(Premier League 2023/2024): Highlights Luton Town - Liverpool

Well, squeezing into the dressing rooms and filing out of the tiny tunnel goes with the territory of unfashionable new kids on the block, but Jurgen Klopp says there's a pitch, there's opposition, and that is all they need here this afternoon. His squad will not be taking Luton Town lightly, as Liverpool look to extend their run of wins to five since the last international break. Will Liverpool make eight changes midweek? It's another eight changes this afternoon, Joe Gomez keeps his place but shifts across to left-back, Nunez comes back in too. You sense that aerial ability will be really important defending set plays in their own box. Curtis Jones was eligible again, but picked up a slight knock so wasn't risked. Youngster Ben Doak returns to the bench as well. Yeah, strong bench though, but a really strong start in the XI as well. Luton like to play with a back three, which becomes a back five on this tight pitch. You've got to get that movement, get people on the ball who can find that pass, create things, and that's what Luton will be trying to do with Townsend as well. That's the change in the middle of midfield for them, Andros Townsend, for his Premier League know-how and voice, as well as his quality when they do have the ball, particularly in turnovers according to their manager Rob Edwards. Not the ideal preparation, Luton down to the bare bones. Bale, Burke, Anderson, Potts already out, they've been joined by Jordan Clarke, Luke Bury and Albert Sambit-Laconga. Welcome to Kenilworth Road. So the throw-in, up comes the shot of Ross Barkley, who has got a decent set of memories against Liverpool across the years. Forward comes Diogo Jota now for Liverpool. Gravenberch again, Gomez. Darwin Nunes, the shot from distance, he had to watch that all the way. Thomas Kaminski, the big Belgian, and it was exactly the kind of range we saw him so successful during the week. Absolutely, really good effort, bending away, good save from the goalkeeper. Liverpool just trying to find an avenue, but they will have to be patient today, it's the low block they would have expected. A set plays that they're expecting as well, and might have been signalled in the team they picked here today as well, there's lots of height in there, isn't there? If they need it from those positions. Yep, I think you need it in the Premier League these days. Clever ball over the top from Trent Alexander-Arnold, and against the woodwork for Darwin Nunes, who took on the opportunity so early. Thumbs up from Trent Alexander-Arnold, it's a ball they'll try again. Well, it's good patient play across the back, then the running behind that back three, a good first touch. The second touch maybe just needed to take a little bit off it. Just a little bit over the keeper. Liverpool trying to overload, and again it's that corner Darwin Nunes goes for, and again it was the long 6ft3 frame of Kaminsky that had to be alive to it. Ball from McAllister looking for Diogo Jota's pace and know-how. Zobislai tried one around the corner to Salah that didn't quite come off. Outside of the right foot from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Gomez felt he was fouled. Zobislai and Trent Alexander-Arnold, it's Zobislai the most interested, spun in towards the head of Virgil van Dijk, and had it been on target would have really caused the big fella Thomas Kaminsky problems in Luton Town's goal. He doesn't read the bounce of the ball, stretching back on it, head back, off-balance, cuts across it, over the top. If you're a Luton Town player or supporter you'll think, well, we've weathered that early storm from Liverpool, can we get something? But the more you push forward, the more you leave yourself open. That pocket of space opening up for Gravenberch and Jota with the chance! It's a big, big right hand from Kaminsky, perhaps the biggest opportunity of the game, and just that bit of space opening up for Liverpool, the goalkeeper worth his weight in gold there. It's been a bit of a contest, hasn't it? Liverpool with the lion's share, but Luton not see much of the ball at all. But when they have, they've found positions like this. Ball in at McAllister, just manages to get clear, it's Barkley who... ...has the shooting opportunity, and you can see from the look on his face he feels he should have done an awful lot better with it. He cuts across the ball, goes for power, he's lifted his head. It's a good opportunity for Luton Town. McAllister, who's about to do the pace again. Obene forward, Obene in real danger here for Luton Town, it needed that block from Virgil van Dijk, and it was a telling interception as well by Liverpool's skipper. As Xherdesi Obene almost opened up the scoring. This is really good play, Obene inside, Trent inside, Gnate tries to pull it back from Morris, but it's a good block in there from Virgil and then from Ali. A bit of space now for Cody Gatpoe. A pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Luton felt it, Senecas had strayed. Ball into the back post for looking for Mo Salah, it should be finished off but isn't. From Darwin Nunes it looked like a buffet ball for him really. Well, Mo Salah should have scored in the first place, it's a terrible header from Mo, I think he took his eye off the ball. But then Nunes coming in has got to hit the back of the target. Two good chances within two seconds there for Liverpool. Harvey Elliott, Nunes involved again, Mo Salah, Nunes between the two defenders if he can find him, it's a death pass, it's a great shot on goal and an equally good save. Once again from Thomas Kaminski. Good run, good time in the run. He has to hit it first time, there's not enough pace on the ball, and that's a really good save from Kaminski. Gnate, McAllister trying to move Luton Town around, is there one piece of quality they can find? Gravenbercher the effort. Push wide by Kaminski. It looked like a straightforward save for him in the end, but one that he was pleased to see wide of his goal. And there's a change, another change about their front line, it will all be about defending. Can they defend the corner, Luton Town? Header comes in, big opportunity as well, and a big shout for a handball that is coming in from Virgil van Dijk, but Liverpool all out of shape here, and it's a three against three. And it's Chong at the back stick if they can find him, here is Chong, and he's put it into Liverpool's net! Liverpool are claiming a penalty at one end, Luton with a deadly counter-attack at the other, and it's the substitute Chong who has put a dagger through Liverpool here. The £4 million signing for Birmingham, the play that started at Manchester United, it will be checked by VAR, but Luton Town think they have the lead. Well, they do, and they just played on, and in the end Liverpool were so open, and the substitute Chong with the fresh legs made the run. Really good, Barkley plays it out to his right-hand side, and this is a wonderful ball, and he's way onside. So if this isn't a handball and a penalty at the other end, Luton have taken the lead. It's as dramatic as it comes, but Liverpool will not get the penalty, and Luton Town have the lead that they thought they had. And it's Chong, the substitute, who has given Luton Town the opportunity to wind back the clock here to the early part of the 1990s for the last time they beat Liverpool in a top-flight game. And defend like their lives depend on this here, beat Neverton at Goodison Park, are they going to get the win over Liverpool on their own packs there? First Premier League home win of the season, they're staring down the barrel of it now with six minutes remaining. Corner floated in. Helped back in by the skipper, and get it clear partially. Ball back in, towards the end of Canarty, it needed the slight handed into the goalkeeper. I just think it's bouncing wide, I think he's just not got it on target. As the ball comes back in he wins the header, but just drifting wide. Eight minutes, which is a lifetime in football. But have Liverpool done enough to convince you that maybe the eight minutes will be crucial? They were clinical, it was a classic breakaway, wasn't it? Counter-attack, and they finished it off. Lovely ball in in the finish. The controversy will be, was it or should it have been handball? Cody Gatpole's ball, looking for Salah. Not enough on it, Canarty stays forward. Big chance this for Lui as of all people! The face of a man who's endured the most unimaginable trauma. And it's a t-shirt message for his dad. Well, this is brilliant from Harvey Elliott in the end. Comes out to him, and then he sees the movement. It's a lovely touch, sees the movement from Diaz. And it's a lovely ball in. And the movement from Diaz, he's onside because he runs from deep. And it's over the top of Kaminsky, into the back. That's a brilliant header. But does it come off Diaz, or does it come off the defender? We don't care, it's in the back of the net for 1-1. And that is the end.