Talking points from AFC Bournemouth v Luton Town

Down by three goals heading into the half-time interval, second-half goals from Dominic Solanke, Illia Zabarnyi, and Antoine Semenyo turned the match on its head.

As you can imagine with such a pulsating game, there is plenty to dissect.

Cherries and Luton come together before the game

Luton fans presented this flag before the game (Image: Richard Crease)

Much of the build-up leading to the game was focused on Tom Lockyer, and rightly so.

The original fixture was abandoned in the second half after Lockyer collapsed on the pitch, suffering a cardiac arrest.

Cherries gave up their programme cover to the Luton captain, whilst also having Lockyer come out onto the pitch before kick-off to show his appreciation for the help he received on that fateful day.

But all of the narrative that surrounded the game quickly dissipated in the second half.

The applause that began on 59 minutes, to mark the moment in the original game Lockyer suffered his cardiac arrest, was bookended by Zabarnyi’s first Cherries goal.

Two minutes later, scores would be level as Semenyo grabbed his first of the evening.

Cherries would go on to become just the third team in Premier League history to overturn a three-goal deficit at half time to win come the final whistle.

Semenyo in form of his life for Cherries

Antoine Semenyo is only 35 games into his Premier League career but he has already created a trademark for himself.

Once the Ghanaian international receives the ball on the wing within any sight of goal, there is only one thing he wants to do – drive at the defence, cut inside, and blast a quick shot off.

There are variables, but it does not appear to matter which flank – or which foot – Semenyo chooses.

His first of two goals followed the boilerplate, latching onto Ryan Christie’s floated diagonal and immediately challenging the Luton defence.

After chopping onto his left, the winger fired through a sea of bodies to restore parity.

His match winner was of a different ilk.

Released into space inside the box, there was an air of inevitability about the end result with the form Semenyo is showing at the moment.

The shot might not have been well placed, but there was enough oomph – and confidence - behind it to overpower Thomas Kaminski in the Luton goal and complete a remarkable comeback.

Half-time substitutes trigger turnaround as Tavernier highlights his worth

When Cherries trailed by three goals at the break, changes were going to be imminent.

Many would have expected Dango Ouattara to be hauled off and replaced with a natural defender to help deal with Luton on the break, Rob Edwards’ Hatters catching Cherries out on three occasions.

Bringing on another striker in the form of Enes Unal would have also been an anticipated change, a positive sign that Cherries were going to go for it.

The introduction of Unal certainly paid off, with the Turkish international providing two assists.

What many inside the ground would have been surprised to see was the change of left-winger; Marcus Tavernier replacing Luis Sinisterra.

The Colombian had looked somewhat dangerous in the first period, and fans have noted subpar performances from Marcus Tavernier in recent weeks.

In recent weeks some sections of Cherries’ support have questioned Tavernier’s place in the starting line-up, with the winger’s attacking output very much down from last season.

However, his absence was felt, even if Cherries looked strong going forward.

It became apparent to Iraola that Ouattara, just like Milos Kerkez, requires more defensive support from his winger.

Frequently Sinisterra failed to track back, allowing Luton to overload the left-back in training.

In the second period, Tavernier’s work rate out of possession helped Ouattara, enabling Cherries to deal with a Luton attack that had been so potent on the counter.

Defensive nous aside, there was clearly a desire on Tavernier’s part to prove a point, the former Middlesbrough man frequently beating his marker and getting forward with the ball.

Cook's importance amplified by versatility

Under Iraola’s system, it is very easy for the central midfield to be bypassed. However, Lewis Cook has still managed to let his quality shine through, spraying accurate balls over the top whilst contributing out of possession with his tracking and positioning.

There was also a gargantuan tackle from the former Leeds man in the first half, Cook sliding in to win the ball whilst taking out two Luton players in the process.

Although both of the midfield two sits lower down the pitch than the more adventurous 10, there is clearly an even more defensive-minded six combined with an eight that has a little bit more licence to get forward.

When we think of a holding midfielder screening the defence, we usually picture the player dropping just in front of the two centre-halves.

Cook sometimes performs this role, or even drops in between his two centre-halves to held build in possession.

However, Cook also takes up a wider position, occupying the half-space in between his usual midfield role and the area vacated by the surging Adam Smith.

This allows Smith to commit to overlaps with his winger, Cook well placed to mop up and recycle possession when needed.

It is so notable that often teams prioritise attacking Cherries' left, where Cook is not acting as a sentry.

So comfortable in this quasi-right-back role, Iraola has no qualms about using Cook as an out-and-out full-back when the time calls.

And so it proved against Luton, Cherries seeing the game out with Cook in defence – not an uncommon sight these days.

Already invaluable for his performances in his natural position, Cook’s versatility has cemented his position as a key cog in Iraola’s Cherries machine.

A referee goes unnoticed for once

Match official Sam Allison remained in the background of the game thanks to his refereeing performance (Image: Richard Crease)

They say the best refereeing performances are the ones that go under the radar, and that certainly was true of Sam Allison.

It feels like we cannot go a week without outrage over officiating standards, so it would be remiss to not highlight referees when they have a good day.

In just his second top-flight game Allison allowed a robust yet fair game to be played, which set up the match to flow nicely.

Even the VAR checks were completed in a quick and orderly fashion, the officiating very much taking a back seat to a pulsating encounter.

(Pictures: Richard Crease)