South Yorkshire Police are investigating an alleged racist insult aimed at Carlton Morris during Luton Town's Premier League win against Sheffield United.
The visiting substitute reported the comment to referee Sam Allison, who in turn spoke to rival managers Chris Wilder and Rob Edwards. Both confirmed the subject of their conversation with Allison - the first black referee to officiate a Premier League match since 2008 - after the final whistle.
"It was an alleged racist comment," Edwards said. "The police are working on it now. It's in their hands. Police spoke with Carlton and got his opinion on the matters. Carlton was very angry at the time, as you would expect. But he's fine.
"She [the police] left and they have to deal with it now. That's what happened and that's what the conversation was about."
Luton trailed 2-1 and looked destined for defeat when Morris, formerly of United's neighbors Barnsley and Rotherham, produced two late crosses from which first Jack Robinson and then Anis Ben Slimane turned the ball into their own net. The dramatic turnaround silenced the raucous home crowd and left Wilder, who was involved in the incident involving Morris and a spectator, distraught.
"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 remained at the foot of the table.
"It [the comment] was from a racial standpoint, which obviously isn't great, if that's the case. It's not something anyone wants to hear about."
Sheffield United undone by two own goals as Luton took the win
By James Schild
Luton Town's raucous celebrations after a breathless, exhausting and sometimes chaotic match confirmed the importance of their victory over relegation rivals Sheffield United.
The contrast in emotions between the two benches could not have been greater as after watching two late own goals put the visitors within a point of safety and six clear of their opponents who remained bottom, the usually phlegmatic Rob Edwards joined his players on the pitch to soak up the admiration of the traveling support.
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Defeated manager Chris Wilder instead quickly retreated to the tunnel before acknowledging that despite United's insistence on staying in contention, the result was likely to color the rest of the season.
"I asked the players to be aggressive and we did that," said a jubilant Edwards. "I really liked us in the first half and then showed excellent character to come back like we did because United always carry a threat."
Given their respective positions in the table, it was perhaps no surprise that two defensive errors settled a match officiated by Sam Allison - the first black referee to officiate a Premier League match since 2008. But before Jack Robinson and Anis Ben United's Slimane turned the ball into their own net, there were moments of real quality too.
The overwhelming majority came from Luton, whose decision to give Andros Townsend a roving forward role proved to be a masterstroke, while Carlton Morris, who provided both centers that forced United's errors, also made a telling impact after being introduced.
After Alfie Doughty's strike, United thought they had staged a dramatic comeback, with Oli McBurnie and Anel Ahmedhodzic responding to Alfie Doughty's opener. But when Wilder later lamented their decision-making on the pitch, Robinson and Slimane's deflections condemned United to what he acknowledged as a 'real step backwards'.
"We threw it away," he said. "Do not take this as an attack on our opponents, it was our attitude to defense that cost us."
As well as his efforts to lead his team out of the bottom three, Wilder has also been battling 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 leaked United's squads, the 56-year-old made four changes to the starting XI, which had drawn with Aston Villa before Christmas, of which only one was enforced; Defender Ahmedhodzic returns for the suspended Jayden Bogle. Edwards, whose team came into the match on the back of a shock win over Newcastle, would almost certainly have predicted the other substitutions as McBurnie, Gustavo Hamer and James McAtee were given recalls.
Bogle's absence ultimately proved more costly than Wilder could have imagined, as Auston Trusty, as deputy at full-back, was continually dragged out of position by Townsend's presence, which in turn created the space for Doughty to wreak havoc .
"I really liked us in the first half," Edwards said. "That's when we showed character and faith."
Despite the importance of the match, neither United nor Luton took 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 both seeing shots blocked.
Having witnessed defensive weaknesses that undermined the work of his predecessor Paul Heckingbottom, Wilder's annoyance was almost palpable as two errors at the back gave Luton the lead. Hamer could have done more to prevent Doughty from entering the penalty area before the midfielder slotted the ball neatly through Wes Foderingham's legs and into the back of the net.
"It was bad to give away," Wilder said. "We were too passive and didn't have the control we wanted."
Although they changed formation after the break, United owed the equalizer to McAtee's skill and perseverance, with the midfielder getting back on his feet after being felled in the area before handing possession to McBurnie, who fired home. Wilder was still trying to master himself on a technical level when Ahmedhodzic claimed United's second place after a superb goalmouth scramble for Thomas Kaminski.
However, the introduction of Morris, combined with some indecisive defending, changed the course of the match. First the striker saw a cross deflect off Robinson before another was deflected past Foderingham by Slimane.
"There is a belief and togetherness," Edwards said. "That has proven to be the case and that is what can help us move forward."