While the remarkable Ross Barkley renaissance continued at the Etihad Stadium with a memorable goal against Man City, the Englishman’s effort proved to be a paltry consolation for Luton, whose defence was carved open by the treble winners on no fewer than five occasions.
Daiki Hashioka’s own goal, Mateo Kovacic’s rocket and Erling Haaland’s penalty put the treble winners out of sight before Barkley found the mark in the final 10 minutes, but City quickly reverted to type through Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol’s fine finishes to worsen Luton’s goal difference further.
Being brought crashing back down to earth after edging out Bournemouth in dramatic circumstances, Edwards’s troops remain below the dreaded dotted line in 18th spot with just five contests remaining, although Nottingham Forest and Everton remain within touching distance.
The beating of Bournemouth represents the only triumph Luton have masterminded in their last 13 matches across all tournaments, although their penchant for scoring remains alive and well; from their most recent 17 games, only Arsenal have managed to shut them out in the final third.
Not since October’s 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur have Edwards’s men been shut out in a Premier League home fixture – netting in their last 12 top-flight outings at Kenilworth Road – but they yet to achieve back-to-back Premier League triumphs in front of the home crowd.
While Luton’s survival hopes took a major hit last weekend, Brentford aided their chances of a fourth straight season in the big time against Championship-bound Sheffield United, snapping a nine-game winless sequence with a dominant display in West London.
Firstly benefitting from Oliver Arblaster’s own goal, Mikkel Damsgaard – who supplied the cross for the teenager to turn into his own net – saw a strike of his own chalked off for a foul, but the insurance goal would arrive from Frank Onyeka after an exquisite flick from Kevin Schade.
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Thanks to the beating of the Blades and three prior draws with Manchester United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa, Brentford – who bring a four-game unbeaten run with them to Kenilworth Road – boast a seven-point lead over the relegation spots in 15th place, so just a couple more triumphs should do the trick for Frank’s men.
Next on Frank’s agenda is exorcising Brentford’s demons on the road, which have seen the Bees amass just one point from their last 15 on offer on enemy territory – conceding 11 in their last four away contests – and not since November have the visitors recorded two straight wins in the top flight.
However, six of Brentford’s last seven clashes with Luton have seen the Bees emerge victorious – including a straightforward 3-1 home success in December – and the Hatters’ most recent home fixture versus Frank’s men in 2020 was a Halloween horror show, going down 3-0 on October 31.
