Hatters boss hits out a 'ridiculous' rule that saw Luton have to defend a Spurs attack with nine men

Luton boss Rob Edwards labelled it ‘mental’ that his side found themselves down to nine men momentarily against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend due what he felt was a ‘ridiculous’ part of the rules.

With 40 minutes gone and the Hatters clinging on at 0-0, a long ball forward saw Carlton Morris go up for a header, Elijah Adebayo flick the ball over Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario and after it hit the post, Tom Lockyer bravely turned the rebound over the line.

A VAR check saw the goal disallowed for a foul by Adebayo in the build-up, as Morris then required treatment for a bloodied nose, as did Lockyer after he took a boot to the face when heading into the net.

With both players patched up, they then had to leave the field and wait until being waved back on by referee John Brooks, as Spurs went straight down the other end and could mount an attack against their now nine man hosts.

Fortunately nothing came of it, but the fact that both had to make their way off despite being injured when trying to put the Hatters in front and not, like Pierre-Emile Højbjerg did later in the game, in attempt to waste some valuable seconds, clearly infuriated Edwards.

"He said: “That bit is a ridiculous part of the rule.

"Two people are down and then against one of the best teams in the league you’re down to nine men, I can’t get my head around that.

"There were two obvious injuries and it’s mental.”