Ange Postecoglou has labelled Tottenham’s post-season friendly in Melbourne as a “unique opportunity” but admitted it is unlikely to become a regular occurrence.

Spurs announced earlier this month they would visit Australia after the Premier League season concludes to take on Premier League rivals Newcastle in an exhibition fixture.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground clash on May 22 has been roundly criticised due to player welfare concerns and for a lack of regard for the environment, a matter of weeks after Green Football Weekend.

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Postecoglou defended the merits of the post-season friendly, which will see the 58-year-old return to his home city.

“We leave straight after the last game (at Sheffield United) and we’ll be taking everyone who’s fit,” Postecoglou revealed.

“We thought that with our season being so disrupted and not a lot of games, this was a unique opportunity for us.

“I wouldn’t see this as something that would happen on a regular basis unless we felt the benefits would outweigh the costs.

“On this occasion when we balanced everything up, we felt it was a good opportunity to take the club to the other side of the world and help us continue to grow the football club.”

England boss Gareth Southgate was recently asked about the friendly, which will involve Euro 2024 hopefuls Kieran Trippier, Anthony Gordon and James Maddison, and predicted post-season fixtures will happen more often.

Southgate expressed his hope that none of his players would suffer injuries.

But Postecoglou insisted: “I’m sure Gareth will be a club coach one day and he’ll get a different perspective, as he has been in the past.

“I don’t think Gareth has said anything, or any other national team manager.

“I was a national team manager. I used to sweat over it at the weekend when the players were playing whether that was a normal game, a friendly game, whatever game it is.

“The flip side of that is there were quite a few club coaches on edge with national team duty this week so it’s the world we live in.

“There has to be a balance. We’ve thought it through as a football club and it’s fair to say if we’d been in Europe and had a really big season, we probably would have made a different decision.

“We weighed everything up and felt like there was a real benefit to playing this game.”

Before the trip Down Under, Spurs will aim to get their Champions League qualification hopes back on track at home to Luton on Saturday.

Tottenham are boosted by the return of Micky van de Ven after a recent muscle injury, while Richarlison is fit despite a knee issue preventing him from getting minutes for Brazil this month.

Richarlison has made headlines after opening up about his mental health struggles during an interview with ESPN Brasil this week.

The Brazil forward, who back in September expressed his intention to seek “psychological help”, revealed he was in a state of depression after the 2022 World Cup and “wanted to give up”.

Postecoglou knows Richarlison is not alone in feeling that way as a footballer, adding: “It’s not that uncommon. It’s not, not in my experience.

“They’re human beings, but for the most part it’s always dealt behind closed doors.

“I guess it’s striking because players or managers or people involved in football haven’t come out publicly before.

“But I can assure you…there are problems that players and people involved in our industry deal with. The amount of money you have in the bank balance or your fame doesn’t shield you from that.

“It’s a credit to him. He could have dealt with this privately obviously but I think the public aspect of it, it’s a brave decision for him.

“More importantly it’s hopefully a great conduit for others to reach out and seek help when it’s required.”

Rob Edwards praised “unique” Luton after Luke Berry became the first player to score for the club in all four divisions.

The 31-year-old, who netted his first Hatters goals in a League Two fixture against Stevenage in 2017, pounced in the 89th minute to earn a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, his first Premier League strike.

He has now scored in England’s top five leagues, having also been on the mark for Cambridge – his first professional club – in the National League.

His equaliser on Saturday re-emphasised Luton’s rise through the divisions, having played in the fourth tier as recently as the 2017-18 season, Berry’s first at the club.

“We back him,” said Edwards, whose team are three points adrift of Forest in their bid to escape the bottom three after Saturday’s draw.

“Luke Berry is a really good footballer, a very intelligent footballer. He’s been doing that for his whole career.

“His timing is great in the box and he can always arrive, so when we bring him on, we know there’s a goal threat there.

“I’m so pleased for him. To have a Premier League goal to his name, it’s a really special moment for him.

“That’s us, and that’s where we’re at. He’s a massive part of our squad and our football team and our club. We’re not going to be able to throw on (Nottingham Forest winger) Callum Hudson-Odoi. We are who we are, and I love that. I think that makes us unique and even closer together.”

On Saturday Luton started with Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu in midfield, making his 18th Premier League appearance of the season having been with the club since they were a non-league outfit in 2013-14.

