Luton captain Tom Lockyer suffers cardiac arrest on the pitch

• Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during his team’s Premier League fixture against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday
• Luton later released a statement assuring the football world that the Hatters skipper was in stable condition at the hospital

Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during his team’s Premier League fixture against AFC Bournemouth. Both sets of players left the pitch as Lockyer, who collapsed in the 58th minute, received medical treatment.

AFC Bournemouth staff doctor described the centre-back as alert and responsive and he was carried off on a stretcher before being taken to the hospital. Luton Town later released a statement assuring the football world that the Hatters skipper was in stable condition at the hospital.

Tom Lockyer is currently stable after collapsing on Saturday as his side faced Bournemouth. Photo/ Sports Illustrated.

“Our medical staff have confirmed that the Hatters captain suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch, but was responsive by the time he was taken off on the stretcher. Tom was transferred to hospital, where we can reassure supporters that he is stable and currently undergoing further tests with his family at his bedside.” The club said, as per Sky Sports.

This is not the first time that Tom Lockyer has collapsed during a match, as it brought back painful memories from May’s Championship final, when he was stretchered off after collapsing on the pitch in the 11th minute. Unlike in Saturday’s fixture when the match was abandoned, play resumed after a short while at Wembley Stadium and Luton beat Coventry City.

The Welsh centre-back had suffered an atrial fibrillation, but recovered in hospital and underwent surgery. The doctors then gave him the green light to continue playing after Luton were promoted to the Premier League.

On Saturday, Tom Lockyer fell to floor face in the 58th minute with nobody else around him during the second half of the match at Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke was the first player to rush towards him and alerted the medical team who came to the rescue.

Luton boss Rob Edwards also rushed onto the pitch and tried to drag his players away from the scene as the medical team worked on Lockyer. The players left the pitch for some minutes before it was confirmed that the game had been abandoned. They then came and applauded the supporters before going back to the tunnel. Rob Edwards looked emotional as he led his players in applauding both sets of fans.

What Will Happen To Bournemouth Vs Luton Game?

The Premier League acknowledged in a statement after the Tom Lockyer incident that the Bournemouth vs Luton game had been abandoned. However, the question that many football fans are asking is what will remain mean for the result?

“The match between AFC Bournemouth and Luton Town FC has been abandoned due to a player medical incident. Our thoughts are with Tom Lockyer and all players involved in today’s match.” Premier League posted. The scoreline was 1-1 at Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon when the match was abandoned.

Well, the last time a Premier League match was abandoned was on 30 December 2006, as Watford faced Wigan Athletic. The teams were drawing 1-1 when the referee stopped the match after 56 minutes of play at Vicarage Road.

The match couldn’t continue due to torrential rain that led to a waterlogged pitch and the two teams replayed the whole match on 21 February 2007. According to lastwordonsports.com, all record from December’s match were erased from Premier League history. The match was replayed 52 days after the abandoned one.

We expect the Bournemouth vs Luton Town match to be replayed at a later date, which will be announced by the Premier League. This will be the easiest decision to make because the scoreline was 1-1 at the time the match was abandoned.

Tom Lockyer suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch when the scoreline was 1-1. Photo/ Goal.com.