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Ed Aarons’ match report has landed, so it’s time to wrap up this blog up. Goodnight!
Ollie Watkins’ reaction
Our celebrations at the end were a sign of relief. They kept putting us under pressure, we know they score a lot of late goals and the fans make it a difficult place to come. We had to dig in and it’s a massive result.
We tend to relax when we’re two goals ahead, which is something we need to look at. It’s happened a few times.
I feel like my game understanding and movement have improved. I’ve also become smarter at saving energy, and my mentality is better. At the moment I feel like I’m gonna score every game – I’m loving it.
Full time: Luton 2-3 Aston Villa
That’s it! Villa move five points clear of Spurs and 11 clear of Manchester United after going through the mill at Kenilworth Road. They looked to be cruising to victory when Ollie Watkins scored twice in the first half, but Luton pummelled them after the break and deservedly got back in the game through goals from Tahith Chong and Carlton Morris. They were pushing for a win when, out of nothing, the substitute Lucas Digne scored an excellent 89th-minute winner for Villa.
90+5 min: Chance! Doughty’s corner is headed over eight yards by Mengi, a pretty decent chance in such a desperate situation. It’s the last one Luton will get.
90+4 min Saying which, they have one last corner…
90+4 min That goal has flattened Luton, who have yet another hard-luck story to tell from a home game against a top-six side.
90+2 min Zaniolo is booked for something or other.
90 min There will be five added minutes. Luton need to summon yet another comeback.
Both managers punch the air: one with anger, one with joy. Never mind a goal against the run of play; that was affront to the run of play. But it was superbly taken. Diaby curled an inswinging cross from the right towards the far post, where Digne got in front of Kabore and guided a superb downward header past Kaminski.
GOAL! Luton 2-3 Aston Villa (Digne 89)
Villa have nicked it!
87 min … and again it’s too close to Martinez.
87 min Digne concedes yet another corner. Villa have been pummelled for the last 40 minutes. Doughty will take it…
85 min Morris misses an almost identical chance to his goal, volleying just wide of the far post, but it wouldn’t have counted as he was offside.
84 min: Luton substitution Chong is caught painfully by Iroegunam. He limps off to be replaced by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu.
81 min This time Doughty’s corner is too close to Martinez. He finds Diaby on the right wing with a terrific kick, and his cross is cleared by Ogbene.
80 min The resulting free-kick, taken by Doughty, is headed behind for another corner. Luton have been relentless in the second half.
80 min Barkley, who has been much more influential in the scond half, is legged up by Douglas Luiz. He needs to be careful as he’s already been booked.
79 min: Quadruple change for Villa Lucas Digne, Moussa Diaby, Tim Iroegbunam and Nicolo Zaniolo come on for Alex Moreno, Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans and the first-half substitute Morgan Rogers.
75 min: Chance for Morris! Barkley teases a first-time cross to the far post, where Morris climbs all over Cash but plants a downward header straight at Martinez. That was probably an easier chance than this goal.
The spirit in this Luton team is pretty wonderful. They were hopeless in the first half, not even in the same postcode as the races, yet right now they look the likelier winners.
73 min Before Villa kicked off, Unai Emery made a pointed ‘calm down’ gesture to his team, who are now in danger of losing a match they seemed to have sewn up before half-time.
Doughty made it again with a deep, curling free-kick from the left. Morris ran onto it, just beyond the far post, and steered a superb volley back across Emi Martinez.
GOAL! Luton 2-2 Aston Villa (Morris 72)
Never mind a yellow card; Luton have punished Ezri Konsa for that foul by scoring an equaliser!
72 min Konsa pulled back Ogbene and is a little lucky to avoid a yellow card. Another free-kick to Luton though…
68 min: Chance for Chong! This game has changed completely. Kabore’s driven cross somehow reaches Chong at the far post, 12 yards from goal; he takes a touch and is about to shoot when Bailey appears on his blind side to make a vital tackle.
Tahith Chong has given Luton hope. Doughty’s inswinging corner from the right was deep enough that Martinez couldn’t get to it, and the under-pressure Konsa (I think) inadvertently headed it back towards his own goal. Clark had a header and then a follow-up shot cleared off the line, but Chong forced the loose ball into the net from close range.
GOAL! Luton 1-2 Aston Villa (Chong 66)
Now then!
62 min The tireless Kabore wins another corner for Luton down the right. Doughty’s inswinger is straight into the loving embrace of Emi Martinez.
60 min Although Luton have been much better since half-time, they still haven’t had a shot on target all game. Villa have had seven.
