LONDON — Luton Town have been promoted to the Premier League after edging Coventry City 6-5 on penalties following a nervy 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium. Luton opened the scoring on 23 minutes to send the sun-baked side of Wembley into raptures as Elijah Adebayo set up Jordan Clark to power a strike home, and Coventry looked stunned by the occasion.
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However, the Sky Blues responded in the second half with a fantastic counter-attacking goal that saw star men combine, with Viktor Gyokeres teeing up Gustavo Hamer to fire home.
After being locked into a low-energy extra-time draw, Luton looked to have snatched it late on with Joe Taylor pouncing on a defensive mistake, but VAR deemed the substitute to have committed a handball in the build-up. With the shoot-out locked into sudden death, it was Luton who prevailed with a series of stunning spot kicks to book their place in England’s top flight for the first time since 1992.
Rapid reaction
1. Luton Town’s football fairy tale continues
For whoever emerged victorious at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, the result would be transformative for the future of the club. Just over five years ago, Luton and Coventry shared the spoils in a League Two match which helped both towards their eventual promotions. Given their recent history, their respective crises — the fact both battled in football’s most lucrative event deems “one for the romantics” a sizeable understatement. Having a minimum of £170 million on the line ensures a high-stakes affair for any club. But particularly for Luton and Coventry, given little time has passed since their very existences seemed tenuous.
