Luton vs Chelsea LIVE! Premier League result, match stream, latest updates today

Luton vs Chelsea LIVE!

Chelsea survived a late Luton Town fightback to return to winning ways on the road on Saturday with a 3-2 win at Kenilworth Road, with Cole Palmer netting twice either side of a fine Noni Madueke strike. The expensively assembled Blues had lost their previous four Premier League away games but looked certain to claim all three points when they were 3-0 up with little more than 10 minutes of normal time remaining.

Palmer put the Blues ahead in the 12th minute when he pounced on an error by Luton defender Issa Kabore to unleash a fierce angled shot that flew past Thomas Kaminski. Luton were caught out in the 37th minute when Chelsea left-back Levi Colwill fed Palmer on the break and his pass found Madueke who created just enough space to fire high into Kaminski's net.

Madueke returned the favour for the third goal when he split Luton's defence to find Palmer who kept his cool to round Kaminski and hold off a gaggle of defenders to slot home in the 70th minute. Former Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley scored what looked like a consolation goal for the hosts when he headed in from an Alfie Doughty corner in the 80th minute. Seven minutes later Elijah Adebayo reduced the deficit to one goal, but Luton failed to get an equaliser.

Luton vs Chelsea latest updates

• GOAL! Adebayo sets up thrilling finale!

• GOAL! Barkley reduces the deficit

• GOAL! Palmer adds his second

• GOAL! Madueke doubles Blues lead

• GOAL! Palmer fires home a fine opener

Full-time!

14:30 , Alex Young

97min: Phew!

14:28 , Alex Young

96min: Another cross into the area, but it's over everyone. Chelsea doing enough.

14:28 , Alex Young

95min: Caicedo does brilliantly to avoid conceding a corner. Just over a minute to play.

14:26 , Alex Young

92min: Luton go within inches again as Rob Edwards screams into the area with frustration. Have they got another chance in them?

14:24 , Alex Young

90min: SIX minutes added on for Luton to find an equaliser.Thiago Silva has just cleared the ball underneath his own crossbar!

GOAL!

14:20 , Alex Young

87min: Now they've pulled another back! Doughty denied with a header and then Adebayo is on hand to volley home.

Here we go!

SAVE!

14:19 , Alex Young

86min: A stunning save from Petrovic denies Morris with a diving header at the back post. Chelsea have lost all their composure in the penalty area, apart from their goalkeeper.

14:16 , Alex Young

83min: It's panic stations in the Chelsea are as Luton play pinball with two, three, four attempts at goal before the Blues clear.

GOAL!

14:13 , Alex Young

80min: This one counts and it's Barkley against his former club, flicking home a smart header at the near post.

NO GOAL!

14:09 , Alex Young

75min: The cross of the game as Doughty puts it on a plate for Adebayo to head home six yards ... but it's offside after a VAR check.

GOAL!

14:04 , Alex Young

70min: Palmer really is something special! He shows superb close control to round the keeper, duck inside a defender and roll into an empty net.

14:00 , Alex Young

67min: Sitter! Adebayo looks to have a tap-in as Chong whips a perfect ball across the face of goal... but the striker did not time the run right.

Nizaar Kinsella at Kenilworth Road

13:56 , Alex Young

Broja looks pretty disappointed to come off. The struggling striker badly needs a goal and doesn't look like a major threat despite some nice touches.

13:55 , Alex Young

62min: Broja makes way for Nkunku.

13:53 , Alex Young

61min: Nkunku is getting some instructions.

13:53 , Alex Young

59min: Chelsea keep retreating and inviting Luton onto them. I'm not convinced that is the best course of action, even with a 2-0 lead. They clearly want to hit the hosts on the break, as they did for the second goal, but the home fans are amping up the atmosphere.

13:48 , Alex Young

55min: Luton with another corner but it's straight into Petrovic's arms. Chelsea have largely dealt with the set-pieces well today.

13:45 , Alex Young

51min: Luton have gone four at the back, so they certainly feel there is something to be taken from today. Chelsea aren't entirely convincing at the back.

