Antoine Semenyo caps off epic comeback as Luton crumbles at Bournemouth | first division

A sensational second-half comeback by Bournemouth denied Luton the chance to climb out of the relegation zone three months after Tom Lockyer, the Luton captain, had suffered a cardiac arrest in the original accessory.

It was an emotional evening in more ways than one for Lockyer, who was greeted before kick-off by both sets of supporters who had been, in his words, “technically dead” for two minutes and 40 seconds after collapsing on the field here. in December. He saw his team give up a three-goal lead after Tahith Chong, Chiedozie Ogbene and Ross Barkley came on to send them to a comfortable victory that would have lifted them above Nottingham Forest on goal difference.

However, after being booed at half-time, a thrilling performance from Andoni Iraola's side allowed Dominic Solanke, Illia Zabarnyi and Antoine Semenyo to cancel out Luton's lead in the space of just 14 minutes before Semenyo sealed the victory to with seven minutes remaining, which meant a dream start turned into a nightmare for Rob Edwards.

The solidarity between the two clubs was evident throughout the Vitality Stadium 88 days after Lockyer's cardiac arrest, with the Bournemouth Supporters' Trust raised more than £2,000 to help with Luton fans' travel costs for the rescheduled match. The Luton captain admitted that he was pleased to be able to express his gratitude to the Bournemouth medical staff who helped save his life on the pitch before the match and was greeted with a standing ovation from both sets of fans. Lockyer, who said becoming a father for the first time last week had given him “a completely different perspective on everything,” seemed moved as he received the applause.

Luton, who ended a five-match losing streak with late draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday, had found themselves trailing in early goals after slow starts in each of their last three games. This time, they made no such mistake as Chong finished off a quick counterattack downfield by heading in a Jordan Clark cross in the ninth minute to the delight of the visiting fans. Only Arsenal have scored more headed goals this season than Luton's 14 so far, and Lockyer joined the celebrations in the main stand.

Bournemouth's last victory here in the first division They returned on Boxing Day during their purple patch and created several chances in the first half after dominating possession, but were wayward with their shooting. Luis Sinisterra finally tested Thomas Kaminski when he burst into the box but the Luton goalkeeper saved with his foot at the near post.

Dango Ouattara, deployed as a marauding left-back by Iraola but not the best in defence, then fired in from a decent position in what would become a recurring theme. He then needed a heroic last-minute tackle from Reece Burke to deny Semenyo a clear run towards goal.

However, Luton always looked threatening on the break and so showed just after the half-hour when Chong and Alfie Doughty put together a delicious one-two before Ogbene hit the side's cross at the far post, with Ouattara guilty of losing his man. Bournemouth continued to camp in the Luton half and a long-range piledriver from Lewis Cook forced Kaminski into action again, but they were frustrated by the tenacious defense of a committed whiteshirt phalanx.

It was another error from Ouattara that allowed Luton to score a third just before the break after Issa Kaboré released him from possession and advanced up the pitch, before setting up Barkley to crash into the net. “The city stays awake” echoed among the enthusiastic visiting fans as Bournemouth left the field to a chorus of boos.

Iraola's response was to remove Alex Scott and Sinisterra and the changes made an immediate difference. Solanke set up with a sublime backheel through the legs of Daiki Hashioka before passing to Kaminski to retreat seconds before Semenyo fired. Chong had the ball in the Bournemouth net again shortly after Neto saved from Carlton Morris, but it was disallowed for offside.

A round of applause for Lockyer in the 59th minute, when the first match was abandoned with the score tied 1-1, was impeccably observed, but Bournemouth fans found their voices when Zabarnyi forced a second goal despite desperate attempts from Doughty for clearing the line. from a corner. Moments later they were in dreamland when Semenyo beat Kaminski at his near post to equalize and leave Edwards scratching his head.

It looked like the visitors had done enough to retain a point, but Semenyo had the last word, teaming up with substitute Enes Unal to leave Luton distraught.