Vincent Kompany talked of Burnley receiving the victories their displays deserve then watched his side blow doing precisely this by allowing Carlton Morris’s added time equaliser.
It was a major call from the VAR to allow this because Elijah Adebayo seemed to impede James Trafford, the home No 1, before the substitute’s finish. Yet on going to the review it was allowed and so Zeki Amdouni’s 36th-minute opener was answered.
Before this Burnley had been heading for a fourth win and the dogfight they are in is crystallised by two of their three victories being over the sides they were promoted with: Luton and Sheffield United.
This cast the meeting as worthy of the “relegation six-pointer” billing, as three for Rob Edwards’ team would have pulled them out of the drop zone up and left Kompany’s team floundering. But the draw is of more value to the visitors as they are now level on 16 points with Everton.
Goals were hard to come by as you would expect from two sides hovering under the trapdoor. Burnley had a precious chance to add to their paltry 20 goals when in behind Luton lines skipped Johann Gudmundsson whose despair at shooting straight at Thomas Kaminski, the visiting goalkeeper, was visible.
Luton, moments after, might have had their 24th goal of the season via a series of openings that forced Kompany’s men into desperate action.
A Ross Barkley laser, after his expertly-placed pass to Chiedozie Ogbene was returned to the midfielder, was palmed out by James Trafford for a corner. Alfie Doughty delivered this, from the right, and the Clarets escaped.
This came after Doughty had previously skated along the left and fashioned a cross Elijah Adebayo was a foot or so from stabbing in. Luton’s centre-forward, later, forced a second corner when blazing at Trafford but, again, Doughty’s execution yielded nothing.
The Hatters were dominant. Barkley pinged balls left and right from his playmaker zone or dropped in close to a teammate to give an option and the opponent something extra to think about.
Amdouni, for Burnley, did a fair impression of the former England man by taking over around halfway and sweeping the ball right. A free-kick on the edge of Luton’s area was claimed but Gudmundsson’s radar again failed him.
This was a brief cessation in the visitors’ ascendancy. Gabriel Osho clipped the ball 60 yards to bounce into Ogbene’s path along the right. He flighted a cross into the area for Adebayo, who turned it back to Barkley positioned by the D and Burnley breathed easier on seeing his effort blocked.
Kompany’s 4-4-2 configuration was, at this juncture, simply more stodgier than Edwards’ more nimble 3-3-1-2–1. This made Lyle Foster’s fluffed attempt even costlier when put in on a rare Burnley incursion into Luton’s area. Moments later, he could relax as his side struck.
This was a piercing sequence that had Wilson Odobert’s pace gaining him a yard along the left and zipping in a slicing ball that was crashed home by Amdouni.
Luton had been up to 60% possession but this now meant nothing. Burnley were rampant suddenly, Josh Brownhill firing into a crowded area, before Odobert’s dancing feet once more bedazzled the visiting defence.
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The home crowd had located its voice, roaring their men on, as when those in white engineered a sight of goal for Jordan Clark who, on unloading, saw Trafford save.
As half-time neared, Burnley could rue Amdouni’s overhit attempt to find Foster but not his earlier intervention as it helped give them a priceless lead.
It, too, swelled their confidence as illustrated by an upturn in the craft and pace of pass and an incisiveness that had Vitinho roving forward from his right-back berth, turning infield and testing Kaminski.
Odobert had become the major force, terrifying Luton. This time he ghosted upfield and squared to Foster. Burnley were in if the striker weighted his pass expertly to Amdouni yet once more he clumped the ball past his strike partner, and out it rolled.
Luton had been beaten 2-1 at their ground in October’s reverse fixture and to avoid the same result had to rediscover their mojo. A dipping Doughty corner Burnley scrambled away for a second was a start. So was the midfielder’s delivery of this that Trafford punched to safety.
Barkley, again, was shaping the contest, which meant Burnley had to stop his supply line to Andros Townsend, Clark and Doughty in the wide areas as he sprayed passes to them as he wished.
One way was to break fast, feed Odobert, and have him knife through Luton. On doing this a deflected shot caused Kaminski to adjust his feet and clear.
Now came the late equaliser which appeared the latest controversial VAR call.