Like Berry he has been a part of the team’s remarkable rise through the leagues culminating in promotion via the Championship play-offs last May.

Luton could move out of the relegation zone as early as Monday if the Premier League rules Forest’s breach of profit and sustainability regulations warrants a points deduction.

“There’s a number of (players) that have had to fight and scrap and work so hard to be here,” said Edwards. “They don’t want to give that up easily. They’re showing that belief.

“Luke and Pelly typify this club. That spirit makes us unique.”

Rob Edwards promised Luton would continue to fight for their Premier League lives after Luke Berry’s late goal salvaged a 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest at the end of a “challenging week”.

After watching his side throw away a three-goal half-time lead against Bournemouth in midweek to lose, the 41-year-old was facing a six-point gap to Forest opening up in his team’s bid to dodge relegation, following Chris Wood’s neat first-half finish.

Instead they rallied and hit back in the 89th minute though substitute Berry, pouncing to lash home from Reece Burke’s header, as Luton kept within three points of the visitors, who themselves were denied what would have been just a second league win of 2024.

“The way the game was going, really pleased in the end,” said Edwards. “It’s been a challenging week, to say the least.

“Everyone’s going through stuff, everyone gets knocked down, everyone gets disappointments. It’s about how you deal with it, how you react. This group has shown that is how you react.

“They’ve got so much character. No matter what is thrown at us, they’ll keep going. It doesn’t mean we’re always going to get points. We’re not always going to play well. But they’ll always keep going and keep fighting. I love them for that.”

Berry has now scored in all four divisions of the EFL for Luton since making his debut in League Two in 2017.

He also netted in the National League whilst at Cambridge, giving him the rare distinction of having scored in each of England’s top five leagues.

The 31-year-old came on for Jordan Clark with five minutes of the game to go, to make only his sixth appearance in the league this season.

Luton are facing an injury crisis with nine players unavailable to Edwards from the start, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu and Alfie Doughty also having to be withdrawn with knocks.

“It’s a brilliant story, to score in all five,” said Edwards of Berry’s feat. “Special moment for him, for the club. He’s a club legend with what he’s done for this club.

“He’s come on quite a lot this year, maybe eight times or so. He’s been close on a number of occasions to something. We’re thankful today that in an important game, he finished it really well.

“It’s difficult for us with a full group to be competitive in this league, never mind with what we’re missing at the moment.

“I love the group that are available and fit at the moment, but to have nine senior players out and two more go down today, it’s difficult for us. There are so many people playing out of position.”

Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo reflected on a game that his team should have wrapped up before Luton’s late fightback.

“I think we dominated the game, we controlled it,” he said. “We knew how hard it is to come here. We created a lot of chances.

“Credit to Luton, but we should have finished the game earlier with the chances that we had.

“I’m disappointed because I think we did enough to take three points today. Let’s wait and see what’s going to happen. We keep on going, keep on fighting. We’ll look at the table. Nine games to go, nine finals to play.

“There’s a lot of football to be played. No team can say they’re totally fine.”

Luton salvaged a critical point in their bid for Premier League survival as substitute Luke Berry struck in the 89th minute to rescue a 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest at Kenilworth Road.

Rob Edwards’ side were facing slipping six points behind Forest, staring down defeat near the end of a cagey, nervous game that looked to have been settled by Chris Wood’s first-half goal for the visitors, brilliantly set up by Morgan Gibbs-White.

After capitulating when 3-0 up against Bournemouth on Wednesday, Luton were in dire need of a psychological uplift and it duly arrived in the final moments.

Reece Burke headed the ball goalwards from a corner and there responding quickest to lash it home from inside the six-yard box was Berry to keep Forest looking nervously over their shoulder in the table.

Luton had made by far the stronger start. Three times in the opening 15 minutes Ross Barkley tried his luck from range, the first two efforts requiring saves from goalkeeper Matz Sels before a third whistled by his left-hand post.

After the pain of defeat at the Vitality Stadium, it was a dominant start during which Luton rarely allowed Forest to advance out of their own half.

The visitors did eventually get a grip and carve out two chances of their own. Divock Origi dashed through and attempted a chipped finish over Thomas Kaminski but failed to apply the requisite power, before Willy Boly glanced a header wide from a free-kick when firmer contact was needed.

Forest were increasingly a threat. They should have led on the half-hour mark but for a sensational sliding clearance off the line from Burke to deny Origi. It would be a momentary reprieve.

