Elijah Adebayo scored his first career hat-trick as Luton Town beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 to climb out of the relegation zone.
Two goals in the first three minutes from Adebayo and Chiedozie Ogbene set the Hatters on their way to their biggest win in the Premier League.
Indeed, this is the first time they have won a match by more than one goal in the competition.
How did the match go?
The Luton crowd rose well before kick-off as club captain Tom Lockyer returned to Kenilworth Road, six weeks after suffering a cardiac arrest during December’s abandoned match against AFC Bournemouth.
The skipper walked onto the pitch and applauded the fans for their support in his recovery and moved the crowd.
His presence appeared to have an immediate impact as Luton got off to a blistering start, with Adebayo scoring after just 18 seconds. Ogbene crossed the ball to Carlton Morris at the back post and the striker nodded back for Adebayo to slot past Jason Steele.
Ogbene then doubled the lead in the third minute after poor goalkeeping by Steele. Albert Sambi Lokonga played Ogbene in behind the Brighton defense with a high pass, and the winger drilled the ball around the keeper before tapping into an empty net.
The Hatters made it 3-0 just before the break as Adebayo scored his second of the game. Ross Barkley played a lovely pass to the striker, who finished Steele at the near post with ease.
Luton’s Jordan Clarke was ruled out for offside early in the second half but the hosts made it 4-0 in the 56th minute as Adebayo completed his hat-trick with a close-range header from Alfie Doughty’s corner.
The win moves Luton out of the relegation zone to 17th on 19 points, above Everton, who drew 0-0 at Fulham. Brighton drop to eighth place with 32 points.
The next five Premier League games
Basic elements
Luton Town led 2-0 against Brighton after two minutes and 17 seconds. Only Leicester City v Derby County in April 1998 had two goals ahead earlier in a Premier League game (starting two minutes).
Elijah Adebayo was the first Luton player to score a top-flight hat-trick since Lars Elstrup against Norwich City in September 1990 and the first to do so at Kenilworth Road since Mark Stein against Oxford United in February 1988.
Brighton are winless in their last five Premier League away games (D2 D3), their longest run in the competition since December 2021 under Graham Potter (7 games – D6 D1). Indeed, this was their second biggest away defeat in the competition, following a 6-1 defeat at Aston Villa in September this season.
Luton Town’s 4-0 win over Brighton is their biggest in the top flight since Southampton’s 6-1 win in January 1989.