A bizarre and heated afternoon at Ewood Park ended with Rovers throwing away two points as they were denied victory by a 98th minute Luke Berry goal.

Rovers had led 2-0 through first half goals from Tyrhys Dolan and Harry Pickering but were denied all three points by a double from substitute Berry.

That didn’t tell anything like half the story, the Rovers players crestfallen after conceding the second goal having missed several chances to make the game safe in added time.

A change of referee as five additional minutes were shown saw the contest go even deeper, with Berry popping up with virtually the last kick of a bizarre afternoon in which nine players were carded and several players lucky to escape further punishment.

There was an edge to the match from the off, one in which referee Oliver Langford lost complete control of before he had to be replaced after going down with cramp.

A heated exchange of views on the touchline between Tony Mowbray and Nathan Jones followed a poor tackle from Darragh Lenihan on Allan Campbell that saw the Rovers captain escape with a booking and the Luton midfielder unable to continue.

The incident happened right infront of the two managers, adding some spice to the early exchanges where Rovers were enjoying much more of the ball than they had at any stage of their previous five fixtures.

Niggly and competitive but lacking in goalmouth action was the assessment of the opening quarter in which neither side had managed an effort on goal.

That changed in the 27th minute as Rovers put together the best move of the game, by a distance, to take the lead. From a throw deep in their left back position they worked the ball across the back and into midfielder where John Buckley slid in Ryan Nyambe whose cut-back found Dolan, firing into the roof of the net after taking one touch to steady himself.

With one full back in Nyambe involved in the first, it was the turn of Pickering four minutes later, the left back going one better as he collected a Ben Brereton pass inside the box before arrowing a shot across Simon Sluga to nestle in the far corner.

A quickfire double from Rovers stunned Luton whose response saw two efforts from Gabriel Osho, the first a thumping volley that Thomas Kaminski watched over, a second along the floor which the Belgian held on to.

Rovers began to sit a little deep as the half time break approached, Luton finishing the stronger, but chances on the break for Rovers saw Brereton see a thumping strike well blocked by the retreating Luton defenders.

The Luton players made their feelings known to the referee as he left the field at the break, and the start of the second half saw things threaten to boil over.

Within five minutes of the re-start, Dolan was booked for a dive when going down under a challenge in the box, Brereon and goalkeeper Simon Sluga then booked for their roles in a coming together off the ball. As play re-started, Cameron Jerome became the next player into the referee’s notebook when taking out Lenihan as he jumped for a header, Rovers incensed by the challenge as the players came together once again.

The sting certainly wasn’t going out of the game, Rovers receiving a let-off in the 55th minute when after Kal Naismith’s header was blocked, Jerome’s rebound found the net, only to be chalked off for a push on Daniel Ayala.

Rovers then went close to getting a third, Brereton’s shot on the turn coming back off the post before Osho became the latest player into the book for a poor challenge on Travis after the whistle had gone.

When a football match was allowed to break out, Rovers were the better side and putting together the better passages of play, but it maintained a scrappy feel to it as the midway point of the half was reached, with substitute Luke Berry snatching a shot wide after a free kick was kept alive in the box.

Rovers were then almost punished for some carelessness in possession, Travis’ pass intercepted and that created a two-on-one for Luton. Cornick squared for Jerome who was free in the box but was denied by a vital save by Kaminski’s boot.

Fresh legs were required for Rovers, and as they prepared their first substitute, the visitors pulled a goal back. A right wing cross from Mpanzu, after Ayala was drawn out of position, was forced in by the sliding Berry.

A second change, for the final 10 minutes, saw Tyler Magloire replace Rothwell as Rovers moved to a back three.

That saw Nyambe now operating as a wing-back, and he got forward to good effort to collect a Gallagher pass, his low left foot shot tipped away by Sluga and cleared as Dolan waited on the rebound.

Rovers failed to take advantage of several more chances to make the game safe, with referee Oliver Langford going down injured just as five minutes were added on.

The hosts were left wondering just how they hadn’t added to their lead, Brereton denied when clean through, while Gallagher’s follow-up was incredibly blocked as Rovers failed to force the ball home.

And then came the late sucker punch as Luton grabbed their equaliser, Berry squeezing the ball over the line after the ball had been headed across the six-yard box.

Rovers: Kaminski, Nyambe, Ayala, Lenihan, Pickering, Travis, Rothwell (Magloire, 80), Buckley (Davenport, 74), Dolan, Gallagher, Brereton

Subs: Pears, Clarkson, Butterworth, Khadra, Cirino

Luton: Sluga, Bree, Potts (Bradley, 46), Naismith, Cornick, Burke, Mpanzu, Campbell (Lansbury, 10), Mendes Gomes (Berry, 59), Osho, Jerome

Subs: Shea, Lockyer, Pereira