Hat-trick hero Elijah Adebayo joked that Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu had taken his match ball as he hailed the dream come true of bagging his first Premier League treble in a 4-0 rout of Brighton last night.
The striker opened the scoring in just 18 seconds as Town ripped through Albion, with Chiedozie Ogbene adding a second two minutes later.
Just before half time, Adebayo added the best of his haui in a sweeping combination with Ross Barkley and then he completed the scoring with a close range header early in the second half.
It came on an emotional evening as captain Tom Lockyer returned to watch for the first time since his cardiac arrest. Adebayo scored in that game against Bournemouth,.but the goal was chalked off when the game was rightly abandoned.
The hat-trick against Bright though moved Adebayo on to eight Premier League goals for the season and marked him out as Town’s top scorer and asked how long he’d been dreaming of a night like that, he said: “For many years. It’s a fantastic feeling for myself and for this team, because I couldn’t have done it without them.
“I’m so proud of everyone today, including the fans, they were fantastic. We know what this place (Kenilworth Road) is like under the lights. It’s a fantastic place to come and it’s a hard place to come. It’s what dreams are made of. I’m so proud.”
Speaking to The Lutonian without his prize match-ball, Adebayo joked: “Pelly-Ruddock’s got it. If I get it back, I will frame it and put it somewhere nice on the mantle piece in my house. It’s a special day for me. I’m so proud of not only myself but this group as well.
“Locks being here as well, it was fitting that he witnessed such a fantastic display from the boys, so that was for him.”
The Welshman may have only just got to his seat by the time Adebayo put Town ahead.
Timed at 18 seconds it was the quickest strike of Adeabyo’s career and he said: “It was kind of a blistering start then we go and get the second not long after. It’s almost like we need keep our foot on the gas and go and get more because we could smell it and it was just about putting that into practice.”
The 26-year-old had to wait seven Premier League games to open his account, but a horror miss against Tottenham the following game was compounded by a narrow 1-0 defeat.
Though he spoke candidly to The Lutonian afterwards and then bagged a late leveller at Nottingham Forest in the match day he started that game and the next five on the bench.
But since then he’s scored against Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea and has become one of the first names on the team sheet.
“I was here not long ago, earlier this year, where I’d missed a few chances. I said to you it’s about getting the next one and about putting the next one away,” Adebayo said.
“Nights like tonight it shows that the training, what we’re doing, and having that self-belief, not only in myself but this group, that I can be clinical in front of goal. Again, I’m so proud of that.”
