Carlton Morris scored in the 90th minute as Luton Town mounted a thrilling comeback to beat AFC Bournemouth 2-1 and reignite their hopes of Premier League safety.
Having fallen behind to Marcus Tavernier’s goal seven minutes into the second half, the Hatters snatched victory thanks to Jordan Clark’s equaliser and Morris’ last-gasp close-range finish.
With Clark’s swivelling leveller paving way for a grandstand finale, Morris side-footed home from an excellent Cauley Woodrow cross to send the Kenilworth Road crowd into raptures.
Luton are now level on points with 17th-place Nottingham Forest, while Bournemouth's talk of Europe has been muted as they drop down to 12th place.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
| 16 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | -9 | 39 |
| 17 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | -18 | 32 |
| 18 |
Luton
LUT
|
38 | -33 | 26 |
| 19 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -37 | 24 |
| 20 |
Sheffield Utd
SHU
|
38 | -69 | 16 |
How the match unfolded
Luton made a confident start in front of a raucous home crowd, but they struggled to carve out clear-cut chances as Ross Barkley and Tahith Chong both fired over the top.
Bournemouth shook the woodwork twice in the opening 45 minutes, first doing so when Barkley's foul on Ryan Christie enabled Tavernier to rattle the crossbar with his left-footed free-kick.
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The winger then fired wide after cutting in from the right, before Justin Kluivert joined him in striking the goalframe. He dragged a low effort across the box but could only watch as it bounced off the base of the left post.
Thomas Kaminski was forced into a great stop in the 25th minute, slapping away a right-sided corner that had been deflected goalwards by the unwitting Daiki Hashioka.
Luton started the second half with far more intent as Morris forced two fine stops from Neto, but it was Bournemouth who took the lead in the 52nd minute, Tavernier taking in Kluivert's pass before drilling into the bottom-left corner.
Alfie Doughty was on the end of a sweet Luton passing move in the 66th minute, but rolled his effort tamely at Neto. Clark spared the wingback’s blushes seven minutes later, swivelling on a loose ball to find the bottom-right corner.
It set the stage for fan favourite Morris to be the hero, tucking home from Woodrow’s centre to claim a potentially pivotal win.
Luton the late-show specialists
Morris’ dramatic winner now means that Luton have scored 17 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half.
Only Liverpool, with 26 goals, have scored more in the Premier League this season. Bournemouth, meanwhile, have let a huge chance to further their push for European qualification in Andoni Iraola’s debut season slip through their grasp.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +14 | 63 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +23 | 60 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | -1 | 60 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
38 | -14 | 52 |
| 10 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
38 | -1 | 49 |
| 11 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | -7 | 48 |
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -13 | 48 |
Home comforts?
While Luton looked lacklustre in the first half, they were admirably pushed on by the Kenilworth Road faithful.
With an impetus on noise and atmosphere, it will come as a comfort that the next three of the final six Premier League matches take place in Bedfordshire.
Club reports
Luton report | Bournemouth report
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Luton’s victory is the first time that they have won a Premier League match after conceding first.
Bournemouth remain without a league double over Luton since 2007/08. Today’s late defeat also ended their five-match unbeaten run in the Premier League.
Clark’s equaliser for Luton was his first Premier League goal in what was his 18th appearance in the competition and his first league goal since netting against Middlesbrough in the Championship in December 2022.
Kluivert’s assist was his first in the Premier League in his 25th appearance. He’s been involved in three Premier League goals (scoring twice, assisting one) in his last five matches. That’s as many as in his first 20 matches in the competition (scoring three goals).
