Luton Town 0 Sunderland 5

Last updated : 06 May 2007 By Footymad Previewer
Sunderland clinched the Championship title in emphatic style as they completely outclassed sorry Luton Town with a demolition job at Kenilworth Road.

Former Hatters trainee Daryl Murphy bagged two, while Anthony Stokes and substitutes Ross Wallace and David Connolly also netted in a comprehensive win.

The victory, coupled with Birmingham's result at Preston, confirmed the Black Cats as champions and sparked scenes of celebration which made Luton's ground feel more like a home venue for the visitors.

Already relegated Luton may have been sporting their new Puma strip, but it was the same old story as they fell to a record-breaking seventh home defeat in a row - the worst run of results in the club's history.

The visitors made their intentions known in the first minute as Grant Leadbitter overlapping on the right, almost found Murphy in the penalty area.

The Black Cats meant business and they were ahead just four minutes in when ex-Arsenal man Stokes cut in from the left and, after playing a one-two with Murphy, saw the ball fall perfectly into his path to rifle home right-footed from 14-yards.

Two minutes later it was two as a long ball was touched on by one-time Luton man Carlos Edwards and Murphy took a touch before despatching a rocked of a left-foot shot from 25-yards that arrowed into the far corner of the net.

As the pace of the game then settled down, the action stepped up off the pitch as disturbances in pockets of the crowd between Sunderland fans and Luton supporters in 'home' sections of the ground caused police and stewards to act.

Unaffected by the happenings away from the field, Sunderland came again and Edwards jinked his way infield away from Markus Heikkinen in the 36th minute and rolled in Stokes, whose vicious left-foot strike from 20 yards was superbly blocked by Dean Brill.

If the visitors had started the first half well, then they began the second period in blistering fashion, netting a third just 50 seconds in.

Keith Keane appeared to have snuffed out the initial threat when he tackled Stokes, but the youngster then gave the ball away allowing Leadbitter to feed Stokes, who had time and space to cross for Murphy to gleefully tap home from two yards.

Stokes was at it again six minutes later as he cut inside from Danny Collins' pass and fired a ten-yard drive that deflected wide off Leon Barnett's outstretched leg.

A flurry of substitutions disrupted the play until Connolly found Edwards scampering into the area just after the hour mark, but the winger got his shot all wrong.

Edwards returned the favour in the 72nd minute, collecting Leadbitter's inch-perfect 50-yard pass and crossing for Connolly, who tried to take the ball around Brill only to be smuggled out of it.

Luton created their best opening of the game two minutes later as Matthew Spring crossed from the left to find Chris Coyne marauding forward only for the home skipper to send his header wide at the far post.

Instead, the Black Cats got a spectacular fourth in the 77th minute when substitute Wallace, who had only just come on, collected Stern John's lay off and drilled a superb 30-yarder into the bottom corner.

Connolly wrapped things up, glancing home Leadbitter's free-kick from the left with three minutes remaining.