13:42 , Alex Young

48min: An early warning for Chelsea in this second half as Colwill is required at the back post to block a shot. This game hasn't been won yet.

Second half

13:38 , Alex Young

46min: Back underway at the Kenny.

13:37 , Alex Young

Luton have had their moments but two fine finishes give the Blues a deserved lead at the break.Chelsea will look to get a few more in the second half.

Nizaar Kinsella at Kenilworth Road

13:28 , Alex Young

Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer goals have shown Chelsea can be decisive and the defending has been good.

A very positive half at a ground where Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool have all struggled.

Half-time!

13:22 , Alex Young

51min: That's your lot.

13:18 , Alex Young

45min: Five minutes added on.

13:15 , Alex Young

43min: Half a penalty shout - and a full VAR check - for a Luton penalty after a tussle at a corner, but there's nothing doing.

Nizaar Kinsella at Kenilworth Road

13:13 , Alex Young

Noni Madueke doubles the lead with an amazing finish, bambozling a defender with his dribbling and smashing a shot into the roof of the net. Chelsea supporters respond with chants of "how sh** must you be, we're winning away."

GOAL!

13:10 , Alex Young

39min: Just as Luton are building a head of steam, they gift Chelsea a second goal. Palmer has all the time in the world to find Madueke on the edge of the area and the young forward finds the near top corner with a corker of a strike.

Nizaar Kinsella at Kenilworth Road

13:07 , Alex Young

My laptop is getting rained on working in the TV gantry. These challenging Kenilworth Road conditions extend to the media.

13:06 , Alex Young

35min: Barkley plays it short and it's the wrong option as Chelsea can immediately crowd out the play and clear.

13:06 , Alex Young

34min: Huge roars as Caicedo gives away a free kick and hands Barkley another pop at a free kick, a very similar position.

Nizaar Kinsella at Kenilworth Road

13:05 , Alex Young

The Chelsea injury curse is now threatening even Conor Gallagher. He took an ankle knock but can play on. He is pretty tough to continue after a nasty-looking tweak.

13:04 , Alex Young

31min: Oof, Gallagher is down and having treatment after rolling his ankle.

13:01 , Alex Young

29min: Luton giving this a go, and you can't blame them. The home crowd, about five inches from the action, are baying them on and the Chelsea players don't look too comfortable.

12:59 , Alex Young

27min: Brown is the first man booked after a very late challenge on Gallagher.

12:56 , Alex Young

22min: A bit of concern for Broja as he goes down clutching the back of his knee after an innocuous-looking challenge.

Sterling has been sent to warm up.

Nizaar Kinsella at Kenilworth Road

12:55 , Alex Young

Issa Kabore is Chelsea's best creator at the moment. He keeps giving the ball away, including for the goal, giving Armando Broja now a chance to shoot on goal.

12:50 , Alex Young

18min: It's a long build-up but a fine, whipping, dipping effort which spins over the bar.

12:49 , Alex Young

17min: Luton win a free kick on the edge of the Chelsea area after a foul by Palmer. Barkley fancies this...

12:49 , Alex Young

15min: Luton have reacted well to going behind, pushing Chelsea back.

GOAL!

12:44 , Alex Young

12min: Now they have, and it's a rocket! Luton fail to clear their lines and Palmer simply picks up the ball on the edge of the area and arrows a low drive into the far bottom corner.

12:43 , Alex Young

10min: Chelsea getting in again and again as Palmer fires another shot on target, but they are yet to really test the hosts.

Nizaar Kinsella at Kenilworth Road

12:41 , Alex Young

Luton fans are chanting: "Ross Barkley, he left cause you're s***." That's not a version of history that I remember...

12:39 , Alex Young

7min: Jackson tries to release Broja beyond the last line of defence, but his pass hits his team-mate's heels.

12:38 , Alex Young

5min: First chance of the game falls to Gallagher, who benefits from some direct dribbling from Madueke but his shot is straight at the keeper.

12:33 , Alex Young

2min: Chelsea have started the match with Jackson on the left wing, Palmer as a no10, Madueke on the right wing and Broja up top as a striker.

Kick-off!

