Luton Town

Here are the key facts and figures following Saturday’s game between Wolves and Luton Town in the Premier League.

• Wolves are unbeaten in their past nine league meetings with Luton Town (W5 D4) and they have now won each of their last three home league games against the Hatters, having won just one of their previous six such matches at Molineux.

• Luton have won just one of their last 14 games in the Premier League (D3 L10). Since the start of this run in February, no side has won fewer games in the top four tiers (Rotherham and Sheffield United have also only won one game).

• Wolves have scored 48 goals across 35 Premier League games this term, with the Wanderers last managing more at this stage of a top-flight season in 1972-73 (53 goals after 35 games).

• Matheus Cunha has been directly involved in 18 goals across 29 games in the Premier League this season (11 goals, 7 assists). Only Raul Jimenez has managed more goal involvements in a single campaign for Wolves in the competition (23 in 2019-20 and 20 in 2018-19).

• Carlton Morris has now reached double figures for goals in consecutive league campaigns, after only managing to do so once across his first six seasons in the top four tiers.

Image source, Getty Images

Time is running out for Luton to seal a second successive season in the Premier League and Rob Edwards needs his side to halt a torrid run of form.

Luton have won just one of their last 14 league games, losing 10 times during that run, but they are only one point from safety with three matches left to play.

Goal difference could prove to be a big factor after back-to-back 5-1 defeats against Manchester City and Brentford prior to this loss at Wolves.

They struggled to create chances at Molineux with 43 minutes between Carlton Morris' first half header and their next opportunity when the striker volleyed in with just 10 minutes left to play.

Morris, who took his tally for the season to 10 goals, was left isolated for large periods and Edwards will need to solve that issue over the coming weeks.

There was a positive for Edwards to take in the closing stages as striker Elijah Adebayo was introduced from the bench, making his first appearance since 10 February after recovering from a thigh injury.

Luton host Everton next time out before travelling to West Ham and then ending the campaign at home against Fulham.

Luton manager Rob Edwards has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the narrow defeat: "I'm disappointed because we didn't get anything from the game. It is frustrating how we conceded the two goals, but I have got pride in how we kept going until the very end. After a difficult week last week, it is good to see that.

"That is the stuff we can hang on to going into the final three games. Points-wise, we are on a difficult run but we are still in this. We still fully believe.

"We were playing well in the first half, but it's one direct ball and then a deflection to take it in. The second one is disappointing, a loopy cross comes in and we should defend it better.

"We showed character and spirit. We could have conceded more but we rode it. We are frustrated not to take anything from the game because I don't think there was much in it today."

On whether the players still believe they can fight relegation: "I think you could see that today. If they didn't believe, it could have been a lot worse today. You would have seen it on the pitch and I didn't see that at all.

"We thought that if we are going to lose it, then it will be by going to chase an equaliser and that's what we did. The performance today, from last week [losing 5-1 against Brentford], is a positive step.

"Wolves had some real quality today, with [some of their] players coming back. I just don't think there was much in the game."

Wolves ended a six-game winless run in the Premier League and piled pressure on relegation-threatened Luton with a victory at Molineux.

Hwang Hee-chan scored his first club goal since 27 December to put Wolves in front late in the first half, after both sides had struggled to find a way out of midfield.

The South Korea forward netted with the help of a deflection off defender Teden Mengi just 18 seconds after Carlton Morris was unable to convert Luton's best opportunity of the opening 45 minutes, heading straight at Jose Sa.

Wolves showed intent after the break and it took just five minutes to double their advantage when Toti Gomes found space to head in at the far post.

Gary O'Neil's side dominated the second half with Boubacar Traore, Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri spurning good opportunities to make life even more comfortable.

Morris gave Luton some hope of a grandstand finish when he volleyed in from six yards out, but they couldn't find any further joy.

The win moves Wolves up to 10th and just three points behind eighth-placed West Ham, with Luton remaining 18th and one point shy of safety.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?

Wolves fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did you rate the side's performance, Luton fans?

Follow all of the reaction here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.

For this weekend's games, he takes on Andy Bell and Steve Queralt from Ride, who support Arsenal and Tottenham.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Wolves are in awful form so this might seem like a good fixture for Luton, who are desperate for points. I am not so sure it will work out that way.

I watched the Hatters' lose 5-1 at home to Brentford last week and while they play expansive football which means they carry an attacking threat, it means they are extremely vulnerable at the back.

