Coventry 1 Luton 1 (5-6 pens): Hatters win £200m match in dramatic fashion to reach Premier League for first time ever
LUTON have reached the Premier League for the first time in their history after poor Coventry sub Fankaty Dabo blinked first in a penalty shoot-out.
The game had finished 1-1 after Gus Hamer’s second-half equaliser for the Sky Blues chalked off Jordan Clark’s blast.
Luton thought they had won it when sub Joe Taylor netted with four minutes of extra-time to go but it was ruled out by VAR for handball.
To penalties it went, with the first 11 takers all scoring until luckless Dabo blazed high and wide.
The Hatters have not been in the top flight since 1992 – the year before the Prem was introduced – when they were relegated under David Pleat.
But they hit the jackpot on a scorching hot day at Wembley, taking the £170million prize that comes with triumphing in the Championship play-off final in the most dramatic way possible.
They did it for the most part as well without captain Tom Lockyer, who was carried off on a stretcher inside 12 minutes after collapsing on the pitch in worrying scenes and was sent to hospital.
The Welsh international was thankfully reported to be responsive and talking, and he would have been immensely proud of his team in his absence.
It means the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal will all be heading next term to Kenilworth Road, a ground that was hosting non-league football a decade ago.
The remarkable journey has not come without its setbacks, and they had a deeply concerning one here to contend with when Lockyer stumbled to the turf.
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He received on-field medical treatment before he was taken off on a stretcher and given gas and air in the tunnel.
The 28-year-old’s worried parents rushed down to see him in the medical room before he was taken to hospital for more tests, but thankfully was said to be responsive and talking.
Yet Luton impressively kept their composure and deservedly took the lead with 23 minutes played.
The goal itself was a combination of the route-one cliche of lower league football and the high-skill level that it actually often is.
It began with a huge whack up the field from Alfie Doughty but there was nothing rudimentary about what Elijah Adebayo did with the ball when he received it.
The Fulham academy graduate showed some clever footwork to bamboozle Kyle McFadzean before teeing up Clark who smashed home at the near post.
Sky Blues defender Luke McNally summed up his side’s first half when he carelessly passed the ball out of play.
Luton had the ball in the back of the net again with four minutes to the break but again it was chalked off.
Callum Doyle tried to clear when Doughty had seen a shot blocked, but the Coventry defender’s hack away smashed into Adebayo’s hand and went in.
To be fair to Luton’s tricky No11, he instantly fessed up and a free-kick was given.
Coventry had to respond and Robins decided to bring on striker Matty Godden at half-time for Jamie Allen at the break.
The sea of Sky Blue supporters cranked up the noise and they were rewarded with a terrific equaliser on 66 minutes.
A rapid counter-attack saw Viktor Gyokeres set away down the left and the Swede had the presence of mind to cut it back for Hamer, whose first-time strike found the corner.
Suddenly it was Coventry in the ascendancy and Godden, who had brought some much-needed urgency, had his head in his hands after blazing over.
Robins’ men were dealt an injury blow of their own as Hamer was forced off after landing awkwardly following an aerial battle, and full-time blew with the score at 1-1.
Coventry fans breathed a huge sigh of relief nine minutes into the first half of extra-time when Clark went down in the box as keeper Ben Wilson rushed out.
But ref Michael Oliver deemed it a dive and promptly booked Clark, who had taken the armband from stricken Lockyer.
Luton thought they had won it late on when Jonathan Panzo’s horror mistake let in Taylor, who found the back of the net.
But VAR correctly spotted Taylor had handled in the build-up and it was chalked off, sparking a huge roar from the blue half of Wembley.
To spot-kicks it went, and every single taker was clinical until poor Dabo, the 12th taker with Luton leading 6-5, missed the target by some way.