Jacob Brown slid in to score an 83rd-minute winner as Luton beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to earn their first ever Premier League victory at Kenilworth Road.
Teden Mengi had given the Hatters a 72nd-minute lead when he latched onto an Alfie Doughty’s corner to slam into the bottom corner, but Palace levelled within seconds when Michael Olise scored a superb solo goal.
Luton had the last word when Brown exposed the indecisive Joachim Andersen and Sam Johnstone by connecting with Chiedozie Ogbene’s fine cross and stabbing into the net from close range.
Just 90 seconds were on the clock when Palace had their first effort on goal. Jeffrey Schlupp passed in midfield to the energetic Ebere Eze, who sprayed out to Olise on the right flank. The Frenchman danced towards the edge of the box and curled wide of the far post with his left-foot curler.
Minutes after Odsonne Édouard saw his tame toe-poke claimed by Thomas Kaminski, Palace forced the Luton keeper into a fine double save. Eze’s deflected strike from the edge of the box was parried back into the danger zone by the Belgian keeper, who rose to his feet to brilliantly deny Schlupp’s volley with a firm left hand.
Luton grew into the game and tested Johnstone for the first time when returning Town defender Amari’i Bell unleashed a long-range drive which was comfortably collected.
Ross Barkley’s probing pass then released Alfie Doughty down the right flank, but there was no Town striker between the posts to convert the full-back’s enticing cross which flashed across goal and out of play.
Kaminski made sure Town went into the half-time break on level terms when he clutched Eze’s curling free-kick from the edge of the box. The former QPR man had been fouled by Tom Lockyer in a dangerous position, an offence for which the Town captain was shown a yellow card by referee Jarred Gillett.
The game was brought to a halt in the early stages of the second half when Cheick Doucoure was stretchered from the field with an Achilles injury. It was a double blow for Palace whose talismanic midfielder Eze had limped off minutes earlier.
However, the Eagles thought they had taken the lead at Kenilworth Road when Édouard raced onto Olise’s direct pass over the top of the Town defence. The forward’s dinked effort was initially saved by Kaminski, but the rebound was half-volleyed into the net from close range. To the delight of the home crowd, VAR replays showed Édouard had inadvertently handled the ball after Kaminski saved, and the goal was disallowed.
Luton made the most of their reprieve when Doughty’s corner was flicked on to Mengi at the back post. The former Manchester United defender took one touch to steady himself and fired through a sea of bodies, beyond the motionless Johnstone and into the bottom corner of the net.
Palace were quickly level thanks to a sublime solo goal by Olise. The 22-year-old winger turned with the ball on the halfway line and raced down the right flank and terrorising Bell before jinking inside on to his left foot and curling an unstoppable curling shot into the top left corner. The jubilant home crowd instantly fell silent.
Kaminiski kept the score level when he saved Édouard’s close range effort and Marc Guehi inexplicably headed over with the goal gaping. The linesman raised his flag for offside and spared the England defender any embarrassment.
Luton manager Rob Edwards sent on Tahith Chong to re-energise his team, and the midfielder wasted no time in regaining possession and bursting upfield. Chong quickly passed to Barkley who steadied himself and passed out to Ogbene who glided down the right flank. The Irishman curled a cross into the corridor of uncertainty, and when Andersen left the ball for Johnstone, Brown pounced to poke the ball into the net.
Andersen sought redemption in the closing stages when he went up to attack a corner kick, but his low drive was brilliantly saved by the outstretched right boot of Kaminski.
Palace poured forward after the fourth official indicated there would be 12 minutes of added time, owing largely to Doucoure’s injury. First Olise’s header grazed the roof of the net, then the winger crossed tantalisingly from the right flank, only for Lerma’s header to crash against the post and away to safety.
The whistling that had been ringing around Kenilworth Road quickly turned to a roar as Ogbene recovered the loose ball and passed to Chong, who once again raced upfield, this time passing to Adebayo whose low shot - taken from an offside position - was blocked by Johnstone.
Moments later, Kenilworth Road erupted when Gillet blew his whistle for full-time, ending a 31-year wait for Hatters fans. Brown’s first Premier League goal had given Luton their first top-flight home victory since 25 April 1992, when Mark Pembridge and Brian Stein scored in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
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