12:31 , Alex Young

1min: Here we go!

Nizaar Kinsella at Kenilworth Road

12:31 , Alex Young

The PA at Kenilworth Road just went down as the announcer was  reading the Luton Town XI out. The fans pretended to cheer each player name despite the silence.

A fixture quirk

12:18 , Alex Young

A very interesting stat from BBC Sport. Luton's final game of the calendar in their last three top-flight campaigns was at home to Chelsea.

Coming in 1989, 1990 and 1991, they recorded a 3-0 loss followed by back-to-back 2-0 wins.

What will today being? Kick-off is in a little over 10 minutes.

Pochettino on fitness issues

12:08 , Alex Young

The Chelsea manager to TNT Sports: “Benoit [Badiashile] is a little bit tired and felt something which is not a big issue.

"Romeo [Lavia] we need to assess in the next few days and see because he feels something. We need to assess him so we still don't know if it is going to be a few days or a few weeks.”

Rob Edwards' pre-match thoughts

12:02 , Alex Young

The Luton boss to TNT Sports: "I think the way we are evolving now, we are beginning to look a little bit like the team we were in the Championship, we are getting more of the ball. We are looking to get more of an identity and be a threat. We want to be aggressive and fight, never, ever give up and hopefully today, you will see a team that is totally committed.

"We want to make it difficult for any team. Any team in our situation wants to make it tough to go there and hopefully, get the amount of points we need. We want to make it difficult, but we have to give teams like Chelsea the respect. We have to compete, learn from the last time we played them, run hard."

Pochettino on role in Chelsea transfers

11:59 , Alex Young

Mauricio Pochettino says he will be involved in Chelsea’s transfer activity in January and that the dialogue between him and the owners remains positive.

Pochettino will have some say in deciding targets alongside influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali and co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

Chelsea are weighing up whether to target a forward and a central defender when the window opens on January 1.

Asked whether he will have a say, Pochettino said: “I cannot conceive the idea of not being involved.”

“It is not only about my advice," he added “It is about sharing after six months together with the owners and sporting directors.

"It is very good communication. We talk every single day. Of course, the decision that we are going to take is because we all agree.

"If we detect something we need to improve, then we are more than open. We are very analytical and always analyse ourselves to help the club in the best way possible."

Ross Barkley on his time at Chelsea

11:54 , Alex Young

The Luton midfielder tells TNT Sports: “I probably say frustration over the last couple of years [has led to improved form in recent weeks].

"I didn’t play much in my last couple of players not getting the minutes I probably deserved, but the players Chelsea had, it was tough. At Nice, I didn’t think I got the game time I deserved. Now, I’m getting the rhythm and playing game after game and just gaining confidence.

“I spoke to the manager in the summer and he just said what he expects from me. Over the years, I’ve become more disciplined, but I do have the freedom as well. With Andros, he’s added a different style of play as well. It helps with the way we play.”

Nizaar Kinsella at Kenilworth Road

11:40 , Alex Young

Noni Madueke makes his first Premier League start since October away at Luton. He keeps Raheem Sterling out of the team after scoring a penalty to win the Crystal Palace match from the bench.

Chelsea may be starting in a 4-4-2 formation with both Armando Broja and Nicolas Jackson starting away at Kenilworth Road in the latter's final match before the Africa Cup of Nations.

Christopher Nkunku drops to the bench to manage his minutes after a knee injury. Benoit Badiashile is left out of the squad, Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk, who were doubts, make the bench.

Teams in full

11:35 , Alex Young

Luton XI: Kaminski, Mengi, Osho, Bell, Kabore, Sambi Lokonga, Barkley, Doughty, Townsend, Brown, Adebayo

Subs: Andersen, Ogbene, Morris, Woodrow, Chong, Mpanzu, Clark, Krul, Giles

Chelsea XI: Petrovic, Gusto, Disasi, Thiago Silva, Colwill, Gallagher, Caicedo, Palmer, Jackson, Madueke, Broja

Subs: Sterling, Fernandez, Mudryk, Bettinelli, Nkunku, Maatsen, Gilchrist, Bergstrom, Matos

Luton XI

11:32 , Alex Young

Here's how the hosts look.

