Luton took a share of the points after a stoppage time equaliser earned them a 1-1 draw with Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium.

Millenic Alli scored his first Luton goal in the first minute of stoppage time, cancelling out a strike by one time Luton academy player Lewis Baker to take the Hatters a point in a relegation six pointer.

A draw means Luton remain two points from safety with five games to go, while Matt Bloomfield’s side are now on a run of five games in a row without defeat.

The Hatters arrived in Staffordshire just four points behind a Stoke City side that began the night a few places above the relegation zone, as they take part in a tight scrap to stay up in the second tier.

Luton were hoping to build on recent encouraging results, including victories in six-pointers at Cardiff and Hull as well as taking a point from promotion seekers Leeds United at the weekend.

A low-key first half saw both sides have early penalty appeals turned down before Sam Gallagher had an attempt kept out comfortably by Thomas Kaminski and Thelo Aasgaard placed a volley over the top.

Stoke then felt Carlton Morris was very fortunate not to be shown a second yellow card after a collision with home defender Ashley Phillips seconds after the restart.

The game began to open up as Alli, on for the injured Alfie Doughty, saw a shot deflected over after a touch from Ben Wilmot.

Mark McGuinness headed wide from the consequent corner before Jordan Clark had a free-kick blocked.

The Potters then had their attempts to find a breakthrough, as Wilmot was denied by Kaminski before Gallagher’s poke at goal beat Kaminski, who had slipped, but lacked sufficient direction to find the back of the net.

But Luton would fall behind in the 74th minute. The hosts won a free-kick after a foul by Gallagher and Baker, born in Luton and once of the Hatters’ academy, saw a free-kick take a big deflection off Reece Burke that sent it into the goal with Kaminski helpless.

Luton rallied, however, with Viktor Johansson forced into a save to keep out Alli and Lasse Nordas unable to convert the rebound.

An equaliser would come Luton’s way in the first minute of five added on, however. Isiah Jones’ cross ended up being helped on by Jordan Clark’s askew overhead kick to Alli, who was able to beat Johansson to equalise and in the process grab his first goal since joining Luton in January.

The result maintains Luton’s hopes of Championship survival in a frantic battle to stay in the division. Bloomfield’s side face two big games in their next outings, as they welcome out-of-form Blackburn Rovers to Kenilworth Road on Saturday before a Good Friday six-pointer away at Derby.