Luton's approach is to be brave, and I understand that, but the Bees could have scored eight or nine and Wolves are good enough to expose those frailties too.

I said in February that Luton boss Rob Edwards will be manager of the season if he keeps them in the Premier League, and I stand by that - but he is up against it now.

Steve's prediction: 1-2

It's now or never for Luton and this is a real chance for them to make some ground up. They are going to go hell for leather to get an away win.

Andy's prediction: 1-0

I am backing Wolves. I know they are not on a good run but whenever I've seen them this season, they have played really well.

Read the rest of their predictions here

Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and we will bring you every moment.

Follow live text updates and listen online here

BBC Radio 5 Live commentaries:

Manchester United v Burnley - Listen on BBC Sounds from 15:00

Everton v Brentford - Listen on BBC Sounds from 17:30

The games are running out. Can Luton Town survive?

The latest episode of BBC Three Counties' Luton in the Prem podcast looks at the disappointing defeat to Brentford and the four crucial games that remain.

"They were so open," said Geoff Doyle. "The gaps in the defence and midfield meant Brentford could almost stroll through.

"They looked all over the show and that was my biggest concern. The fact Rob Edwards was walking around the pitch saying sorry to the supporters showed how shocked he was."

But how do they respond now?

Luton have Wolves, Everton, West Ham and Fulham left to play and Simon Oxley believes they have to win at least two of those ties.

"They have got to win these games and looking at the fixtures all the sides are capable of causing damage if they are up for it."

Listen now on BBC Sounds

Luton Town boss Rob Edwards has been facing the media ahead of Saturday's Premier League game at Wolves.

Here are the main lines from his news conference:

• On-loan defender Issa Kabore is unlikely to play again for the Hatters this season after sustaining an ankle sprain in last week’s defeat by Brentford: "It’s a real shame because he’s been great for us and consistent for us – I’m disappointed for him."

• Striker Elijah Adebayo is making progress in his recovery from a hamstring issue: "Eli’s getting closer but tomorrow will be too soon. He’ll be the next one off the conveyor belt in terms of the injured lads next to be back."

• Chiedozie Ogbene "has been on the grass this week" and has a chance to feature before the end of the campaign.

• Edwards addressed Nottingham Forest's tweet last Sunday about the VAR at their game at Everton, Stuart Attwell, being a Luton fan: "I don't think anyone can question the integrity of our officials, first and foremost. I don't know who supports who and obviously then we have been brought into it so I understand why you're talking about it."

• More from Edwards on the issue: "I certainly don't want to be questioning any of the officials' integrity - they've got a difficult enough job. Mistakes can happen and people can feel aggrieved and we can maybe stick to that rather than question anything else. I completely understand why people get frustrated and concerned. In the end, we've all got to try and control what we can and that's our own performances and our own clubs and what we put out there I suppose to the world. There is so much scrutiny with what is said - everything that I'm saying right now. You've always got to be careful with that."

• On being "in the thick" of the relegation battle: "The stakes are high already and we all know what it means. It's really important to everyone who is in this. There's a number of clubs who are still fighting to avoid it and be in the league next season."

• While he understands the drama, Edwards wants Luton to focus on themselves: "We're in a world now of 24-hour news and everyone wants to try and stoke the fire. We've got a title race at one end and obviously there's a relegation battle at the other end that we're involved in. It's really exciting and it's good that we're still in that fight and we've got a chance of getting out of it but really all I'm concerned about right now is not rivalries or what else is going on, it's just our performance tomorrow."

Follow the rest of Friday's news conferences here

Here is a selection of the key facts and figures before Wolves host Luton Town in the Premier League on Saturday (15:00 BST kick-off).

• Wolves are unbeaten in their past eight league games against Luton. This is the first time they have hosted them in a league match since a 1-0 win in August 2006, and the first time in the top flight since a 2-1 defeat in January 1984.

• Luton's past two Premier League games have both ended in 5-1 defeats, against Manchester City and Brentford. The Hatters have never conceded five or more goals in three consecutive league games within the top four tiers of English football.

• Wolves have lost just two of their past 15 Premier League games against promoted sides. They lost 2-1 at Sheffield United earlier this season, but have not lost to two different promoted teams in the same top-flight campaign since 2011-12 (Norwich City and QPR).

• Luton have conceded 75 goals in the Premier League this season – the last team to ship more in their first ever campaign in the competition were Blackpool in 2010-11 (78).

• Carlton Morris is Luton's top scorer in the league this season with nine goals. The last player to reach double figures in their first top-flight campaign with the Hatters was Mick Harford in 1984-85.

