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Luton Town vs Liverpool. Premier League.

4:30pm, Sunday 5th November 2023.

Kenilworth RoadAttendance11,049.

Liverpool 1

L Díaz (95th minute)

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Luton 1-1 Liverpool: Luis Diaz scores late equaliser on Reds return to deny Hatters shock win

Report and free match highlights as Luis Diaz earned a 1-1 draw for Liverpool on his return to team following his father's kidnapping; the Colombia winger scored in stoppage time and revealed a 'Freedom for Father' shirt; Tahith Chong opened scoring after Darwin Nunez's shocking miss

Sam Blitz

@SamBIitz

Monday 6 November 2023 07:09, UK

Luis Diaz scored a late equaliser on an emotional return to the Liverpool team to deny a brilliant Luton side a memorable Premier League win.

Back in the Liverpool squad for the first time since his father was kidnapped in Colombia, Diaz came off the bench to head home Harvey Elliott's cross late on - before revealing a 'Libertad Para Papa' (Freedom for Dad) message underneath his shirt. The winger's father remains missing.

Luton thought they had the three points when former Manchester United midfielder Tahith Chong tapped home past Alisson on the counterattack after good work from Issa Kabore - as Liverpool players complained for a handball by Ross Barkley from their own corner.

The much-discussed VAR stuck with the Luton goal as a bouncing Kenilworth Road celebrated.

Before Luton's opener, Liverpool's Darwin Nunez produced one of the misses of the season as he blazed over from a few yards out following Mohamed Salah's header across goal. Nunez also hit the post in the first half for Jurgen Klopp's wasteful side - who produced 3.04 xG on Sunday night but only scored late on.

The result means Liverpool missed the chance to go up to second in the table, while the point lifts Luton out of the relegation zone.

Diaz statement appeals for release of his father

Luis Diaz:"Today this is not the football player speaking to you. Today Lucho Diaz, the son of Luis Manuel Diaz, is speaking to you. Mane, my father, is a tireless worker, our pillar in the family and he is kidnapped.

"I ask the ELN for the prompt release of my father, and I ask international organisations to intervene for his freedom.

"Every second, every minute our anguish grows; my mother, my brothers and I are desperate, anguished and without words to describe what we are feeling. This suffering will only end when we have him back home.

"I beg you to release him immediately, respecting his integrity and ending this painful wait as soon as possible.

"In the name of love and compassion, we ask you to reconsider your actions and allow us to get him back.

"I thank Colombians and the international community for the support we’ve received, thank you for so many demonstrations of affection and solidarity in this difficult moment that many families in my country are going through."

How Luton and Liverpool share the spoils

A blistering start at Kenilworth Road began in quick fashion for Liverpool, with Diogo Jota stopped from tapping in Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross by a superb clearance by Teden Mengi.

At the other end, former Everton midfielder Barkley then fired at Alisson before Nunez got involved with two efforts - one saved by Thomas Kaminski and another harmlessly fired over. But then came his big moment.

Alexander-Arnold unlocked a deep Luton backline with a superb long ball to Nunez in the area, but the Uruguay forward could only smack the crossbar after taking it down well.

Then came Luton's moment of the first half, with Chiedozie Ogbene's cross for the left finding Issa Kabore inside the box but he fired over the bar.

Player ratings

Luton: Kaminski (8), Kabore (8), Osho (7), Lockyer (7), Mengi (8), Doughty (7), Nakamba (7), Ogbene (7), Barkley (6), Morris (7), Townsend (6)

Subs: Chong (8), Adebayo (6), Brown (n/a)

Liverpool: Alisson (6), Alexander-Arnold (8), Van Dijk (8), Konate (6), Gomez (6), Mac Allister (6), Gravenberch (7), Szoboszlai (6), Salah (7), Jota (6), Nunez (5)

Subs: Elliott (8), Gakpo (6), Tsimikas (6), Diaz (8)

Player of the match: Thomas Kaminski (Luton)

Mohamed Salah spurned a good chance from the edge of the area after Luton had cleared Dominik Szoboszlai's free-kick when he blasted over - and the Liverpool missed chances tally kept creeping up as Nunez headed the Egyptian's cross over.