Chelsea XI

11:31 , Alex Young

Raheem Sterling missing out on the starting lineup.

11:24 , Alex Young

It sounds like Raheem Sterling doesn't get the nod today.

11:19 , Alex Young

Team news is imminent. Mudryk and Lavia remain doubts for today.

Latest on Tom Lockyer

11:11 , Alex Young

Luton boss Rob Edwards has revealed captain Tom Lockyer is already getting bored during his rehabilitation at home, but insists their upturn in results has nothing to do with his recent cardiac arrest.

Lockyer collapsed after he suffered a cardiac arrest during the Hatters' clash at Bournemouth on December 16, which was subsequently abandoned.

Captain Lockyer has since been discharged from hospital after an implantable cardioverter defibrillator was fitted and watched on from afar as his team-mates beat Newcastle and Sheffield United before Chelsea's visit on Saturday.

"I speak to him every day. He is progressing. He seems bored already, but in generally good spirits, which is really good," Edwards told a press conference.

"He was taking the mick out of my Christmas trainers against Sheff United, so yeah he is doing well.

"I think we were tight already, I don't think it is because of what has happened that we've won two games of football.

"Performances have been good before that but they're an incredibly tight group these lads and they're like a family.

"And obviously one of the family had a really tough time a couple of weeks ago, so we all have to rally round each other, support each other and help. If that has brought us tighter, then good but the main thing is Tom in all of this."

Chelsea to get two days off (on one condition)

10:55 , Alex Young

Mauricio Pochettino plans to give his Chelsea players two days off if they can beat Luton at Kenilworth Road.

Pochettino hopes his under-fire stars can earn some downtime by winning their final match of 2023.

No Premier League team has lost more matches this year than Chelsea, who have been beaten 19 times.

But, after a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, Pochettino hopes to end 2023 on a high.

“The plan is to win and then to give one or two days off depending on the circumstance,” he said.

Chelsea had the least rest of all 20 teams in the Premier League between the three festive matchdays across December 24-30.

But the Blues will not play again after Luton until Championship side Preston visit Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup on January 6.

Score prediction

10:36 , Alex Young

Given Chelsea’s away form and how good Luton have been at home, a Hatters victory would no longer be a huge surprise.

Luton to win, 1-0.

Luton team news

10:26 , Alex Young

Luton remain without several players but Jordan Clark and Issa Kabore are available. Tom Lockyer, Reece Burke and Dan Potts remain sidelined, while Marvelous Nakamba is set for a lengthy spell out following knee surgery.

Chelsea team news

10:18 , Alex Young

Chelsea are able to welcome both Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer back from suspension for the trip to Luton, but Mykhailo Mudryk and Romeo Lavia are doubts for the final match of 2023.

The latter two join a lengthy injury list, including Enzo Fernandez, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, Wesley Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Trevoh Chalobah and Lesley Ugochukwu.

Chilwell, Chalobah and Chukwuemeka are believed to be the closest to their returns but are unlikely to be ready for the weekend clash.

The Blues will start with Djordje Petrovic as goalkeeper in front of a back four potentially featuring Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill.

Conor Gallagher will likely partner Moises Caicedo at the base of midfield.

Christopher Nkunku could start again after making his full debut last week in attack.

Nicolas Jackson could complete the forward line, with Noni Madueke expected to miss out despite being the match-winner at home to Palace.

How to watch Luton vs Chelsea

10:09 , Alex Young

TV channel: The game will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 11am GMT ahead of 12.30pm kick-off.

Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch on the Discovery+ App.

Welcome

10:01 , Alex Young

Good morning and welcome to the Standard's LIVE coverage of the Premier League clash between Luton Town and Chelsea.

The Blues ran out 3-0 winners earlier this season and, on paper, that should be the order of the day at Kenilworth Road - but who know which Chelsea team will turn up?

Luton have won their last two and can climb out of the relegation zone with another this afternoon. Kick-off is at 12.30pm and Nizaar Kinsella is there is see if the Blues can avoid another dismal defeat.