by South Yorkshire Police are investigating an alleged racial slur directed at Carlton Morris during Luton Town’s Premier League victory over Sheffield United.
The visiting substitute reported the comment to referee Sam Allison, who, in turn, spoke to rival coaches Chris Wilder and Rob Edwards. They both confirmed the topic of their conversation with Allison, the first black referee to supervise a Premier League match since 2008, after the final whistle.
“It was an alleged racial comment,” Edwards said. “The police are dealing with it now. It’s in your hands. Police spoke to Carlton and got his opinion on things. Carlton, at that moment, was very angry as expected. But he is fine.
“They [the police] They’re gone and they’re dealing with it now. “That’s what happened and that’s what the conversation was about.”
Luton were 2-1 down and looked destined for defeat when Morris, formerly of United’s neighbors Barnsley and Rotherham, produced two late crosses in which first Jack Robinson and then Anis Ben Slimane converted the ball into his own goal. The dramatic turnaround silenced what had been a rowdy home crowd and left Wilder distraught, who condemned the incident involving Morris and a spectator.
“A comment was made and the referee came over to talk to me and Rob, to tell us what had happened and what Carlton had told him,” said Wilder, whose team remains at the foot of the table.
“He [the comment] It was from a racial point of view, which is obviously not good, if that’s the case. “It’s not something anyone wants to hear about.”
Sheffield United are defeated by two own goals and Luton achieve victory
By James Shield
Luton Town’s raucous celebrations after a breathless, grueling and at times chaotic match confirmed the importance of their victory over relegation rivals Sheffield United.
The contrast of emotions between the two benches could not have been more marked as, after seeing two own goals bring the visitors to within a point of safety and six clear of their opponents who remain bottom, the usually phlegmatic Rob Edwards He joined his players on the field. field to soak up the adulation of the traveling support.
Instead, defeated manager Chris Wilder quickly retreated down the tunnel before acknowledging that, despite insisting United remain in contention, the result is likely to influence the rest of the campaign.
“I asked the players to be aggressive and we did,” said a jubilant Edwards. “We really liked it in the first half and then I showed excellent character to come back like we did, because United are always a threat.”
Given their respective positions in the table, it was perhaps no surprise to see two defensive errors resolve a duel refereed by Sam Allison, the first black referee to oversee a Premier League match since 2008. But before Jack Robinson and Anis Ben Slimane of United turning the ball into their own goal, there were also moments of real quality.
The overwhelming majority came from Luton, whose decision to give Andros Townsend a roaming striker role proved a masterstroke, while Carlton Morris, who delivered the two crosses that forced those United errors, also had a telling impact after being presented.
Following Alfie Doughty’s goal, United thought they had staged a dramatic comeback with Oli McBurnie and Anel Ahmedhodzic responding to Alfie Doughty’s opener. But, as Wilder later lamented his on-field decision-making, the misdirections of Robinson and Slimane condemned United to what he acknowledged was a “real step backwards”.
“We threw it in the trash,” he said. “Don’t take this as an attack on our opponents, it was our defensive attitude that cost us.”
As well as trying to lift his team out of the bottom three, Wilder has also been fighting fires off the pitch since returning to take charge earlier this month. Having made no secret of his annoyance after discovering that a behind-the-scenes mole had been leaking United’s selections, the 56-year-old made four changes to the starting XI that had drawn with Aston Villa before Christmas and only one of them was missing. applied; Defender Ahmedhodzic returns in place of the suspended Jayden Bogle. Edwards, whose team entered the game after a shock victory over Newcastle, would almost certainly have predicted the other changes when McBurnie, Gustavo Hamer and James McAtee were withdrawn.
Bogle’s absence ultimately proved more costly than Wilder could have imagined with substitute Auston Trusty at full-back constantly being pulled out of his position by Townsend’s presence, which in turn created the space for Doughty to wreak havoc.
“We really liked each other in the first half,” Edwards said. “So we show character and faith.”
Despite the importance of the match, neither United nor Luton adopted a safety-first approach. The visitors posed a threat from set pieces during the opening exchanges, but also came under pressure at the other end of the pitch, with Vini Souza and Cameron Archer seeing their shots blocked.
Having witnessed defensive weaknesses undermine the work of his predecessor Paul Heckingbottom, Wilder’s exasperation was almost palpable when two errors in defense gave Luton the lead. Hamer could have done more to prevent Doughty from entering the area before the midfielder slotted the ball neatly through Wes Foderingham’s legs and into the back of the net.
“It was poor to give it away,” Wilder said. “We were too passive and didn’t have the control we wanted.”
Although they changed formation after the break, United had McAtee’s skill and perseverance to thank for the equaliser. The midfielder recovered after being brought down in the box before handing possession to McBurnie, who duly fired. Wilder was still composing himself in the technical area when Ahmedhodzic scored United’s second after a tremendous fight in goal against Thomas Kaminski.
However, the introduction of Morris, combined with indecisive defending, changed the course of the match. First, the striker saw a cross bounce off Robinson before Slimane deflected another past Foderingham.
“There’s a belief and togetherness,” Edwards said. “That was proven and that’s what can help us move forward.”
