An own goal by Liverpool's John Arne Riise piled on the problems for manager Rafael Benitez and earned Luton a deserved replay in a thrilling third round FA Cup clash at Kenilworth Road.
Liverpool looked to have won the tie when Peter Crouch made the most of two defensive blunders to put the Reds in front in the 72nd minute.
But Luton were level inside three minutes when Riise turned a cross from Drew Talbot past his own goalkeeper. It had promised to be a good afternoon for Liverpool when Ryan Babel tested Dean Brill within seconds of the kick-off.
The striker spun into the penalty before firing in a right-foot shot that Brill did well to hold at the second attempt.
But it was Luton's turn to squander a real opportunity in the fourth minute when Dave Edwards got clear of the Liverpool defence but his shot was well saved by Charles Itandje.
It was the best possible start to the tie with both sides playing attacking football. But the lack of finishing class was proving to be a real problem, particularly for Liverpool.
Dirk Kuyt was the next Red to waste a real chance when he blazed a pass from Crouch over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area.
Babel then provided a fine cross for Kuyt moments later but the striker failed to direct his diving header on the target and the chance went begging.
Luton were certainly not being outplayed by the Barclays Premier League side and they continued to cause the Reds problems.
Luton's Talbot proved a particular menace and in the 20th minute he burst down the left flank, left Hyypia for dead, and delivered a low cross which Itandje had to clear in haste.
England striker Crouch twice wasted clear chances to put Liverpool in front in the 34th minute but the tall striker could not find the target on either occasion.
But for all their early dominance, Liverpool struggled to provide either Crouch or Kuyt with a clear-cut opportunity to break the deadlock.
Just before the interval, Talbot was in the thick of the action again when he got the better of Jamie Carragher before sending over a cross that eluded everybody in the penalty area.
Under-fire Liverpool boss Benitez must have thought his side had taken the lead in the 51st minute when Riise let fly with a 22-yard drive which took a deflection off Chris Perry.
But Luton goalkeeper Brill pulled off a magnificent save when he palmed the ball to safety.
Liverpool had a lucky escape themselves in the 54th minute when Darren Currie crossed perfectly for Talbot but instead of planting the ball into the net, he headed the ball over the crossbar from six yards.
It was their second good chance of the game and they almost paid for their wastefulness seconds later when Brill froze on the edge of his penalty area and was robbed of the ball by Babel.
Luckily for Brill, Luton managed to clear the danger as Babel failed to control the ball quickly enough.
Luton's Calvin Andrew was off target when decided to let fly from 25 yards in the 58th minute but the home side were growing in confidence.
Liverpool's Riise was booked for bringing down Talbot when Currie put the Luton man in the clear. Riise was lucky to escape with just a yellow card as Talbot appeared to have a clear run on goal.
Currie then sent a right-foot volley just wide of the far post as Luton kept up the pressure.
But Liverpool looked to have won the tie when they scored against the run of play.
A catalogue of defensive errors finally led to Crouch breaking the deadlock in the 73rd minute.
Chris Coyne lost possession on the halfway line and there seemed no danger until Perry's wayward header allowed substitute Andriy Voronin a clear run on goal.
But although Brill saved Voronin's shot it ran free to Crouch to slot home.
But Luton deservedly earned a replay when Riise turned a cross from Talbot into his own net from six yards just three minutes later.
