Luton boss on Sunderland: 'It's like playing against the Red Arrows!'

Luton boss Rob Edwards described facing Sunderland as ‘like you’re playing against the Red Arrows’ after the draw at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland showed their mettle by coming back from a goal down to earn a 1-1 draw in the game, a result that Edwards conceded was probably fair overall.

Edwards was unhappy, though, with the decision to award the penalty just minutes from time from which Sunderland equalised, and it certainly did appear to be a soft one.

However, he was generally complimentary to Sunderland, even if the referee did attract his ire – and that is something we can sympathise with this season.

"It's very frustrating for us," Edwards said. "Sunderland are a very good team, I love what Tony [Mowbray] has done and they have really good individuals, so I'm not sitting here saying that they didn't deserve anything from the game.

"But the equaliser has come from a wrong decision. I've been in to speak to the officials and they've explained their reasons, and they don't have the benefits of replays or VAR to make their decisions.

"The linesman felt there was a pull, there is contact between both of their arms but I don't think there was a pull and I don't think it would send the player the other way. It's a really tough one for us to take, and I'll say it again, I know it is difficult and these events happen fast - but these games are all so important for every team."

"These are big games for both teams, and it [the penalty decision] totally changed the dynamics of the game.

"They've then got nearly 40,000 [fans] on their feet and going nuts for their team, and it changes the belief of their players. They've got about 20 forwards on the pitch, every one of them a good player, and it feels like you're playing against the Red Arrows.

"We had to dig on and we've gone from potentially getting three points to almost getting none. In the cold light of day I'll calm down and reflect, I'm really proud of the lads."

"I know Sunderland were in the same boat but the turnaround from a Wednesday to a Saturday is difficult and some of the lads felt that there was a lack of energy, probably for both teams.

"Sunderland are expansive and they make the pitch big with their wide players and on the transition, you've got to spring 60-70 yards. The players put a real shift and at times, we had really good control.

"They made a quadruple change to alter the dynamic but I felt there were a lot of times where Tom [Lockyer] was getting his foot on the ball and we were keeping for periods of time.

"You know they'll have moments and we defended very well, but that key decision changed the game."

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