Luton are one win away from welcoming Erling Haaland to Kenilworth Road as they beat Sunderland in play-off semi-final

Luton have taken a giant step towards Premier League football with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland in the Championship play-off semi-finals.

The Hatters have not played in the top flight of English football since 1992 but are now just one win away from the big time.

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Sunderland held a 2-1 aggregate lead from the first leg heading into the clash at Kenilworth Road, however, Luton came out on top on Tuesday night and have booked themselves a trip to Wembley.

Gabriel Osho opened the scoring for Rob Edwards’ side as he netted from close range inside the first ten minutes.

Soon after, Sunderland had huge claims for a penalty as the ball appeared to come off the arm of Amari’i Bell inside the box. However, referee Simon Hooper did not award a spot-kick and with no VAR in use in the semi-finals, the decision was not reviewed.

Luton may certainly have got away with one and as half time approached, they doubled their advantage.

Tom Lockyer rose highest and nodded in with a strong header past Anthony Patterson in the Sunderland net.

Despite their endeavour and efforts, the visitors’ second half performance was not enough for them to find a response.

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Luton held on to claim the all-important 2-0 win, going through 3-2 on aggregate, sealing their first win in an EFL play-off match at the fifth attempt.

The Hatters have already improved on last season’s effort, having lost in the final four to eventual runners-up Huddersfield.

However, 2023 could very well be the year that Luton make their way into the Premier League for the very first time.

Stars including Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Marcus Rashford could feature at Kenilworth Road in the 2023/24 campaign, a ground that many love for its whacky away end.

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Luton will face either Coventry City or Middlesbrough in the showpiece match at Wembley on May 27.

Listen to full commentary of Middlesbrough vs Coventry live on talkSPORT 2 on Wednesday, kick-off 8pm.