They took a deserved lead soon after and it owed much to the vision and delivery of Gibbs-White. Neco Williams – quiet until this point – picked him out after finding space with the ball on the right, but there was much work still to do.

Gibbs-White did it with aplomb, taking a touch with his right foot, turning and chipping it up for Wood to meet with a long, hanging right leg to nudge Forest in front.

Williams might have undone his team-mates’ fine work had his clearance from Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu’s cross not cleared the crossbar by a fraction. From the corner, Teden Mengi muscled the ball into the net but was rightly denied an equaliser by a handball decision.

Defeat for freefalling Luton would be their sixth in seven in the league. They had not won since beating Brighton late in January and things threatened to get worse for them after the break.

Anthony Elanga linked with Origi and rocketed through on goal, dinking the ball just beyond Kaminski, who got the faintest yet critical touch. There to deny him with a heroic clearance from the goal line was Mengi, a stunning intervention to keep Luton fighting.

Edwards needed a strong finish from his side, but as the second half rolled on there seemed little sign it would come. Forest were comfortable, the early harrying with which Luton had tormented them doused by tired legs and tired minds.

There were the odd signs of life. Jordan Clark never gave up down the right, running hard with and without the ball, determined not let his team go down easy. Barkley, quieter after some early creative energy, always looked like he could reignite at any moment.

Then with time almost up and all hope with it, Burke headed on at a corner and Berry whacked the ball in to salvage a point.

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo admits it is vital his team take points from Saturday’s crucial clash with Luton.

Forest, who have lost their last three in the Premier League and won just once in 2024, are anxiously looking over their shoulders in the relegation battle.

Their trip to Kenilworth Road to face fellow strugglers Luton, who are without a win in seven games, carries huge significance for both clubs.

Nuno said at a press conference: “We are in a bad moment but we stick together and react, bounce back, find solutions to get out of there.

“It doesn’t matter what you’re playing for. Football is always like that. You have to react from the bad moments. Don’t ignore it. It’s never done in football.

“Every week we have issues – players that go down in their performance, knocks, all these situations.

“But it’s all about working and facing the situation day by day. We are experienced enough to realise that now it’s important. Points, points, we need points.

“It’s a very important game due to the circumstances, due to the situation of both teams.”

Forest have lost their last two games 1-0, to Liverpool and Brighton, in controversial circumstances.

Liverpool claimed a last-gasp winner at the City Ground after wrongly being given possession following a stoppage in play while the Seagulls’ Jakub Moder was fortunate not to be sent off at the Amex Stadium.

While being frustrated with these situations, Nuno hopes his side can take such issues out of the equation this weekend by making the most of their chances.

“In the previous cycle, we were scoring and conceding,” Nuno said. “Now we’re not conceding but we’re still losing in the last minutes of the game.

“So we have to find the balance and this is what we are doing, trying always to improve. We create a lot of chances but we must be more clinical.”

Nuno is calling for his team to take the game to Luton.

“We have to play,” the Portuguese said. “We play football and try to give answers to the questions they’re going to make and, at the same time, create problems they have to react to.

“Our idea is never to just wait. Let’s be dominant, play with courage.”

Wales boss Rob Page has backed Tom Lockyer’s calls for people to learn CPR after his squad acquired lifesaving skills three months before their team-mate collapsed.

Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest during Luton’s Premier League game at Bournemouth in December and his heart stopped for two minutes and 40 seconds.

The 29-year-old was saved as medics rushed to perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and provide early defibrillation.

Wales defender Lockyer has since supported the British Heart Foundation’s campaign for people to learn CPR skills, as well as raise funds for lifesaving research.

“The medical team came in and we did the class,” Page said of his squad undertaking a CPR and defibrillator training course in September that would take on special significance three months later.

“Tom is championing it at the minute, and rightly so.

“It just shows that there’s more to life than football.”

Lockyer returned to the scene of his on-pitch cardiac arrest on Wednesday for Luton’s re-arranged meeting with Bournemouth.

The 16-times capped central defender met medics who helped save his life and admitted that he “got a little bit emotional”, while describing them as “heroes”.

Lockyer has since been fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator and conceded it is “out of his hands” if he will ever play again.

But he will be part of Wales’ preparations next week as they bid to qualify for Euro 2024 and a third successive European Championship.

Wales host Finland in a play-off semi-final in Cardiff next Thursday, with the winners at home to Estonia or Poland five days later to decide a place in Germany this summer.

