Elijah Adebayo goal keeps Luton's survival hopes alive after draw with Everton

Luton kept alive their hopes of Premier League survival as Elijah Adebayo's excellent first-half equaliser rescued a 1-1 draw against Everton at Kenilworth Road.

Having not started a game since February Luton's top scorer announced his return from injury in spectacular fashion, collecting a high ball on his chest and bamboozling Ashley Young before dispatching a finish beyond Jordan Pickford to earn a valuable point.

It moved Rob Edwards' side level with 17th-place Nottingham Forest ahead of their relegation rivals' meeting with Sheffield United on Saturday, although with only one victory now in their last 14 league matches the Hatters face an uphill battle to remain in the top flight.

It had looked set to get tougher when Everton took the lead after 24 minutes, Luton defender Teden Mengi hauling Jarrad Branthwaite to the ground at a corner, allowing Dominic Calvert-Lewin the chance to net his seventh league goal of the season from the penalty spot.

Thomas Kaminski in the Luton goal twice saved his team with superb saves in the second half, as the hosts held on to prolong their survival hopes.

It took until midway through the first half for either side to threaten, Dwight McNeil's fizzing cross turned in the direction of his own goal by Mengi, the defender bailed out by a point-blank save from Kaminski.

Luton had survived an early calamity but Mengi would yet be the architect of his team's downfall.

Grappling with Branthwaite at an Everton corner, he wrestled his opponent to the ground as the ball was floated over, though neither player was anywhere near the play.

VAR called referee Tim Robinson to the monitor and the award was a penalty from which Calvert-Lewin, amid a volley of boos and jeers directed at the officials by home