absolutely everything for the shirt. There's pride.
"We're still in the mix and the fight, we've got to keep believing."
Since the start of April, only Man City and Arsenal (15 each) have won more Premier League points than Everton (14 - W4 D2 L1). In that same time, only Brighton (2) and Sheffield United (1) have won fewer points than Luton (4).
Luton have conceded 78 goals in the Premier League this season, the most by a side in a debut season since Blackpool in 2010-11 (78). Since the start of February, they've shipped 46 goals in 16 games in all competitions - the most of any side in Europe's big-five leagues, failing to keep a clean sheet in that time.
The Hatters have both scored and conceded in 29 of their 36 Premier League games this season, a joint-record by any side in a campaign in the competition, along with Swindon Town in 1993-94 and Southampton in 1994-95.
Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored four goals in his last five Premier League appearances - as many as he’d managed in his previous 38 games combined. He has netted in consecutive away games for the first time since August 2021 against Leeds and Brighton.
Alfie Doughty has created 65 chances for Luton this season in the Premier League – since 2003-04, the only Englishmen to create more chances in their debut season in the competitions are James Maddison (100 in 2018-19) and Rickie Lambert (81 in 2012-13).
Elijah Adebayo scored his 10th Premier League goal of the season for Luton tonight. With Carlton Morris also scoring 10 this season, the Hatters are the first side with two players on 10 or more goals in their debut seasons since Arsenal in 2017-18 (Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang).
Luton Town missed the chance to move out of the Premier League's relegation places as they were held to a draw against Everton at Kenilworth Road.
Everton, safe from the drop with three games still to play, went ahead from the penalty spot after 24 minutes.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin coolly converted after Luton defender Teden Mengi was penalised for hauling down Jarrad Branthwaite following an intervention from the video assistant referee.
Elijah Adebayo showed exactly what Luton have been missing as the striker marked his first start since early February with the equaliser seven minutes later, the big forward proving too strong for Ashley Young before shooting low past Jordan Pickford.
Both sides had opportunities after the break with Luton keeper Thomas Kaminski saving well from Jack Harrison's deflected shot and Calvert-Lewin's header but the stalemate was not broken.
The draw leaves Rob Edwards' side in the bottom three, level on points with Nottingham Forest but having played a game more.
Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?
Luton fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here
The line-ups for Luton v Everton are in, with less than an hour to go before kick-off at Kenilworth Road.
Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha spoke to the BBC's Planet Premier League podcast about Luton's survival hopes:
"Vibes wise, I feel like people really like Luton. They've really liked them throughout the season, but maybe it's because they score goals and we see them do well against better teams.
"If Burnley's expected goals against is 66, would we think that Luton's would be 86? That does not pass a vibe check at all, does it?
"Luton do have a potential to attack and score, but do they have a defence good enough to give them the opportunity to be there come the end of the season? And as it stands, I would have to say they're on their way down.
"Given the fact they could get some points back, I think [Nottingham] Forest will probably end up being the team that stays up in my opinion."
Image source, Getty ImagesChris Sutton is making predictions for every Premier League game this season against a variety of guests.
For this weekend's matches, he takes on Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill.
Sutton's prediction: 1-2
Everton are safe now, and what a tremendous job Sean Dyche has done there.
Dyche says keeping the Toffees up with three games to go is his biggest achievement as a manager, and I can understand why he feels that way after the campaign they have had.
When you look at Premier League managers who have exceeded expectation this season then, with all the nonsense he has had to put up with off the pitch, he is one of them.
If not for their points deductions, Everton would have been a mid-table team for most of the campaign and would not have been worried about the drop.
Luton, meanwhile, are still in the thick of the relegation scrap and you could argue this is a decent opportunity for them, given Everton have just made sure of staying up and might take their foot off the gas a bit.
Looking at their remaining games, Luton have got to play West Ham (away) and Fulham (home) as well this one.
They are three fixtures where you feel they have a chance of picking up some points but, having said that, they are too easy to play against, concede too many goals and might also be low on confidence after losing their past three matches.
We don't know how many points Luton will need to stay up, not helped by the uncertainty over Nottingham Forest's appeal against their points deduction, but they are going to need at least one win.
Luton won at Goodison Park earlier in the season, but I don't see them repeating that result here. The pressure is all on them now, while we should see Everton play with a bit of freedom.
Nathan's prediction: 3-2
I am going with Luton on this one. I like a team that is backed in a corner, and has to claw their way out. Everton could kind of be on cruise control because they have got what they want.
Image source, ReutersBBC Three Counties Radio's Luton In The Prem podcast has been assessing what the Hatters' may need from their final three league matches to secure survival in the top flight.
Rob Edwards' side will begin Friday's game at home to Everton one point above second-from-bottom Burnley but a point behind Nottingham Forest in 17th position.
Simon Oxley said: "People keep saying that if we'd have said back in August that with three games to go, you'll still be in there fighting with a chance, we'd all have been highly delighted.
"They're still in there fighting with three games to go. You couldn't really ask for much more than the games they've got, but time is running out.
"We keep saying 'what if this, what if that' - well, they've got to win a game, or games I would suggest. They've got to win two, I think.
"At home to Everton, I think we're in the 'must win' category now. It was a 'must not lose' when they were level-pegging, but Everton have won their past three games. They're safe so the whole nature of the match has changed. It was going to be a really tight six-pointer and now they're up against a team that has effectively got nothing to play for."
Image source, Getty ImagesRob Edwards says he wants Kenilworth Road to be "rocking" when they host Everton on Friday.
There are just three games left of this campaign, two of which are at home for the Hatters, and Premier League survival is still achievable.