Page said: “I’ve had a good conversation with Locks and he’ll be a part of it. We don’t know what days or for how long yet.

“But he’s keen to come in and we’re keen to have him around the lads.

“I can only imagine how hard it was for Meps (Chris Mepham), Kieffer (Moore) and Brooksy (David Brooks) when they played that fixture and saw their mate on the floor like he was.

“I can only imagine how hard it would have been for them.

“They’ve had contact straight after and they’ve been in touch since, but it’ll be nice to have them all back in the group together.

“Forget football, just being together as good mates is powerful for them.”

Rob Edwards says his Luton players must quickly pick themselves after becoming the first Premier League side in over 20 years to lose after being three goals up.

Antoine Semenyo scored twice as Bournemouth produced a remarkable second-half showing to win 4-3 after trailing 3-0 at half-time.

Defeat dented Luton’s survival hopes and the Hatters face a huge relegation clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Edwards insists he will not allow them to feel sorry for themselves after a torrid night on the south coast.

“We put ourselves in such a good position to win a Premier League game of football and to be sat here talking about a defeat is tough,” he said.

“Huge game on Saturday. Losing is difficult anyway but in that manner it does hurt but if we can’t pick ourselves up for a huge Premier League game then there’s something wrong.”

It was an emotional night for Edwards even before kick-off, with captain Tom Lockyer returning to thank the medical staff who helped to save his life 88 days earlier when this fixture was abandoned after the Luton captain suffered a cardiac arrest.

“Seeing Tom speaking to the paramedics, the people who saved his life was a bit emotional. He’s able to hold his new-born baby because of them,” Edwards added.

“Sometimes it’s important to have a bit of realism and that maybe brings home a little bit of what’s important.”

Luton were rampant in the first half and their opening goal came as early as the ninth minute after Jordan Clark stood up a sumptuous cross for Tahith Chong to head in at the far post.

They scored a brilliant second after 31 minutes as an incisive one-two between Chong and Alfie Doughty saw the latter cross low to Chiedozie Ogbene, who rounded off a superb team move.

Edwards must surely have thought his team had sealed their third away win of the season when Issa Kabore drove upfield to pick out the excellent Ross Barkley, who powerfully fired the ball high into the net to give the Hatters a considerable cushion going into the break.

But after making two substitutions during the interval, Bournemouth hit back dramatically, scoring three times in 14 minutes at the start of the second half.

The first was a stunning piece of individual brilliance from top scorer Dominic Solanke . The Cherries striker back-heeled the ball between the legs of Daiki Hashioka before chipping it beyond Thomas Kaminski.

The second came after Luton were unable to clear Lewis Cook’s corner to safety and Illia Zabarnyi headed in from close range despite Doughty’s desperate attempts to prevent it crossing the line.

Two minutes later the Vitality Stadium erupted when Semenyo cut in from the right and fired his shot powerfully into the near post to level the scores.

Bournemouth claimed all three points when Semenyo scored his second goal of the game seven minutes from time, collecting the ball from Enes Unal before shooting powerfully across Kaminski to give the Cherries their first home win since Boxing Day.

“The important thing is that the players showed a strong personality because it is easy to hide when you are losing 3-0 at home,” said Andoni Iraola, who became only the fifth Premier League side – and first since 2003 – to win a game in which they trailed by three goals.

“It was important to have the precedent of the last game (when Bournemouth came back from two goals down against Sheffield United).

“The key was to score early. I think Dom’s goal made us believe and the players showed a lot of character.”

Bournemouth became the fifth team in Premier League history to win a game having trailed by three goals.

The Cherries came back from 3-0 down to beat Luton 4-3 at the Vitality Stadium.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the other three-goal comebacks in England’s top tier that resulted in victories.

Leeds 4-3 Derby – November 7 1997

Dean Sturridge’s early brace and an Aljosa Asanovic penalty gave Jim Smith’s Rams a 3-0 lead after 33 minutes at Elland Road.

But Rod Wallace and Harry Kewell scored before half-time for the home team to set up an absorbing second half.

Derby held on until the 82nd minute, when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored from the spot, and the Dutch striker then set up his fellow substitute Lee Bowyer for a last-minute winner.

West Ham 3-4 Wimbledon – September 8 1998

John Hartson’s seventh-minute opener was followed by two Ian Wright goals in 13 minutes as West Ham raced into a 3-0 lead at Upton Park.