Jota then forced Kaminski into a smart near-post save from inside the area, while Barkley rounded off a first half filled with chances by firing over from 25 yards when found in a good area.

Luton started the second period strongly with Alfie Doughty firing straight at Alisson, before strong interventions from Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate denied Carlton Morris a tap-in on the break from Kabore's cross.

The Hatters then had a glorious chance when Ogbene went on a slalom run through the Liverpool right before unselfishly squaring to Morris, who was denied by Alisson.

Then came Nunez's sitter. Salah headed a long ball into the box across the face of goal but he somehow could not find the finish.

That move proved costly as Luton took the lead - from a Liverpool corner. Van Dijk, who complained he was tugged at a previous set piece, headed another corner goalwards and complained for a penalty after it struck the back of Barkley's arm. Then Luton broke through Kabore, who squared to Chong in the middle, who could not miss.

Klopp then threw Diaz on in hope of an equaliser, while Luton kept on throwing players back. The home side limited Liverpool to few chances in stoppage time, until Diaz popped up in the 95th minute to make it honours even.

Klopp: Liverpool should have had a penalty before Luton goal

Liverpool manager Klopp believes his side should have been awarded a penalty before Luton took the lead.

Seven minutes before Chong's opener, VAR looked at a possible penalty after Van Dijk was brought down by Elijah Adebayo, but the technology waved the claims away.

Klopp was booked for his protestations over the incident and the Liverpool manager compared the Adebayo foul to wrestling.

"I respect a lot what they do, but the way they defend set pieces defensively, if you watch it back it's wrestling," he said in his post-match press conference. "It's not on the edge, it's the wrong side of it.

"If they don't get punished [in the rules], why should they change it? There's a bit of discussion we had before, not when they scored him, just before, when Virgil's man brought him down. It's a good point scored in wrestling."

Asked about his yellow card, Klopp told Sky Sports: "It's Anthony Taylor who gave me the yellow card, not the ref. I spoke to the linesman and Anthony didn't like that. I was really surprised I got a yellow card. I deserve a lot of cards I get in my life but this one I didn't understand. You have to ask Anthony.

"It was not a handball before the goal, I saw that back. But the situation before, the wrestling in the box. If that's allowed then it's allowed, we cannot change that. The refs have their own view nowadays, so that's it."

Edwards: Pride not disappointment

Meanwhile, Luton manager Rob Edwards said he had more "pride than disappointment" in him despite seeing his side losing the lead late on.

"The overriding feeling is pride," he said. "We're all winners, ambitious, want to win games of football, and when you're 1-0 up against Liverpool with a few minutes to go, of course you want to win the game.

"They're going to be the dominant team, the players committed to it and we came close. It's pride not disappointment. It's not what if, it's if only. They're Liverpool Football Club, they found a way to get a result from a difficult position.

"Since [losing to] Brighton and Chelsea, there's been an adjustment, to make sure we're in games. We haven't got enough points so far. But we've been in games recently, I know last week Villa were too good on the day and we were 3-0 down in 60 minutes. If we are going to achieve something this year, we have to stay in the game."

Carra: Diaz goal a fitting moment

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and goalkeeper Alisson Becker hail the strength shown by Luis Diaz after his equalising goal against Luton with his father still being held captive by kidnappers in Colombia

Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher at Kenilworth Road:

"I thought it was a brilliant goal from Liverpool's point of view. And it was fitting, if Liverpool were going to get something from the game, that it was him.

"It was a brilliant game. You think of the Premier League and a team the size of Liverpool, and everything Luton have been through and where they've come from. It was such a tightly contested game and it could have gone either way.

"Luton will be devastated - you always are when you concede a late goal. It's about three points, but it would have done psychologically for them for the rest of the season.

"The way they set up and caused Liverpool problems, it bodes well between now and the end of the season."

What's next?

Luton's next game is a trip to troubled Manchester United on November 11, kick-off 3pm. They then have a two-week gap over the international break before Crystal Palace visit Kenilworth Road on November 25, kick-off 3pm.

Liverpool return to the Europa League on Thursday with a trip to Toulouse which could see them top their group, kick-off 5.45pm. They then host Brentford in the Premier League on November 12, kick-off 2pm.