"Our supporters will be huge for us there is no doubt about it," Edwards said. "Kenilworth Road is a different type of stadium and atmosphere to other grounds in this league.
"Under the lights it is intimidating, so we have got to have it rocking from the beginning.
"I want the fans in early when we are warming up because they can be the 12th man. It will be nervy and we will really have to dig deep, but it is in those moments when they can lift us."
Sean Dyche's Everton are mathematically safe after three wins in seven days, leaving Nottingham Forest, Luton and Burnley in the relegation "mini-league".
"It has to bring out the best in us and we have to have positive energy," Edwards added. "We are still in the fight so the belief has got to be there.
"We don’t want it to end. We want it to continue.
"Belief hasn’t waned at all. It is still there and it has got to be there. I am big on that. I can feel it from the players, staff and supporters as well."
Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist
Luton Town boss Rob Edwards has been speaking to the media before his side host Everton in the Premier League on Friday (20:00 BST kick-off).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
There are no new injury concerns but also no sidelined players recovering in time.
Forward Elijah Adebayo, who returned at Wolves last weekend, has "trained well and had no issues" this week.
Edwards said the Hatters "are still in the fight so the belief has got to be there" when they face Everton, adding: "It has to bring out the best in us and we have to have positive energy."
On the Blues, who are mathematically safe from relegation: "It is a big challenge and we will expect them to be at their best. They have had three clean sheets in a row and play with real intensity and aggression."
He said he hopes his team will "take confidence" from already beating the Toffees twice this season.
Edwards' "belief hasn't waned at all" despite Luton's recent form. He added: "I can feel it from the players, staff and supporters as well."
On what the fans can do: "We have got to have Kenilworth Road rocking from the beginning. I want them in early when we are training because they can be the 12th man. It will be nervy and we will really have to dig deep, so it is in those moments when they can lift us."
He joked that "an early four goals would be lovely" to settle his players, but added more seriously: "Scoring first is very important."
Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Geoff Doyle
BBC Three Counties Radio sports editor
So three games left and Luton still have a chance of staying in the Premier League. That is a scenario a lot of pundits were not predicting.
But they need to improve and they need to win matches. And that is even before worrying about what Nottingham Forest and Burnley do. One win in 14 Premier League games is not the form required to stay in the top flight.
The latest defeat at Wolves was another case of a committed, spirited performance - much better than the previous one against Brentford - but not quite good enough.
It has been the story of the season.
Luton are going behind in matches and then in trying to respond, become more open and get caught on counter attacks. They have found that in the Premier League any opposition overloads tend to result in solid chances at goal.
The character and fight in the side cannot be questioned but the extra quality they face is proving to be decisive. And with all the injuries they have had, the squad depth has been found wanting a bit.
The return of striker Elijah Adebayo was a huge positive and gives the Hatters better options up front. Chiedozie Ogbene might be close to a return soon, to add to the team's pace.
Whatever happens in the final three games, the fans will be right behind the team. Support has been phenomenal this season. Even when they conceded five at home to Brentford recently, there was no discontent from the Luton faithful. They understand, as do the club, what the Hatters are up against.
It is still not done and while there’s a chance, there’s hope.
Listen to coverage of Luton v Everton on BBC Three Counties Radio (Friday, 20:00 BST)
Here are the key facts and figures before Friday's game between Luton and Everton in the Premier League.
Luton Town have already beaten Everton twice this season, once in the Premier League and once in the FA Cup fourth round. As a league club, the Hatters last beat another team three times in one season in 1988-89 against West Ham. The last newly promoted club to beat the Toffees three times in a season were Leeds United in 1964-65.
This is Everton's first away match against Luton since a 1-0 win in the League Cup in October 2007, with Tim Cahill netting an extra-time winner. Their most recent league visit to Kenilworth Road was also a 1-0 victory back in November 1991 with Robert Warzycha the scorer.
Luton have won just one of their past 14 Premier League games (D3 L10), with no side picking up fewer points than the Hatters since the start of this run (six). Despite this, they have only failed to score in one of their past 23 league games - a 2-0 defeat at league leaders Arsenal last month.
Everton are winless in nine away Premier League games (D3 L6) since beating Burnley 2-0 in December. Five of the Toffees' first eight league wins this season came away from home - each of their past four have all been at Goodison Park.
Carlton Morris is Luton's top scorer in the Premier League this season with 10 goals. He has scored in four of his past six appearances at Kenilworth Road, and also netted the Hatters' winner in the reverse fixture against Everton.
Luton's Ross Barkley, who made 150 league appearances for Everton between 2011 and 2017, has scored just one goal in 10 Premier League games against sides he has previously played for in the competition. That strike came in a match at Kenilworth Road this season in a 3-2 defeat by Chelsea.
Image source, Getty ImagesTom Lockyer says he is "at peace" with the prospect of not playing football again, but has insisted he has not ruled out a return to the pitch.
The 29-year-old Wales defender collapsed after a cardiac arrest playing for Luton Town during a Premier League match against Bournemouth in December.
Resuscitated by medics, he has said he was "technically dead" for two minutes and 40 seconds.
In March, Lockyer became a father for the first time and now says he has re-assessed his priorities when looking to the future.
"I've made no secret saying I would love to return to football, but ultimately it would have to come down to someone who's a cardiologist or a specialist who has done full research into what has gone on and if it could happen again, because we've got a little girl now and she takes priority," Lockyer told BBC Radio Wales.
"I would love to play football again, of course I would, it's my life but if it's the case that I can't, then I'm at peace with that as well.
"I played for my country, I've played in every league and scored in every league from non-league to the Premier League, so it's not the end of the world.
"At the end of the day, I've got my health and that's the most important thing."
