Luton 2-4 Fulham: Luton relegation confirmed after six-goal thriller at Kenilworth Road

Luton's hopes of a miraculous great escape were extinguished and their inevitable relegation was confirmed with a 4-2 defeat against Fulham at Kenilworth Road on the final day.

The Hatters required a 12-goal swing over 17th-placed Nottingham Forest to produce the greatest of escapes but the unthinkable failed to materialise after Adama Traore broke the deadlock for the visitors with a clinical finish in the 43rd minute.

Three minutes later, Carlton Morris levelled the scores from 12 yards after Calvin Bassey fouled Chiedozie Ogbene in the box, but Raul Jimenez restored the Cottagers' one-goal advantage just before the break - the third goal in five minutes.

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The Mexican was on the scoresheet again after the interval with a glancing header past Thomas Kaminski from a Harrison Reed free-kick, but Alfie Doughty netted directly from a free-kick six minutes later to reduce the deficit once again.

Marco Silva's side effectively secured three points midway through the second half when Harry Wilson blasted a customary strike beyond reach from range.

The Hatters registered 2.11 expected goals - twice the tally recorded by their visitors. However, the explosive and entertaining game epitomised Luton's campaign: a valiant effort with quality to boot - but, ultimately, not enough to secure survival.

Fulham leapfrogged Wolves to finish the campaign in 13th spot after Gary O'Neil's side suffered a 2-0 defeat at Anfield.

• Luton top scorers 2023/24
• Fulham top scorers 2023/24

How Luton went down with sails up

Fulham burst from the traps early in the first half and had clocked around 84 per cent of possession in the opening 15 minutes but the dominance eased shortly after when Morris swivelled in the box and almost fired past Bernd Leno.

Tahith Chong slotted home on the half-hour mark to put the hosts ahead but the offside flag denied his effort.

The Hatters were punished against the run of play in the 43rd minute for an awful goal-kick from Kaminski, with Kenny Tete collecting the loose pass and finding Wilson, who, in turn, teed up Traore in space and the Spaniard broke the deadlock with a low drive into the bottom right-hand corner.

However, Luton's typical resolve was unfaltered on the occasion with the Hatters winning a penalty just three minutes later, and Morris dispatched cooly from 12 yards.

And while that attacking thrust has proved admirable throughout the campaign, their resolve at the other end proved far less robust when Jimenez fired Fulham back into the lead just two minutes later.

The hosts have excelled from set-pieces but were undone at their own speciality after the interval when Wilson feinted an inswinging free-kick and left it for Reed to send a looping, inswinging cross for Jimenez to glance past Kaminski.

But Luton bounced back from their own route-one set-piece routine. Fulham were expecting the ever-dangerous Doughty to whip a conventional high cross, but the full-back shot low past a two-player wall and into the left-hand corner of the net.

Hopes of any deserved, final-day rewards for Luton were extinguished midway through the second half when the impressive Joao Palhinha broke up play in his own box to instigate a counter, ending with Wilson netting his side's fourth goal of the afternoon from range after a flowing passage of play involving Alex Iwobi, Reed and Traore.

What the managers said

Luton manager Rob Edwards:

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Fulham manager Marco Silva:

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Opta: Luton's polarised fortunes | Table-topping Palhinha

• Following their 4-2 loss against Fulham on the final day, Luton's relegation confirms that this is only the second ever Premier League campaign to see all three promoted clubs go straight back down, after 1997-98 (Barnsley, Bolton, Crystal Palace).
• The Hatters scored 52 Premier League goals this season - in a 20-team campaign, only Blackpool (55 in 2010/11) have scored more in a season in which they were relegated.
• Fulham recorded a league double over Luton Town for the first time since 1953/54 with their 4-2 win at Kenilworth Road today.
• Luton lost 11 home games in the Premier League this season, their most ever in a single top-flight campaign. The Hatters also conceded 85 league goals this term overall, with only Sheffield United (104) and Darmstadt (86) letting in more across Europe's top five leagues so far this season.
• Fulham conceded 61 goals in the Premier League this season, only letting in more during the 2013/14 (85) and 2018/19 (81) campaigns in the competition, both of which saw the Cottagers relegated.
• Fulham's João Palhinha recorded 152 tackles in the Premier League this season, the most of any player in the competition, while he remains as the only player across Europe's top five leagues to record both 100+ tackles and win 250+ duels in 2023/24.
• Against Luton today, Harry Wilson recorded three direct goal contributions (one goal and two assists) to become the first Fulham player to achieve that feat in a Premier League match since Dimitar Berbatov vs Arsenal in November 2012.

How the Premier League table finished

Luton season stats

Fulham season stats

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