Edwards ´relieved´ as Luton snatch dramatic comeback win

Rob Edwards says he is “relieved” after Luton Town came from behind to snatch a 2-1 victory over Derby County in the Championship on Friday.

Carlton Morris almost gave the hosts the lead early on amid Derby’s bright start, only to head wide, before the Rams eventually went ahead in the 58th minute when Kayden Jackson headed home Kane Wilson’s cross.

However, Tom Holmes got a stroke of luck in the 89th minute, as he deflected Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu’s volley past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom to give the Hatters hope.

Morris then sent the home fans into raptures three minutes later, pouncing on Elijah Adebayo’s saved effort to fire the winner into the roof of the net.

It was Luton’s sixth home win of the campaign, as they leapfrogged Derby into 14th in the table, now eight points clear of the relegation zone.

“I’m very relieved rather than happy I think,” Edwards told Sky Sports.

“It’s credit to the lads; we’re fighting, and it’s not looking like how we’d like it to look, we had to make changes and a lot of subs which I thought were quite brave ones and had to go for it, and they found a way.

Getting the job done together! pic.twitter.com/EstxnNsGLL

— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) December 20, 2024

“It’s a nice way to win it for us. It will send everyone home happy for Christmas. I need to smile a bit, it’s turning me grey, this is what this does to you.

“It wasn’t pretty, and we knew it wouldn’t be looking at the form of the two sides, but it was determination and grit. We took a gamble and fortunately, it paid off.

“No doubt we need to improve, our next two games are away from home, but the lads now need to harness this energy.”

Luton were the dominant side at Kenilworth Road, having 18 shots to Derby’s 10, though four of their five shots on target did not come until the second half.

Morris was responsible for five of those efforts, while he also had the most touches in the box of any player on the pitch (11).

“That’s why we love the Championship,” Morris told Sky Sports. “There’s so much character in this group.

“Credit to the boys for digging in and getting there in the end. Credit to Derby too. They came here and made it very difficult for us.

“It’s not an excuse, but we’ve had a lot of injuries, the group we have is tight-knit, and it shows, in sticking in games and never giving up – we showed that last season too.

“We are not hiding away from the fact we have not been nearly good enough away from home, but that is going to change.”