Luton rescue draw with Forest as Burnley keep survival hopes alive

As the fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League comes to a head, Luton and Forest met in a potentially decisive showdown at Kenilworth Road. Forest, beaten in their previous three games, took the lead through Chris Wood's first-half strike. But Berry came off the bench to equalise with just one minute to play in normal time.

Third-bottom Luton, who blew a three-goal lead in Wednesday's disastrous 4-3 defeat at Bournemouth, are without a win in their last nine games in all competitions. They sit three points behind fourth-bottom Forest, with both sides having nine games left to preserve their top-flight status.

Luton's late leveller was painful for Forest, who face the potential threat of a points deduction before the end of the season after being hit with a Premier League charge over alleged financial breaches. "The reality is that this match is huge for us and we know that," Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo said this week.

Wood put Forest ahead in the 34th minute, drilling past Thomas Kaminski from close-range after Morgan Gibbs-White's chip picked out the New Zealand striker. But Hatters substitute Berry levelled with a close-range strike from Reece Burke's header in the 89th minute. At Turf Moor, second-bottom Burnley won for the first time in 11 league games since a 2-0 victory at Fulham in December.

Vincent Kompany's side took the lead in the 10th minute when Vitinho sprinted onto Josh Cullen's pass and was about to shoot when he was pulled down by Sergio Reguilon. The Spanish defender was shown the earliest red card in the Premier League this season, after a VAR check, and Jacob Bruun Larsen stepped up to convert the spot-kick.

Brentford were nearly gifted an equaliser when Dara O'Shea's errant backpass had Burnley 'keeper Arijanet Muric scrambling to clear off the line before pushing away Ivan Toney's rebound. David Datro Fofana fired wide with a golden opportunity to double Burnley's lead, but the on-loan Chelsea forward made amends in the 62nd minute with a composed finish into the far corner.

Kristoffer Ajer got one back in the 83rd minute with a diving header from Bryan Mbeumo's cross, but the Clarets held on for their first league win in 2024. They are now eight points from safety with nine games left. Brentford have won only three of their past 18 league games and sit just four points above the relegation zone.

 

March 16, 2024