Vincent Kompany talked of Burnley receiving the victories their displays deserve then watched his side denied precisely this by Carlton Morris’s controversial added-time equaliser.
It was a major call from the VAR to allow this because Elijah Adebayo visibly impeded James Trafford, the home No 1, before the substitute’s header. Yet on going to the review it was allowed and so Zeki Amdouni’s 36th-minute opener was answered.
The stance of the refereeing body, PGMOL, was that it was “a coming together” so not enough for the decision of Tony Harrington, the man in the middle, to be reversed.
Kompany was left infuriated. “What are we doing? I don’t get it any more. There is a clear attempt to stop the goalkeeper coming out,” he said.
“The referee has got to get it right. First I expected the referee to see it – none of the Luton players were celebrating.
“The first look of their striker is to Trafford and his second to the referee to see if he got away with it. Luckily we have VAR so we think: ‘OK that’s going to sort it out. But it rolls and rolls and there’s a lack of [the wanted] decision and it’s 1-1.’
“He takes two steps back into the keeper. If everyone can do this then I will tell my strikers to. It’s very difficult to hide my frustration. It’s happened to us on a number of previous occasions. No consequences for no one.”
The other perceived injustices the Belgian referenced include late December’s 3-2 loss at Aston Villa which featured a handball decision that awarded Unai Emery’s side their 89th-minute penalty winner, with Kompany also unhappy at Sander Berge’s two yellow cards. In September’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest Lyle Foster’s strike 13 minutes from time was ruled out for handling the ball in the buildup. And, trailing 2-1 at Bournemouth in October, Kompany this time felt that, in the dying seconds, his side should have been awarded a penalty.
He said: “I was laughing about it the last time against Aston Villa when we got the softest ever penalty against us – we were already down to 10 men for two soft yellow cards. It happened against Forest as well with a hand ball [and] we get the apology. And against Bournemouth again, a defender who does a handball right in front of his goal, it should be a penalty in the last minute.”
Before this the Clarets had been heading for a only 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 a win for Rob Edwards’s team would have pulled them out of the drop zone and left Kompany’s floundering.
When Ross Barkley, the standout player, was able to dictate, Luton dominated.
The midfielder pinged balls left and right from his playmaker zone or moved close to a teammate to give an option and the opponent something extra to think about.
Kompany’s 4-4-2 configuration, at this juncture, was stodgier than Edwards’s more nimble 3-3-1-2–1. This made 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 the quicksilver Wilson Odobert gaining 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 suddenly rampant, Josh Brownhill firing into a crowded area, before Odobert’s dancing feet once more bedazzled the visiting defence.
The home crowd had found its voice, roaring their men on, when those in white engineered a sight of goal for Jordan Clark who, on unloading, saw Trafford save.
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 to Amdouni yet he clumped the ball beyond 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 Alfie 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, shaped the contest, meaning Burnley had to stop his supply line to Andros Townsend, Clark and Doughty in the wide areas, to where he sprayed passes as he wished.
One way was to break fast, feed Odobert, and have him knife through Luton. On doing this a deflected shot caused Thomas Kaminski to adjust his feet and clear.
Next, came the late drama. Edwards said: “I feel we deserved that at least.”
