Sport nationAlan Shearer and Micah Richards believe Luton Town’s devastating 4-3 defeat to Bournemouth on Wednesday could prove to be a “hammer blow” in their battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League, with Everton and Nottingham Forest also fighting for survival.
Luton looked to be cruising to a crucial victory at the Vitality Stadium after racing into a 3-0 lead. However, in a stunning collapse, Rob Edward’s side conceded four goals to slump to a heartbreaking loss. The result leaves the Hatters languishing in 18th place, four points behind Everton and three adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Micah Richards expressed his concern that Luton’s inability to close out matches after gaining commanding positions could seriously dent their confidence in the relegation dogfight.
“We’ve talked about Luton giving up leads late in previous games. If you look at their last 10 fixtures, they always seem to be in games and then something happens, whether it’s a lack of concentration or just not finishing off the game,” Richards said.
“If you go 3-0 up, you think they’ll see this out, but then you start to think is it something that they’re doing? They’ve got to shore it up at the back now. There’s only so long they can hold on like this in the Premier League without it affecting your confidence. They need to look at themselves now, we’ve given them all the praise in the world and rightly so, but they’ve got to start seeing out games now.”[1]
Alan Shearer concurred with his fellow pundit, replying: “That’s a real hammer blow to Luton, I agree.”[1]
The battle to beat the drop is shaping up to be just as captivating as the title race, with several teams still unsure of which division they will be playing in next season. Everton and Nottingham Forest are also facing the prospect of potential points deductions for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, which could dramatically alter the relegation landscape.[2]
Under Sean Dyche, Everton are currently enduring their longest winless run of any side in the Premier League this season. The Toffees will need to quickly turn around their form, especially at Goodison Park, if they are to extend their 69-year stay in the top flight.[2]
However, this weekend’s clash between Luton and Nottingham Forest at Kenilworth Road could have huge ramifications at the foot of the table. A draw would provide a big boost to Everton’s survival hopes, while a victory for either Luton or Forest would see them take a significant stride towards safety.[2]
Everton can take matters into their own hands though when they host Bournemouth at Goodison Park. Three points against the Cherries would be a massive step in the right direction for Dyche’s men as they aim to preserve their proud status as one of just six ever-present clubs since the Premier League’s inception in 1992.[2]
With the stakes so high and the margins so fine, the relegation rollercoaster looks set to take several more twists and turns before reaching its nerve-shredding conclusion in May. For Luton, Everton, Nottingham Forest and the other teams fighting to avoid the dreaded drop, every point and every game from now until the end of the season will be absolutely crucial.
Citations:
[1] https://www.lutontown.co.uk/matches/results/
[2] https://www.evertonfc.com/news
[3] https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/nottingham-forest-team-standings
[4] https://us.soccerway.com/teams/england/luton-town-fc/712/
[5] https://www.skysports.com/everton-news
[6] https://www.fctables.com/teams/nottingham-forest-190924/
[7] https://www.goal.com/en-us/team/luton-town/fixtures-results/aksa492u5hf93giwcn2zt1nzz
[8] https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/everton-fc
[9] https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/nottingham-forest/league-table
[10] https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/_/id/301/luton-town
[11] https://www.marca.com/en/football/everton.html
[12] https://www.goal.com/en-us/team/nottingham-forest/1qtaiy11gswx327s0vkibf70n
[13] https://www.lutontown.co.uk/matches/fixtures/
[14] https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/everton-team
[15] https://www.sofascore.com/team/football/luton-town/72
[16] https://twitter.com/everton?lang=en
[17] https://www.fctables.com/teams/luton-189332/
[18] https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/everton
[19] https://footystats.org/clubs/luton-town-fc-271
[20] https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/teams/everton
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