58 min Cash’s headed clearance is collected by Doughty, whose shot from 15 yards is blocked. This is Luton’s best spell of the game, by quite a distance.
57 min Luton are pinning Villa back and winning a lot of set-pieces. The latest is curled beyond the far post by Doughty and headed onto the roof of the net by Morris.
54 min That substitution means an adjustment: Hashioka is playing at centre-back, Ogbene has replaced Townsend as the right-sided attacker and Doughty has returned to left wing-back.
53 min: Luton substitution The Japan international Daiki Hashioka, signed from the Belgian club Sint-Truiden in January, replaces Andros Townsend.
52 min Doughty’s corner is headed away at the near post by Watkins.
51 min Chong runs McGinn to win a corner for Luton, who have started the second half with much greater intent. It should actually have been a free-kick on the left edge of the area after a challenge from McGinn, but there you go.
51 min Barkley takes the free-kick short to Doughty, whose well-struck shot is blocked on the edge of the area.
50 min Rogers is booked for his second foul on Kabore in the space of a couple of minutes.
49 min Rogers spins Doughty stylishly, just past the halfway line, and immediately looks for Watkins. His shot from the edge of the area is comfortably saved by Kaminski.
48 min Kabore is fouled by Rogers on the right wing, which allows Luton to bring the big men forward. Barkley’s free-kick is headed away well.
46 min Villa get the second half underway.
“Regarding the trials of goalkeepers now being more strictly policed re: the six (or eight) seconds - it’s about time,” says Andy Flintoff. “I’m sick of goalkeepers, particularly in the last few minutes, making a routine catch, then collapsing slowly to the floor to waste thirty seconds with ball in hand and not being pulled up on it. It’s one of those laws of the game that rarely gets enforced (along with late challenges by defenders as attackers are shooting) and when it does, the ref gets pilloried for being pedantic, when all they want to do is to keep the game moving.”
Yes, the referee aren’t the ones who are cynically trying it on for 90 minutes solid; nor are Ifab. I don’t like some of the ideas that have been mentioned, especially sin-bins, but something has to be done.
Half-time reading
“With your outstanding insight into the mind of Gareth Southgate,” deadpans J oe Pearson, “do you think that Grealish’s injury and Rashford’s wobble have moved Watkins up the ladder for selection into the Euros? I mean, the kid’s on fire!”
I don’t think their form is too important as they play on the left, but Callum Wilson’s stop-start season has certainly helped Watkins. I’ll be mildly flabberstonished if he isn’t in the squad as back up for Harry Kane.
Half time: Luton 0-2 Aston Villa
Barkley’s free-kick is the last of the half: it hits the wall and Michael Oliver blows his whistle. Villa are in control after an excellent first-half performance. They kept Luton eerily quiet and created a steady stream of chances, two of which were taken by Ollie Watkins.
45+8 min Chong is fouled 25 yards from goal by McGinn. This will probably be the last kick of the half.
45+6 min Bailey shoots straight at Kaminski from the edge of the area. A third Villa goal would surely kill off even Luton’s irrepressibles.
45+5 min Bailey fouls Ogbene and is booked. Luton have shown more intent in the last few minutes, and as I type Townsend heads over from 10 yards after a game of head tennis sparked by Ogbene’s cross. It wasn’t an easy chance, but it was probably the best Luton have had so far.
45 min Seven minutes of added time because of the injuries. Doughty’s free-kick is headed back across goal by Morris, who might have gone for goal from that position. Chong then has a shot blocked by Lenglet and appeals for handball against Moreno, but the ball ricocheted straight at him so there’s nothing doing.
45 min Douglas Luiz is booked for a fairly soft foul on Clark.
44 min: Brilliant save by Kaminski! Rogers, who has looked good since coming no, cuts inside Burke on the edge of the area and flashes a curling shot that is tipped over acrobatically by Kaminski, leaping to his left.
41 min Villa have been terrific and fully deserve their 2-0 lead.
GOAL! Luton 0-2 Aston Villa (Watkins 39)
Yep, VAR has done Villa a solid: Watkins was being played onside by Ogbene and now he’s on a hat-trick!
I think Watkins is onside here. Luiz took the free-kick quickly, lofting it over the top, and Watkins controlled it on the run before beating Kaminski with a curling shot that went in off the inside of the far post.
38 min Burke is booked for pulling back Rogers. The free-kick leads to a disallowed goal from Watkins, though he thinks he might have been onside.
35 min A mishit cross from Ogbene lands on the roof of the net. I haven’t watched every Luton game this season but this is the most subdued I’ve seen them.