Four huge games to go.

The task is getting harder each week - the fans understand that - but there is still hope within the fan base and there is still belief within the team.

Firstly, the performance and manner of defeat against Brentford was not all right, but that’s already been addressed by Rob Edwards. And let’s face it, we all know it.

It was our worst performance of the season; however, at Luton Town we tend to have one game a season where we simply do not turn up and get turned over:

• Brentford 7-0 Luton in 2019-20

• Luton 0-5 Birmingham in 2020-21

• Fulham 7-0 Luton in 2021-22 and

• Watford 4-0 Luton in 2022-23

These results do not define our season and they often serve as a much needed wake up call for the team.

One of the writers at We Are Luton Town, Mark Ryman, drew comparisons to our great escape during our first season back in the Championship.

From that run of nine games which were make or break for survival, we lost 5-0 to Reading. Although behind closed doors, fans were accepting relegation as we were bottom of the table and five points from safety. In reality the pathway to survival looked way more bleak than it does now.

Although it is a very hard watch as a Luton Town fan, these survival battles are in our DNA. It is a thread that goes through the club defining our resilience: 1982-83, 1989-90, 1990-91, 2019-20...

Can we do the same in 2023-24?

Ollie can be found at We Are Luton Town, external

Independent commission panels, tribunals, points deductions, appeals, points additions and now VAR bias accusations. What a crazy season this has been. None of it instigated by Luton but all of it affecting them.

The outburst from Nottingham Forest at the weekend was extraordinary implying their defeat at Everton was because the VAR official was a Luton fan. The irony is Luton would have preferred a draw.

It shouldn’t directly affect the Hatters but a bit like when Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho pointedly introduced officials into their narrative before games, it sows that little seed of doubt. Officiating in these final four matches is now going to be on a knife edge.

For Luton to stand a chance of getting out of the relegation zone, they will have to improve big time on that last performance against Brentford. To produce their poorest performance of the season couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Afterwards Rob Edwards told me it was to do with lack of urgency and intensity. It's true. And it's clear they are massively missing the pace that the injured Chiedozie Ogbene offers them.

Starting three players on their return from injury may have been a bit too much and led to a somewhat disjointed performance. But there were many other circumstances leading to this outcome.

Brentford's game plan was excellent; move the ball quickly so as not to get pressed by Luton and end up in a battle. And by moving the ball quickly they exploited the space afforded to them and my did the Hatters allow big gaps in defence and midfield.

Luton were unusually naïve in their play and were hesitant in their decision making. It was an off day for all of the players bar goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski and that inevitability leads to defeat in the Premier League.

On a day of very few positives at least the rusty Gabe Osho and Sambi Lokonga got minutes under their belt and will be better for it in these final matches. And if it's Forest that Luton need to catch then they would rather be playing Wolves this weekend than Manchester City.

The players were hurting on the final whistle and many will write them off on the back of that result.

But one thing we know about this group of players is that they won’t give up. There's still plenty of fight left in this lot.

Commentary of Wolves v Luton on BBC Three Counties Digital Radio

Image source, Getty Images

Monday, 22 April marks Earth Day - a day in the international calendar that provides the opportunity to reflect, make change and understand more about sustainability and the impacts of climate change.

Sport and football are not immune to these issues and there has been increasing awareness of their relationship to the environment over the past few years.

Football has a global footprint and, as it continues to grow, it has been subject to questions and criticism over some of the decisions that could hinder efforts in reducing its impact, including expanding Uefa cup competitions and the men's Fifa World Cup.

The effects of adverse weather related to climate change has been increasingly felt, with a study last year showing extreme weather has affected 40% of football players and spectators.

But, football and its fanbase also have an opportunity to be part of the solution, with clubs like Forest Green Rovers showing how the sport's environmental footprint can be reduced.

We have taken a look into some of the key things Luton Town are doing to become more sustainable:

• They club took part in Green Football Weekend in 2024 by leading school assemblies across the town to engage young people on topics around environmental issues.

• The Hatters are in the process of changing lighting to LEDs around the stadium and offices.

• They have swapped plastic forks and stirrers for wooden ones, switched standard plastic cups for compostable ones and stopped the sale of beer in plastic bottles.

• An 'eco-range' of clothing has been introduced at the club shop.

• They joined the EFL Green Club initiative that has an action plan to help clubs improve their sustainability.

