Super Eagles-eligible forward Elijah Adebayo sets Premier League milestone with Luton

Luton Town's Elijah Adebayo celebrates scoring against Bournemouth | Imago

Super Eagles-eligible forward Elijah Adebayo sets Premier League milestone with Luton

Ayoola Kelechi 22:34 - 16.12.2023

Despite the amount of attacking talent in the Super Eagles squad, more strikers of Nigerian descent continue to make their mark in Europe's top leagues and push for a place in the national team

English forward Elijah Adebayo, born to parents of Nigerian ancestry, has become one of the most prominent Luton Town players in Premier League history after setting a unique milestone with the Hatters.

Elijah Adebayo makes Premier League history with Luton

During Luton’s match against Bournemouth, Adebayo scored the opening goal of the game for the Hatters after only three minutes of the match, which was eventually abandoned following concerns for Bournemouth captain Tom Lockyer’s health.

The goal against Bournemouth was Adebayo’s third goal in three games, making him the first Luton player to score in three consecutive Premier League matches.

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.co.ke/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

The significance of Adebayo's accomplishment becomes even more apparent when we consider Luton’s history. The 25-year-old is also the first player to score in three top-flight matches in a row for Luton since Mick Harford in April 1992 when the Hatters played their last season in the English top flight before this season.

Adebayo on his way to Luton legendary status

The echoes of history resonate through the achievement, highlighting Adebayo's impact on the club and drawing parallels with one of its iconic players.

Adebayo has been a pivotal member of the squad since joining Luton in 2021 from Walsall and was instrumental in the Hatters reaching the Premier League for the first time in their history and the English first-tier league for the first time since 1992.

The Premier League reacted to the racist abuse suffered by Elijah Adebayo on their official social media platforms.
Elijah Adebayo identifies with Nigeria after helping Luton reach the Premier League (IMAGO)

The Brent-born forward scored in the Championship Playoff semifinals against Sunderland and has been Luton’s top scorer in their first-ever Premier League campaign.

Related content