🦁 Premier League Player of the Week: Journeyman striker bursts into life | OneFootball

The Premier League did it again this weekend with another stunning round of games.

And our Player of the Week is …

Carlton Morris (Luton)

Luton’s prospects for survival had looked – to a neutral at least – almost comically bleak before Saturday.

The Hatters had come into this season off the back of a wave of unexpected optimism from their previous campaign.

Rob Edwards’ side simply weren’t supposed to be promoted from the Championship last time out, with the club operating on a minuscule budget and playing in a stadium not fit, by regulations, for the Premier League.

Through a mix of on-field talent and off-field nous though, Luton came up dramatically through the play-offs.

A total of €22m was spent on players over the summer (or a quarter of a Mykhailo Mudryk) with the likes of Jacob Brown, Tahith Chong and Mads Anderson all joining from Championship sides.

Luton were doing things sensibly – aware that life in the Premier League was going to be tough and so were building a squad that could, more than likely, achieve promotion again from the Championship in 2024/25.

Their first five games perhaps proved that theory.

With Luton having to play away from home for the opening two rounds in order to get Kenilworth Road ready for the top-flight, they lost heavily to Brighton and Chelsea.

West Ham and Fulham followed suit but with their home finally fit for the Premier League, it was clear that the squad and their coach were learning how to play against the very best.

A 1-1 draw against 10-man Wolves saw points on the board for the first time and then the Bedfordshire outfit went to Goodison Park to face a resurgent Everton.

Sean Dyche’s men had won two on the bounce going into Saturday’s clash, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin back from injury and firing in front of goal.

But Luton weren’t there to make up the numbers and in Carlton Morris had a striker who was happy to do the hard yards for his team.

Morris had been something of a journeyman before joining Luton from Barnsley last summer and not a centre-forward you would think could do it in the upper echelons of the game.

Having come through at Norwich, Morris played just one senior game for the Canaries and went out on loan to seven different clubs in six years.

Before signing for the Hatters, the 27-year-old had scored just 28 goals in his career including loan spells at Oxford, York and Rotherham where he had failed to net a single time.

But players develop at different stages and since teaming up with Edwards’ men, Morris has been a revelation.

He scored 20 in the Championship last time out and has scored three in six so far for Luton in the Premier League with the latest of those coming against the Toffees.

With the rain pouring down and Luton already 1-0 up, Morris doubled their advantage in the first half with a beautiful set-piece finish.

Watching a free kick come over the heads of the Everton defenders, Morris peeled off to the back post and connecting sweetly with a half volley.

It proved to be decisive with Luton making history by claiming their first ever Premier League win and climbing out of the relegation places.

If they are to do the impossible and stay in the division, they will need Morris to keep up this purple patch.