Marcus Gayle’s header on the half-hour mark pulled one back before half-time for Wimbledon.

And Joe Kinnear’s men produced a stunning second-half display, with goals from Jason Euell, Gayle and Efan Ekoku securing a dramatic victory.

Tottenham 3-5 Man Utd – September 29 2001

Glenn Hoddle’s Tottenham were in dreamland when Dean Richards, Les Ferdinand and Christian Ziege all struck before half-time at White Hart Lane.

But Manchester United responded in the first minute of the second period through Andy Cole before Laurent Blanc’s header and Ruud van Nistelrooy’s finish made it 3-3.

Juan Sebastian Veron fired United in front with 16 minutes left before David Beckham had the final say.

Wolves 4-3 Leicester – October 25 2003

Two goals from Ferdinand plus a Riccardo Scimeca effort put Leicester 3-0 up after 35 minutes at Molineux.

But Wolves mounted a four-goal fightback in the second half to take all three points.

Colin Cameron started the recovery in the 52nd minute and added a second from the spot eight minutes later. Alex Rae levelled and Henri Camara registered a late winner.

Antoine Semenyo scored twice as Bournemouth produced a stunning second-half display to recover from three goals down and beat Luton 4-3.

On an evening that saw Tom Lockyer return to the Vitality Stadium to thank the medical staff who had helped to save his life 88 days earlier, when this fixture was abandoned after the Luton captain suffered a cardiac arrest, the hosts’ rousing response put a huge dent in the Hatters’ survival hopes.

Luton raced into a three-goal lead at half-time before a dramatic second-half showing from Andoni Iraola’s side.

The visitors opened the scoring in the ninth minute after Jordan Clark stood up a sumptuous cross for Tahith Chong to head in at the far post.

Bournemouth sought an immediate response and Ryan Christie and Luis Sinisterra both went close to scoring but saw their efforts blocked by Thomas Kaminski.

Iraola’s side had gone two goals behind against bottom club Sheffield United at the weekend before fighting back to earn a point in stoppage time.

They found themselves in a similar position when Luton scored a brilliant second goal after 31 minutes.

It came after an incisive one-two between Chong and Alfie Doughty, before the latter crossed low to Chiedozie Ogbene, who rounded off a superb team move.

Edwards must surely have thought his team had sealed their third away win of the season when Issa Kabore drove upfield to pick out the excellent Ross Barkley, who powerfully fired the ball high into the net to give the Hatters a considerable cushion going into the break.

But after making two substitutions during the interval, Bournemouth hit back dramatically, scoring three times in 14 minutes at the start of the second half.

The first was a stunning piece of individual brilliance from top scorer Dominic Solanke. The Cherries striker back-heeled the ball between the legs of Daiki Hashioka before chipping it beyond Kaminski.

The second came after Luton were unable to clear Lewis Cook’s corner to safety and Illia Zabarnyi headed in from close range despite Doughty’s desperate attempts to prevent it crossing the line.

Two minutes later the Vitality Stadium erupted when Semenyo cut in from the right and fired his shot powerfully into the near post to level the scores.

Bournemouth were not done there and claimed all three points when Semenyo scored his second seven minutes from time, collecting the ball from Enes Unal before shooting powerfully across Kaminski to give the Cherries their first home win since Boxing Day.

Tom Lockyer met medics who helped save his life as he returned to the scene of his on-pitch cardiac arrest for Luton’s re-arranged meeting with Bournemouth.

Lockyer, 29, was hospitalised for five days after his heart stopped for two minutes and 40 seconds in the Hatters’ abandoned Premier League game at the Vitality Stadium on December 16.

The Wales defender, subsequently fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, has since conceded it is “out of his hands” if he will ever play again.

But, 88 days on from the incident which rocked the game, Lockyer met with the medical team who saved his life and was due to be presented to the crowd at half-time of Wednesday’s game.

“It will be emotional going back and reliving that experience but we know we have to do it,” said Luton manager Rob Edwards on Tuesday.

“It was a really difficult experience that we all went through. The main thing now is that Locks is OK and the silver lining is that some good will have come from it, with more awareness on CPR and the importance of knowing what to do in those emergency situations.”

A Bournemouth supporters’ trust has raised more than £2,000 to put on four coaches for Luton fans to make the 240-mile round-trip from Bedfordshire to the south coast.

