Burnley vs Luton Town. Premier League.
Turf MoorAttendance20,155.
Report and free match highlights as Zeki Amdouni gives Burnley first-half lead after Luton pressure; Carlton Morris heads in late equaliser as Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford is blocked by Elijah Adebayo; Luton level on points with Everton while Burnley four adrift of safety
Saturday 13 January 2024 10:38, UK
Vincent Kompany branded Carlton Morris' controversial added-time equaliser which earned Luton a 1-1 draw at relegation rivals Burnley as a "joke".
Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford was blocked by Luton striker Elijah Adebayo from coming to catch Alfie Doughty's cross which allowed Morris to score in the 92nd minute with VAR confirming the goal.
Kompany fumed over the decision which he believes follows calls that went against his side in matches with Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
"What are we doing? Seriously. It's a joke," said Kompany. "In that phase, I've just got to defend my team, my club. I don't understand how we can go through these events and come to the conclusion that it's not a foul.
"The striker looked at the goalkeeper, backed into him and cleared the way for his colleague. Then he has a look at the referee to see if he gets away with it. The ball goes in and none of the Luton players celebrate. Nobody.
"For those who were here after Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Forest, how many times is it going to keep happening?"
The home side had been on course for a crucial victory which would have moved them two points adrift of safety after Zeki Amdouni gave them a first-half lead but Luton, who dominated large parts of the game, denied them to move level on points with 17th-placed Everton.
Hatters boss Rob Edwards believed Morris' goal was correctly awarded. He said: "VAR is there to show if there are blatantly wrong decisions. I don't think it is blatantly wrong but I can understand Vinny's (Vincent Kompany) frustration.
"There's contact with James Trafford but it's gone for us. I'd be frustrated if I was him but if it hadn't been given, I would have been really frustrated. It's pretty minimal."
JJ Watt, Burnley co-owner, described the decision to allow the goal to stand as "truly disgraceful."
The former NFL star wrote on X: "I'm new to this ownership thing, so if I get fined by the Premier League, so be it...
"This is as blatant and obvious of a foul as you could have. To miss this on the field AND miss this on VAR is truly disgraceful."
Johann Berg Gudmundsson spurned a big chance from inside the box in the seventh minute after Burnley worked the ball in behind the Luton defence.
But from then on, the visitors dominated with Ross Barkley forcing a flying save from Trafford before Chiedozie Ogbene saw his shot parried behind.
Burnley weathered the Luton pressure and then capitalised on their own good spell when Wilson Odobert raced into the box down the left and pulled the ball back for Amdouni to side-foot home.
The second half was more even as Trafford tipped over from Ogbene's header while Thomas Kaminski denied Odobert.
Luton lacked quality in the final third and it looked like Burnley would claim an important three points in their bid for survival, but Morris' goal was allowed to stand despite the protests of the home side.
Luton manager Rob Edwards: "I'm really pleased to get a point in the end. It's nothing less than what we deserved. We were excellent, we dominated large spells of the game. This team doesn't give up and found a way.
"We're performing really well, we're in good form and we're getting points. In the last four games, we've got points in three of them. We've got a fighting chance."
On 'clear and obvious' VAR calls: "That's the problem with VAR because it still comes down to someone's opinion. Everyone will have different opinions and see it from another angle."
Carlton Morris' goal may prove to be a defining moment in Burnley's season. They were set to close the gap on safety to two points but now head into a daunting schedule with their Premier League status fading.
Manchester City, Fulham, Liverpool and Arsenal await them in their next four which could see Vincent Kompany's side cut well adrift at the bottom.
Their torrid home record - one win, one draw and nine defeats - must improve if they are to beat the drop. And a little bit of luck with refereeing decisions would not go amiss either.
David Richardson
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Burnley's next Premier League match is a trip to Manchester City in a fortnight, where manager Vincent Kompany will go toe-to-toe with former boss Pep Guardiola on January 31; kick-off 7.30pm.
Luton have an FA Cup third-round replay to contend against Bolton before returning to Premier League action.
They travel to Toughsheet Community Stadium on January 16, before hosting Brighton on January 30; kick-off 7.45pm.
