For the first time in their 138-year-old history, Luton Town FC will play in the Premier League following a 6-5 penalty shootout win over Coventry City in the Championship promotion playoffs final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday evening.
Luton Town, who finished third in the regular Championship season, went ahead of Coventry City in the 23rd minute thanks to Jordan Clark’s goal from Nigerian-born Elijah Adebayo’s assist.
In the 66th minute, Gustavo Hamer equalised for Coventry following an assist from Viktor Gyokeres in a near-identical sequence to Luton’s goal.
The regulation time ended one-all as the game went into extra time. However, three minutes before the final whistle, Luton scored for the second time in the encounter through Joe Taylor but VAR ruled out the goal for a foul in the build-up to the goal.
Fankaty Dabo missed the only penalty kick in the shootout as the English right-back latched the ball wide over the crossbar, allowing Luton Town to secure an historic promotion to the Premier League.
Luton Town rise
Following series of financial sanctions by the Football Association (FA), Luton relegated from the last professional football league in England football pyramid, the EFL League Two to the National League, a semi-professional division at the end of the 2008/09 season.
However, a series of remarkable positive changes at the club saw the Hatters sharply rise from Non-League football to the Premier League within nine years – a journey which began in 2014 when Luton were promoted to the EFL after winning the National League.
After four years in League Two, they achieved promotion to League One in 2018 before moving up to the second division a year later after winning the League One. In 2023, Luton gained promotion to the top-flight division for the first time in the club’s history after beating Coventry City in the playoffs final.
2014 – Promoted to EFL after winning the National League
2018 – Promoted to League One
2019 – Champions of League One and promotion to League Two after one season
2023 – Win Championship playoffs final to gain Premier League promotion
The Hatters join Championship winners Burnley and Sheffield United as the three newly promoted teams to the top-flight division for the 2023/24 Premier League.