There are also plans for a minute’s applause in tribute to the medics who saved Lockyer.

“They are the true heroes,” added Edwards. “It is only football and there are more important things.

“What those guys did in the most pressurised moment was incredible and they deserve all the attention and affection that they are going to get.”

Lockyer – whose girlfriend gave birth to their first child, a daughter, at the end of last month – also suffered a collapse during May’s Championship play-off victory against Coventry and it remains uncertain if he will return to the pitch.

“It is day-by-day at the moment,” said Edwards. “He will enter into a period of rehabilitation but that can take a long time, months, so it is one step at a time at the moment.

“He will be coming down (Wednesday), which is great. He has got bigger things on his mind with a new baby and he is in a position where that is his main focus right now.

“We would love to have him here on a weekly basis and for him to be around more and lean on his experiences and he will help us.

“It will be really nice for him to meet those heroes and the supporters and he will get a brilliant reception. That will be really nice for him but it will be emotional, too.”

Tom Lockyer will return to the scene of his terrifying on-pitch cardiac arrest when Luton face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night.

Lockyer, 29, was hospitalised for five days after his heart stopped for two minutes and 40 seconds in the Hatters’ abandoned Premier League game against Bournemouth on December 16.

The 29-year-old Welshman, subsequently fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, has since admitted it is “out of his hands” if he will ever play again.

But, 88 days on from the incident which rocked the game, Lockyer is due to meet with the medical team who saved his life before being presented to the crowd at half-time of Wednesday’s re-arranged Premier League fixture.

“It will be emotional going back and reliving that experience but we know we have to do it,” said Luton manager Rob Edwards.

“Locks will meet the people who helped saved his life and see their supporters, who were unbelievable on the day.

“It will be nice to be able to close that part of the story up and concentrate on moving forward.

“It was a really difficult experience that we all went through. The main thing now is that Locks is okay and the silver lining is that some good will have come from it with more awareness on CPR and the importance of knowing what to do in those emergency situations.”

A Bournemouth supporters’ trust has raised more than £2,000 to put on four coaches for Luton fans to make the 240-mile round-trip from Bedfordshire to the south coast.

There are also plans for a minute’s applause in tribute to the medics who saved Lockyer.

“They are the true heroes,” added Edwards. “It is only football and there are more important things.

“What those guys did in the most pressurised moment was incredible and they deserve all the attention and affection that they are going to get.”

Lockyer, whose girlfriend gave birth to their first child, a daughter, at the end of last month also suffered a collapse during May’s Championship play-off victory against Coventry and it remains uncertain if he will return to the pitch.

“It is day-by-day at the moment, said Edwards. “He will enter into a period of rehabilitation but that can take a long time, months, so it is one step at a time at the moment.

“He will be coming down tomorrow which is great. He has got bigger things on his mind with a new baby and he is in a position where that is his main focus right now.

“We would love to have him here on a weekly basis and for him to be around more and lean on his experiences and he will help us.

“It will be really nice for him to meet those heroes and the supporters and he will get a brilliant reception. That will be really nice for him but it will be emotional, too.”

The Hatters, three points adrift of safety, will be looking to build on Cauley Woodrow’s late goal at Crystal Palace last weekend which salvaged a draw and ended a run of four consecutive league defeats.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is confident his players will stay focused during what is expected to be an emotional occasion when they face Luton at the Vitality Stadium again.

Wednesday night’s Premier League game is the rearranged fixture from December 16, which was abandoned when Hatters captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest during the second half.

Lockyer – who was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator after he was hospitalised for five days – is set to travel with the Luton squad to the Vitality Stadium.

The 29-year-old Welshman – who had also suffered a collapse during the 2023 Championship play-off final at Wembley – is set to be meeting some of the people whose swift actions that afternoon helped save his life.

Iraola is happy to see Lockyer making a recovery and feels when the game kicks off, everyone will have their mind on producing the required performance.

“I have been a player and when the referee whistles at the start of the game, you focus because you have difficult things to do,” Iraola told a press conference.

“You think about the football stuff and the opponent you have, also what you can do whenever you receive the next ball.

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“I think the players will be focussed on the football side because they are used to it.”

Iraola has no doubts Lockyer will receive a warm welcome at the Vitality Stadium.

“Since the first seconds (after) it happened, everyone was very clear that the most important thing that mattered was for him to recover,” the Cherries boss said.

