Coventry 1-1 Luton (Luton win 6-5 on penalties)
Luton Town became the first ever side to rise from the depths of Non-League to the Premier League after prevailing against Coventry City in an extraordinary play-off final at Wembley.
It took 120 minutes and six penalties apiece to finally separate the two sides, as Coventry's Fankaty Dabo blazed his spot kick over the bar with the shootout having entered sudden death.
The Hatters had gone ahead midway through the first half courtesy of a rifling Jordan Clarke strike, but they were pegged back when Gustavo Hamer expertly angled a side footed effort home just after the hour mark.
Before kick-off, the atmosphere on Wembley way was palpable as both sides looked to complete their own storybook ending by capping off remarkable marches through the EFL.
As the national anthem blared out and a capacity Wembley crowd revelled in the moment, excitement within the national stadium reached boiling point, but just moments into the game this anticipation switched to concern as Luton captain Tom Lockyer appeared to collapse to the ground.
After a lengthy pause the centre-back was stretchered off the field, with the club later announcing he was conscious but had been sent to hospital for precautionary tests.
When play resumed, Rob Edwards' side adapted well to the enforced defensive reshuffle, which had seen Lockyer replaced by Reece Burke and they dominated the early exchanges.
The Sky Blues looked off the pace as Luton calved through their backline with increasing potency.
Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, a man who epitomises Luton's historic tale, having represented the Bedfordshire side since they were in the National League back in 2014, had the game's first opening after a quarter of an hour.
The ball invitingly bobbled to the 29-year-old on the edge of the box, but he failed to make a decisive connection, scuffing an effort straight into the grateful arms of Ben Wilson.
It was a let off for Coventry, however Mark Robins' side continued to look exposed in defence and they were finally eventually moments later.
The deadlock was broken as Elijah Adebayo superbly held the ball up, before playing in Jordan Clarke, who powered home and ran the length of the field to salute the pandemonium in the Luton end.
The lead should have been doubled ten minutes later.
A scramble in the box led to Adebayo suddenly having the goal at his mercy eight yards out but the former Walsall man couldn't get his feet in order, frantically side footing his golden chance wide.
As half-time approached, the one way traffic which had encapsulated the game thus far began to slightly dissipate and Coventry so nearly went into the break level.
Jake Bidwell did well to lift a looping cross over Luton keeper Ethan Hovath, but the onrushing Hamer struggled to get himself over the ball, firing over at the far post.
The Sky Blues appeared to be buoyed by this late surge and went into the second period with their tails up.
Robins' side were beginning to look more like the side that had gone into the game having lost just once in their last 19 matches and Luton became increasingly confined to their own half.
The pressure was building, and Hamer's well taken equalizer came as little surprise as Coventry drew level midway through the half.
Viktor Gyokeres beat his man on the left hand side, before rolling the ball into Hamer who brilliantly curled home past Hovath, unleashing a wall of noise from the City supporters behind the goal.
Coventry were well and truly in the driving seat now and half time substitute Matt Godden so nearly put them in front with 15 minutes left.
Gyokeres was the provider once again, this time flicking a pass into the feet of the former Peterborough striker, who shot on the turn but fired inches over from just inside the box.
Hamer and Gyokeres were pulling the strings in the final third, as they had done throughout the season, but an injury to the former in the closing stages of normal time changed the dynamics of the game once again.
The goal scorer began to look groggy on his feet following a heavy challenge and try as he might, he simply couldn't carry on.
Substitute Kasey Palmer made some pressing runs but without Hamer, Coventry's attack felt far less dangerous, and Luton were able to hold on to full-time, for a much needed regroup.
The pressure of the occasion and the sapping early summer heat began to take a toll on both sides in extra-time, with no real moments of drama to report on, until the final two minutes….
Jonathan Panzo took one touch too many at the back and Town's Joseph Taylor suddenly found himself clear through on goal with just Watson to beat.
Time seemed to stand still as the 20-year-old raced forward and looked to pick his spot. The entire town of Luton held its breath.
The ball flew past the outstretched arm of Watson and nestled into the far corner. Luton had done it. Edwards scampered down the side-line, arms afloat. The entire bench bundled onto the field and Taylor was mobbed under a sea of bodies.
The impossible dream had been realised, or so they thought.
News filtered around the ground that a VAR check was taking place.
Replays showed the ball had struck Taylor's left hand as he robbed Panzo of possession and within a second ecstasy turned to agony as the goal was cruelly rulled out.
With a stalemate still the scoreline, dreaded spot kicks were needed and after both teams had expertly converted their first five penalties, the first round of sudden death ultimately proved to be the decisive moment.
Luton had been given the psychological advantage of the penalties being taken in front of their own fans and as Dabo smashed his effort into the terraces, the Hatters faithful were finally able to properly celebrate a triumph they thought had been secured just minutes earlier.
In what was well and truly a rollercoaster of emotions, the Luton players held up Lockyer's shirt as they lifted the trophy, in a moving tribute to their captain who was in communication with his victorious teammates on the phone from hospital.
As news headlines reverberated around the world about Town's rags to riches story, those inside Wembley cherished witnessing the culmination of one of football's true fairy tale stories.