One important area all Premier League clubs can address to reduce their carbon footprint is their travel, as shown in BBC Sport research.

Why is this important?

Football For Future is a non-profit organisation working with stakeholders across football to create a more environmentally sustainable culture and founder Elliot Arthur-Worsop told BBC Sport: "Climate change will be the defining challenge of our generation, and the future of football will be affected too.

"We're already seeing the impacts, with more than 120,000 English grassroots games being called off annually, and major tournaments such as the World Cup and Afcon being moved because of extreme weather.

"Beyond the pitch, the climate crisis threatens livelihoods and global food and water security.

"With its unparalleled social influence, football has an opportunity to inspire global climate action, from micro-behaviours to essential policy change."

What would you like to see your club do more (or less) of to be greener?

We asked for your thoughts on Luton Town's defeat by Brentford on Saturday.

Here are some of your answers:

Luton fans

Mark: I've been following Luton Town for 40 years now and I genuinely can't remember a worse performance . If it wasn't for our goalkeeper Kaminski, we would have lost by double figures. I'm in shock.

Nigel: We didn't show up. Looked very flat. Worst performance of the season! Very worried now. Need to find our fighting spirit again for the last four games and hope other results go our way!

Robosco: What did I witness? A very uncharacteristic display by Luton, the team selection was a total surprise with players coming back from injury not expected until next week. Brentford a very strong and skilful team exploited a team who obviously hadn’t played together as a team since the injuries started. Barkley had a bad day but his first in 30 games.

Brentford fans

Michael: Brentford were fantastic, scoring five goals away without the injured Ivan Toney. To all the people who think that Brentford are a one-player team, we proved last week and this week we can win without Toney. Well deserved. Up the Bees.

Tony: It’s been coming for a little while after a decent run recently. Almost safe!

Philly Bees fan: Getting Ethan Pinnock back on the pitch was huge. Brentford were firing on all cylinders and Luton had a terrible day. We’ll take it and love it. We’ve had a tough season with a lot going against us, but we’ve kept battling. We were due a triumphant performance.

Conor: What a game. This match was so key in keeping us up, and boy we delivered. We knew this would be the day we stay up. Unfortunately there was no clean sheet, but we know we've got four winnable fixtures. Next week - Everton. Hoping for another great result away from home.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson says it will now be "really difficult" for Luton Town to avoid relegation but they "won't give up lightly".

The Hatters' survival bid took a huge blow with Saturday's 5-1 home defeat by Brentford.

"If Luton had been going into the last four games on a little bit of a decent run and with a full squad available, then they would have at least a bit more belief and confidence," Grayson told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"Going into the run-in in the form they're in will be really difficult. It will be disappointing if they go down, but it won't be unexpected.

"It was a miracle they went up but it does look like they'll go back down at the first attempt. They'll learn from this experience. Rob Edwards will have been through the extreme highs and lows and learned from it.

"I'm really pleased with how he's done but he will be frustrated. He sounded down after the game - it's inevitable he will be. He's got to pick himself up, go back in on Monday and even if he's feeling down he'll go in with that full smile that he needs in front of the players.

"He will galvanise them. He's been a captain and leader at the clubs he played at and he will give everything.

"These players have had an opportunity to play this season in the best league in the world. They won't give up on that lightly and they will go down fighting.

"Whatever happens they can be proud of what they've done."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's three Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch highlights of Sunday's games here

Listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentary in full:

Luton Town 1-5 Brentford

Image source, Getty Images

With games running out quickly, Luton's form is spiralling in the wrong direction as they battle to retain their spot in the Premier League.

Rob Edwards' side, known for being tough to beat, have conceded 10 goals across their last two outings and seem to be slipping into a worrying trend at the worst time of the campaign.

Luton have won just one of their last 13 in the Premier League, losing nine during that sequence, but remain only one point adrift of safety.

The Hatters struggled to match Brentford's intensity at Kenilworth Road from the outset and injury problems, with nine senior players absent, could be the major reason for a very poor performance.

The likes of Ross Barkley and Alfie Doughty have been reliable figures throughout the term but they were off the pace as on a hugely disappointing afternoon.

Luke Berry's injury goal was a gift from the visitors as they cheaply gave away possession in their defensive third and the Luton midfielder took advantage.

Despite the heavy loss, most Luton fans stayed to the end as they still believe with four matches, including a key home clash with Everton, still to come.

Most expected Luton to be down well before now and they have defied the odds - can they pull off another surprise in the remaining weeks?