Premier League have three options to replay Bournemouth vs Luton after Tom Lockyer cardiac arrest

The Premier League have three options to resume or replay Bournemouth vs Luton after the game was abandoned following Hatters defender Tom Lockyer's cardiac arrest.

The 29-year-old went down unchallenged in the 65th minute of the match at the Vitality Stadium, with medical staff immediately rushing on to provide treatment.

Luton boss Rob Edwards also ran on to the pitch to lead his players away from the incident, before both sets of players and staff went down the tunnel.

The game was subsequently abandoned by the Premier League.

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.

He received further treatment inside the stadium, for which we once again thank the medical teams from both sides.… pic.twitter.com/YCTiHtH5Nx

— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) December 16, 2023

In an official club statement, Luton confirmed that Lockyer was 'responsive' and had been taken to hospital for further tests and treatment.

They then stated that Lockyer had suffered a cardiac arrest during the game, and was 'stable' in hospital.

Because the game was postponed, Bournemouth and Luton will likely have to replay it at a later date, which is yet to be determined.

The Premier League's lawbook states that there are three different options for how the match can continue.

Firstly, both teams could resume play from the point at which the match was abandoned - the 65th minute of play - with the scores remaining the same.

Alternatively, the Premier League could call the result of the match without completing the remaining allotted time, which appears to be the least likely to happen of the three options.

The final option, meanwhile, is to replay the entire match from the beginning. According to talkSPORT, this is 'the most likely option' at this stage, and that it is 'unlikely' that either team would contest that decision.

Neither team has provided comment on any potential outcome of the match at this stage, with Luton explaining why neither team felt able to carry on with the game after Lockyer's cardiac arrest: "We are sorry to all supporters present that players from both sides were in no state of mind to continue with the game after seeing their much-loved team-mate and friend taken off like that, and staff could not carry on with managing the game in such circumstances having had to deal with the situation."