Two goals in first three minutes help Luton thump Brighton

Elijah Adebayo is Luton's top scorer with eight Premier League goals this season

Luton scored twice inside the opening three minutes in a remarkable victory over Brighton which boosts the Hatters' Premier League survival hopes.

And the hosts doubled their lead less than two minutes later, Chiedozie Ogbene beating the Brighton offside trap and knocking the ball past the onrushing Steele.

Leicester City are the only side to take a quicker 2-0 lead in a Premier League match, against Derby in April 1998.

Adebayo struck his second and Luton's third of the game late in the first half after running on to Ross Barkley's pass, and Jordan Clark thought he had made it 4-0 early in the second but was denied by an offside flag.

But Brighton's reprieve was only temporary as former Walsall striker Adebayo nodded home an Alfie Doughty corner to become the first Luton player to score a top-flight hat-trick at Kenilworth Road since Mark Stein against Oxford United in February 1988.

Steele denied Morris late on with a smart save at his near post, but it did little to spare Brighton's blushes on a desperate evening for Roberto de Zerbi and his players.

Before the game, Luton captain Tom Lockyer was greeted by an ovation from both sets of supporters as he made his first appearance at Kenilworth Road since suffering a cardiac arrest in December's game at Bournemouth.

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• Reaction to Luton v Brighton and the rest of Tuesday's Premier League action.

Adebayo the hero as Luton roar out of traps

Luton manager Rob Edwards said before the game that his team had "evolved" since losing 4-1 at Brighton in their Premier League opener back in August, but no-one inside Kenilworth Road was expecting such a remarkable opening to the contest.

Hatters fans had barely taken their seats when Adebayo headed the hosts in front, and Ogbene's effort shortly afterwards was met with exasperation bordering on disbelief by the away supporters.

Remarkably, those were Luton's first goals inside the opening 15 minutes of a Premier League game this season.

Edwards' side could have gone further ahead when Clark's left-footed drive was blocked by Steele, but they did not have to wait long for goal number three as Adebayo finished low past the Seagulls goalkeeper three minutes before the interval.

The home fans were chanting "Town are staying up!" by the time Adebayo completed his hat-trick in the second half - and who can blame them after watching their side deliver such an emphatic display against a Brighton side who will feature in the Europa League last 16 in March.

This was Luton's biggest top-flight win since beating Southampton 6-1 in January 1989, and although they have a lot more work to do to secure top-flight survival, this result suggests they have what it takes to confound pre-season predictions and beat the drop.

More to follow.