Luton Town’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed following a 4-2 defeat by Fulham at Kenilworth Road.
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Rob Edwards’ side bowed out of the top flight after a single season, as Raul Jimenez’s brace and further strikes from Adama Traore and Harry Wilson helped the visitors prevail in a six-goal thriller.
Luton – for whom Carlton Morris and Alfie Doughty were on target – headed into the final day three points from safety and needing an ambitious 12-goal swing to stand any chance of usurping 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
The Reds’ win at Burnley ultimately rendered this result irrelevant, condemning Luton to an immediate return to the Championship after finishing in 18th place.
Fulham end the campaign in 13th.
| 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
The hosts thought they had taken the lead on the half-hour mark when Tahith Chong slotted home from close range, only to be denied by the offside flag.
But it was the visitors who broke through in the 43rd minute, when Traore controlled Wilson’s pass and drilled home from the edge of the box.
Luton quickly responded in first-half stoppage time, with Morris equalising from the spot after Calvin Bassey tripped Chiedozie Ogbene.
But Fulham regained their advantage before half-time when Wilson teed up Jimenez to neatly steer into Thomas Kaminski’s bottom-right corner.
The Mexican grabbed his second of the match and seventh of the season within two minutes of the restart, when he headed home a Harrison Reed free-kick.
But back came Luton with a free-kick of their own, as Doughty’s low delivery crept under Bernd Leno in the 55th minute.
Wilson rattled the crossbar from another set-piece on the hour, but the Wales international sealed the victory eight minutes later; a swift counter culminating in him brilliantly guiding Traore’s lay-off into the top-right corner.
Luton bow out in trademark fashion
Luton brought the curtain down on their brief but enjoyable Premier League tenure with a match that epitomised their season.
They carried their usual attacking threat and took their goal tally for the campaign to 52. Only Blackpool (55 in 2010/11) have found the net more times during a 20-team Premier League season in which they were relegated.
But Luton, who only kept two clean sheets all season, looked vulnerable defensively once more and were ultimately exposed. They conceded 85 goals this season, their most during a single top flight campaign.
Four-goal Fulham end winless streak
Fulham arrived at Kenilworth Road without a victory in their four previous matches – during which they had scored just two goals.
Meanwhile, not since a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in 2016/17 had Fulham won their final league match of the season.
Nevertheless, Marco Silva’s side stopped the rot with four very well-taken goals to officially seal Luton’s fate.
It marked the first time they had netted four times in a single Premier League match since beating Brighton & Hove Albion by the same scoreline in January 2019.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -13 | 48 |
| 13 |
Fulham
FUL
|
38 | -6 | 47 |
| 14 |
Wolves
WOL
|
38 | -15 | 46 |
| 15 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -11 | 40 |
Club reports
Key facts
Luton lost 11 home matches in the Premier League this season, their most ever in a single top flight campaign.
Luton lost 12 of their 14 league matches against sides from London (W1 D1). Those fixtures saw the Hatters concede 2.5 goals on average, compared to 2.1 when facing sides from outside the capital.
Fulham recorded a league double over Luton for the first time since 1953/54 with their 4-2 win at Kenilworth Road today.
Joao Palhinha recorded 152 tackles in the Premier League this season, the most of any player in the competition, whilst he remains as the only player across Europe’s top five leagues to record both 100+ tackles and win 250+ duels in 2023/24.