“The most important thing is he is much better. He has recovered well and I am happy to know that he is doing well.

“It will be amazing if he comes and we can see him. I am happy to know he is doing well.”

Bournemouth fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Sheffield United on Saturday with a stoppage-time equaliser from Enes Unal.

Iraola is expecting just as stern a test against the Hatters, who could lift themselves out of the relegation zone if they win on Wednesday night.

“Luton and almost all of the teams, we are in a battle. All of the teams need the points and it’s important,” he said.

“The later you play, the more important the points are because you don’t have so many chances after.

“They are a team that have changed a little bit since the last time we played them here, they are much more aggressive in the press and are keeping more possession.

“They are playing more from the back, they have very good midfielders and then they have a lot of pace.

“We have to prepare for a very different game than the one we played the other day against Sheffield United.”

Dominic Solanke had not trained fully in the run-up to the Sheffield United game as he managed a knee issue, but completed 90 minutes so should feature again.

“He has not been affected by the injury, performance wise,” said Iraola, who remains without defender Marcos Senesi because of a thigh problem.

“He finished better in the game than the previous one against Burnley.”

Rob Edwards wants his Luton side to use Cauley Woodrow’s dramatic late leveller as a “springboard” after the substitute scored in the final minute of stoppage time to rescue a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace.

The relegation-threatened Hatters were seconds away from a fifth-straight Premier League defeat when Woodrow nodded ex-Eagle Andros Townsend’s delivery past Sam Johnstone’s left post to draw Luton within three points of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

It seemed an unlikely result on an afternoon at Selhurst Park in which the hosts managed 21 shots to the visitors’ eight, but instead conceded in the final 15 minutes for a Premier-League leading  21st time.

Edwards said: “I wouldn’t say (that goal) was a turning point, that wouldn’t be the word I’d use.

“We’ve been performing well, obviously results have been against us lately, but that can happen against Manchester United, Liverpool, Villa.

“We played well in those games in big spells, but I wouldn’t say turning point, but hopefully springboard. I’d use that.

“Hopefully it garners a lot of belief. We’re up against it at the moment.

“I know there’s a lot of clubs suffering with injuries, but it’s hard for us with so many players missing, and then to lose two centre-backs during the game as well.

“We’ve got a lot of square pegs in round holes out there towards the end, and to find a way when we’re not our best away from home, to drag a result out, is huge.”

Woodrow had been an 81st-minute replacement for Gabriel Osho, who Edwards revealed had taken a knock to his knee, while Teden Mengi was replaced by Daiki Hashioka.

Luton remain in the relegation zone with 21 points, three fewer than 17th-placed Forest, who play Brighton on Sunday.

Palace were eight points clear of Saturday’s opponents ahead of Oliver Glasner’s third game in charge, and had plenty of chances to extend the distance between them and other relegation-threatened sides – including a late Odsonne Edouard chance that clipped the crossbar.

Austrian Glasner encouragingly found plenty of his own fingerprints across Palace’s performance until the final 30 seconds of the contest.

He said: “In this one situation we didn’t do it. We have to accept the result.

“It hurts. It really hurts today but sometimes you have to feel this hurt then you develop and learn from it, and we will learn from it to be active and keep the opposite team out of our box until the referee ends the game.”

Glasner will not be paying too much attention to Palace’s record of conceding late when the team travel to Spain for a warm-weather camp in the international break, believing dwelling on it to be detrimental to improvement.

He added: “We won’t talk too much about it.

“Sometimes it’s like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“If you always drive a car, you’re afraid of having an accident. If you go down the stairs and you are always afraid to fall down, it will happen.”

Substitute Cauley Woodrow snatched an equaliser in the final seconds of added time as Luton drew 1-1 at Crystal Palace to hand the Hatters a crucial point in their relegation battle.

Jean-Philippe Mateta’s early opener at Selhurst Park looked to be the winner until Woodrow headed home, extending the Eagles’ Premier League-leading tally of late goals conceded in the process.

Sunny Singh Gill made history as the first British South Asian to referee a Premier League match, and was spotted signing autographs as he waited in the tunnel ahead of the second half.

The result draws Luton within three points of safety, while Palace will be ruing a huge missed opportunity to put more breathing room between themselves and the drop zone.

Singh Gill’s decision-making was tested early, when Palace protested for what they felt was a Teden Mengi handball, but the ex-prison officer – who comes from a refereeing family – waved play on.

