Luton give Tom Lockyer perfect homecoming gift on Kenilworth Road return as they hit four against Brighton
Tom Lockyer was given the best homecoming gift on his return to Kenilworth Road - with Luton thrashing Brighton 4-0 to move out of the bottom three.
It was the first time that the Hatters captain was back at the ground since suffering a cardiac arrest in the abandoned clash against Bournemouth in December.
Lockyer has been vocal in how paramedics saved his life after he collapsed to the floor in front of horrified fans.
And he was given a hero's ovation in front of his adoring supporters in Tuesday night's match.
Both sets of fans rose to their feet to applaud him as he walked around the pitch ahead of kick-off.
Buoyed by the return of their skipper, Luton threatened to run riot in the opening stages as they caught the Seagulls napping twice.
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Elijah Adebayo, who bagged a hat-trick in the rout, broke the deadlock just 20 seconds into the fixture when his flicked header found its way into the back of the net.
And with just two minutes and 17 seconds on the clock, the hosts doubled their lead to spark wild and jubilant scenes.
This time it was Chiedozie Ogbene with the goal, as he rounded Steele before rolling his effort into an empty net.
In Premier League history, only Leicester in their match against Derby in April 1998 scored twice earlier than Luton have managed against Brighton.
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Adebayo then made it 3-0 just before the break, as he gave Steele no chance after being picked out by Ross Barkley.
Brighton's night then went from bad to worse in the 56th minute when Adebayo completed his hat-trick.
Forcing his way through a crowd of bodies, he headed home from close range after meeting a flick on from an Alfie Doughty corner,
The victory has seen Luton move up to 17th in the table, with Everton taking their place in the relegation zone.
And with Nottingham Forest losing 2-1 at home to Arsenal, the Reds now sit just a point above Luton - and two ahead of the Toffees.
