Luton Town 1-1 Everton: Match Report & Instant Reaction | Blues undefeated in four now

03/05/2024 23:26

Everton deny Luton the chance to get out of the relegation zone

A month ago this was going to be a crucial six pointer but that has all changed. At that time Everton were just three points above the drop zone. Now, Everton are 11 points above the Hatters and are safe for another year. Luton, on the other hand could have got out of the drop zone with a win over the Toffees.

Luton had already beaten Everton twice this season, once in the Premier League and once in the FA Cup so this had been a good fixture for the Premier League newcomers. It was Everton's first away match against Luton since a 1-0 win in the League Cup in October 2007. Their last league visit to Kenilworth Road also ended in a 1-0 victory back in November 1991 with a goal from Robert Warzycha.

After three wins on the trot with three clean sheets with Sean Dyche wearing his tracksuit, it was now time to slay the fact that the team was winless in nine away league games since beating Burnley 2-0 in December.

Team News

Everton pair Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Seamus Coleman were back in training and available with Coleman on the bench and Calvert Lewin starting. Beto had recovered from concussion and was on the bench. Vitalii Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson are out for the rest of the season.

Lutonmade two changes to the side who lost at Wolves last time out as Elijah Adebayo and Fred Onyedinma started with Jordan Clark and Daiki Hashioka dropping to the bench.

Match Review

Tim Robinson was the man in the middle who got things underway with the Kennilworth Road crowd as loud as ever. A fast start from the Hatters saw Everton under pressure from the whistle. Thre trick would be to settle the game down and in turn settle the crowd down. Former Everton prodigy Ross Barkley was in the middle and was clearly attempting to make an impact.

The crowd was up in arms when Tommy Chong went down in the box but the replay showed a clear dive by the former Manchester United midfielder. An early yellow card for Garner on Chong prevented a driving run. The blistering pace subsided after the first ten minutes as the game settled down.

Everton started to get on the ball and when Dwight McNeil went down in the box, Tim Robinson held up play to let VAR check. Not surprising, VAR was not impressed and the game continued. Everton's pressure continued and they had their first corner at the 17 minute mark and the delivery was almost put into Luton's own net and Garner then had a shot blocked on the line. Evertonians were getting loud.

Moments later, Jarrad Branthwaite was wrestled to the ground in the box and this time VAR asked the referee to look at the monitor. Tim Robinson took a while but a penalty was given and it was up to Calvert Lewin to put it away which he did with aplomb. The Luton keeper got a leg to it but the power was just too much.

Luton were pushing forward again and a scramble in the box was cleared by Gueye. Luton tied up the game with a lovely goal when Adebayo took down a cross with his chest and blasted the ball past Pickford. Ashley Young was completely outclassed and outmaneuvered by the big forward. It was the first goal Everton had conceded in just over 5 hours.

The Luton crowd was back in it and Everton took their turn controlling the ball. A nice run by Harrison saw him miss the top corner of the goal by inches. Chong was given a yellow card for a late challenge on Ben Godfrey. The resulting free kick from McNeil was met by Branthwaite but no one could scramble his header over the line.

Six minutes of added time was announced with Everton applying some pressure but it was Luton who had the last chance as Clinton Morris fizzed a shot wide of the far post. This was quickly followed by a deep Doughty cross that was headed back across the Everton goal but it was Gueye again clearing the ball to safety as the half time whistle was blown.

The second half kicked off with no changes for either side. The teams traded possession in the early going with neither side getting the upper hand. The play was stopped when Clinton Morris and Young clashed heads and both players continued. Pickford was scrambling when Osho delivered a ball for the far corner but it went wide.

A yellow card was given to Idrissa Gueye for a late tackle on Tommy Chong which set up a free kick just outside the box. Alfie Doughty lined it up and Osho headed the ball well over the bar. Dyche had seen enough and the midfield was refreshed with Amadou Onana and Andre Gomes replaced James Garner and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

The game reached the hour mark and it seemed like a draw was inevitable. Luton were pressing and it was only a last ditch tackle from Jack Harrison that prevented Doughty from breaking in alone. Seamus Coleman was brought on with 25 minutes to go for Ashley Young.

It was Harrison again who narrowly missed when his shot deflected off a defender. The final fifteen minutes arrived with Everton refusing to bend at the back. A rare foray forward saw Calvert Lewin's powerful header palmed over the bar by the Luton keeper. In a surprising turn of events, Dyche saw the need for more changes with Beto and Chermiti coming on for Gueye and Calvert Lewin. Andros Townsend was also brought on to face his former club replacing the Luton goalscorer, Adebayo.

Beto was quickly into the action and made a nice move but the Luton defender was all over him but the referee was having none of it. Luton made their final change with Chong being replaced by Berry. Everton continued to thwart the Hatters and there was a real chance that Everton would counter attack and expose the Luton need to score. Berry was able to force a save from Pickford which set up a last second corner.

Doughty put the ball into the box and an overhead kick was powered into Harrison who knew nothing about it. Extra time was over but the game continued. A final free kick for Luton was and it was a game saving block by Branthwaite saved the draw as the referee blew the whistle to end the match.

Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin - There were few bright lights in a dour affair but the tireless running and goal scoring of Calvert Lewin continued to highlight his return to scoring after such a barren patch. With four goals in his past five matches, he is now showing his offensive skills again. His tireless running and willingness to work in isolation should be commended.

Instant Reaction

There was lots of talk in the leadup to the match whether Dyche would give some of the younger players but that did not come to pass. In fact, Chermiti was back on the bench with the return to fitness of Calvert-Lewin. The game was billed as a six pointer at the start of April and the game eventually was only of importance for Luton. Perhaps Dyche wanted to respect the competition but it would have been nice to see more of the youngsters.

With the elation of the past week behind us, it would be easy for the travelling Evertonians to take their foot of the pedal when it comes to noise but that was not to be. Their never ending support throughout the match was passionate and the applause that they delivered at the end showed their willingness to show their appreciation for the team's efforts over the last few weeks.

I am at a loss to explain how hot and cold Abdoulare Doucoure continues to be each and every week. Today he was almost none existent. Zero shots, zero tackles, 1 of 3 ground duels won and only one touch in the box are a testament to how useless he was today. If he is not turning up, give someone else a chance.