Luton’s brightest spell of the opening period came when the Hatters won an early corner and Palace were only able to half-clear, the ball pinging around the 18-yard box where Luton came closest through a nodded effort from Ross Barkley, who needed treatment for a nose bleed after colliding with Joel Ward.

Mateta rolled an effort at Thomas Kaminski during the hosts’ first real break into Luton’s final third, not long before the Eagles took an 11th-minute lead through the Frenchman.

Mateta’s fifth league goal of the campaign followed some good work from January signing Daniel Munoz, who was able to latch on to Alfie Doughty’s loose back pass and find his team-mate just inside the six-yard box, where he opened the scoring with a backwards flick.

The Hatters had a handful of chances to reply, but it was the Eagles who applied more pressure as Ward, Jefferson Lerma and Mateta all misdirected efforts.

Singh Gill issued his first Premier League booking to Issa Kabore, who took down Lerma with a reckless challenge in the 27th minute, and showed his second yellow to Eberechi Eze for a pull on Reece Burke’s shirt.

Palace, who managed to keep the in-form Carlton Morris quiet throughout the first half, had a chance to double their lead before the break when another back pass – this time from Reece Burke – allowed Mateta to pounce and round Kaminski, but he found himself at too tight an angle and fired into the side-netting.

Eze threatened twice before the hour mark, while Luton’s best early chance after the break came via Chiedozie Ogbene, who directed a header wide of Sam Johnstone’s left post from six yards out.

Morris finally had a crack, directing a sharp volley straight at Johnstone before Daiki Hashioka sent his effort over the bar.

It was nevertheless an encouraging spell for the Hatters, who entered the afternoon having scored more goals in the final 15 minutes than every Premier League side bar Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal – while the Eagles had conceded the most in that same period.

Yet it was the Eagles who had the first big chance in the final 10 minutes of normal time through an audacious effort from Eze, who launched the ball from inside the centre circle that the scrambling Kaminski could not have stopped, but to his relief skimmed just over the crossbar.

The majority of the chances in six minutes of added time went the hosts’ way – including a crossbar-clipping effort from Odsonne Edouard – but it was Woodrow who made his count when he guided in ex-Eagle Andros Townsend’s delivery to stun Selhurst Park.

Unai Emery hailed Ollie Watkins as one of the best strikers in Europe after his double helped Aston Villa to a dramatic 3-2 win over Luton at Kenilworth Road.

A header in the 89th minute from substitute Lucas Digne ensured Villa won for the third game in a row in the Premier League to stay five points clear of Tottenham in the race for Champions League qualification.

Emery’s side were comfortably on top in the first half and went in at the break with a commanding two-goal lead given to them by Watkins’ brace.

Luton struck back, seemingly re-energised by the looming prospect of a fourth straight league defeat, with goals from Tahith Chong and Carlton Morris, but Digne’s late intervention settled the contest in Villa’s favour.

However, it was the contribution of Watkins that was singled out by Emery.

“Fantastic, brilliant,” he said of his team’s top scorer, who now has 21 for the season.

“He’s an example for other players. Every day working hard, every day trying to learn more.

“His mentality, to increase his level, practising and practising on the training ground. His commitment to work in the tactical areas we are planning every match.

“He’s scoring, he’s getting chances, he’s assisting, defending set-pieces. He has been available to play 90 minutes more or less, keeping fit to play a lot. He’s fantastic.

“But he needs his team-mates as well to help him. We are a team. We have to try to get our performances through the team. With the commitment he’s showing, for everyone he is an example.

“For mentality, it’s difficult to find a player better than him. But his skill is also a high level.

“He wants to learn every day, to increase his level. Of course, his first objective is scoring goals, but then as well, tactically, his work has been fantastic. Understanding, being clever.”

Asked if Watkins was one of the best in Europe, Emery said: “Yes, of course, he’s showing. The Premier League is the toughest league maybe in the world.

“But as a person he’s humble. He avoids the ego changing him. He’s fantastic as a person and as a professional.”

Luton boss Edwards, whose team are four points adrift of safety with 12 games to play, reflected on a result he found difficult to take.

“Bitterly disappointed,” he said. “The goals were avoidable, all three of them, as they always are.

“There was so much to like about the performance. Villa are so organised and a good team and it is not easy to score goals against them. They can hit you hard with counter-attacks or control the game.

“They are a very good team, but I thought we dominated the second half and had an outstanding performance.”