Luton Town's hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League are all but over after they squandered a 1-0 lead in a 3-1 defeat to West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday.
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In their final home match under departing boss David Moyes, the Hammers fell behind to Albert Sambi Lokonga's header, as Rob Edwards' side looked to pull level with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
However, fine second-half finishes from James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek turned the match around, then teenager George Earthy marked his return from a head injury with his first Premier League goal.
How things stand
While Moyes was able to enjoy his London Stadium swansong, Luton's return to the Championship will be confirmed if Forest avoid defeat to Chelsea later on Saturday.
If Forest are beaten, Luton will need to beat Fulham on the final day, hope their rivals lose to already-relegated Burnley, and overturn a huge swing in goal difference.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Desperately needing three points, Luton started brightly and took the lead in the sixth minute. A blocked Elijah Adebayo effort fell for Alfie Doughty, and his cross was perfect for Lokonga to head home from close range for his first Premier League goal of the season.
West Ham almost levelled seven minutes later, but Jarrod Bowen could only watch his effort rattle the left-hand post.
The West Ham pressure continued to mount as Emerson's low ball across the six-yard box evaded everyone, before Mohammed Kudus blazed over the crossbar just after the half-hour mark.
Soucek also tried his luck from range just before the break but Thomas Kaminski saved easily.
The hosts certainly made up for that flat first half, though, with Ward-Prowse drilling home their leveller in the 54th minute.
That sparked a relentless spell of pressure from Moyes' men. Doughty was nearly forced into an embarrassing backpass mistake, and Bowen fired wide following a fine Kaminski stop to deny Kudus.
Luton buckled as Soucek volleyed home superbly from the edge of the box with 65 minutes gone.
Kudus assisted West Ham's emphatic third five minutes later, surging to the byline to square for substitute Earthy to tap home with his first touch and leave Luton on the brink.
Moyes' blushes spared
With Saturday's second-half fightback, West Ham remained undefeated in their final home league match for a seventh successive season, winning five and drawing two in that run.
This record stands since a 4-0 loss to Liverpool in 2016/17.
Moyes might have been fearing the worst when his team were losing at the break, but he was eventually able to enjoy his final home outing as Hammers boss.
Luton on the brink
Since beating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 in January and moving outside the relegation zone, Luton have won only one of their last 16 Premier League matches, with four draws, 11 defeats.
Defeat in this match leaves them on the brink of relegation back to the Championship. Even if a win comes in the final home outing against Fulham, negative goal difference is likely to hinder their hopes of safety.
While Edwards' side have won plenty of admirers this season, their stay in the Premier League looks likely to be a short one.
Club reports
West Ham report | Luton report
Final Premier League fixtures
Key facts
West Ham United picked up just their second Premier League win across their last 10 games (D4 L4), whilst David Moyes has now won 11 of his last 14 final home games of a league campaign (D2 L1).
Luton Town have lost five Premier League games despite leading at half-time this season, the most ever by a team in a single campaign.
Excluding the first Premier League campaign in 1992-93, Luton Town (50) are one of four teams to score 50+ goals in their debut season in the competition after Newcastle in 1993-94 (82), Reading in 2006-07 (52) and Blackpool in 2010-11 (55). However, only Swindon in 1993-94 (100), Barnsley in 1997-98 (82) and Burnley in 2009-10 (82) have conceded more in their debut season than the Hatters (81).
Albert Sambi Lokonga scored his first Premier League goal on his 50th appearance in the competition (25 for Arsenal, 16 for Luton, 9 for Crystal Place), becoming the 11th player to net their debut goal on that milestone appearance, and the first since Takehiro Tomiyasu for Arsenal in October 2023.
