Rob Edwards said his Luton team deserved their Sky Bet Championship play-off victory over Sunderland.
The Hatters won 2-0 on Tuesday, overcoming a 2-1 first-leg deficit to progress 3-2 on aggregate amid joyous scenes at Kenilworth Road.
Defenders Gabe Osho and Tom Lockyer got the first-half goals which turned the tie around and left Edwards full of pride.
He said: “I thought over the two games we deserved it.
“They (Sunderland) had their moments and they’ve got some really good players.
“We could have been better (on Saturday), they won the game but we limited them to few chances there. But tonight we were exceptional.
“We’ve got to stick to what we’re good at and we did that tonight. I’m so pleased for the supporters and everyone at the club.
“To do it here (Kenilworth Road) is really special. We knew where our advantages lay, we scored a couple of good goals but I think we could have had a lot more as well. It was a really strong performance.”
The Hatters can look forward to a Wembley showdown against Coventry or Middlesbrough on May 27, with a place in the Premier League the prize to the winner.
Luton have not played top-flight football since 1992 and Edwards continued: “It wasn’t about us doing a job on Sunderland, it was about us being really good.
“We limited them to shots from distance, one save Ethan (Horvath) made over the 94 minutes.”
Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray was frustrated a season of such promise ended in defeat.
The Black Cats were promoted to the Championship via the play-offs last May and Mowbray said: “I’m frustrated but very proud of the players, the team and the city of Sunderland. We’ll get stronger and we’ll be back next season.
“I’ve only been here nine months and these players have given everything they’ve got.
“I’m proud of these young lads who week in, week out have given what they’ve got.
“We came out of League One and maybe consolidation is what people were thinking about.
“We’ve managed to punch above mediocrity. We’ve come close but unfortunately we’ve fallen short tonight.
“I think the league will be stronger next season. We have to keep building and growing and get better.”
Mowbray acknowledged that his quest for a second successive promotion was not helped by injuries.
“We’ve had huge losses of some very, very important footballers,” he said. (Captain) Corry Evans, the centre-forward who scores all the goals (Ross Stewart) and three centre-halves.
“They’ve performed really well and I’m proud of them.”
Nice 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Teenager Zague scores as champions end hosts' top-four hopes
Paris Saint-Germain beat 10-man Nice 2-1 on the road in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, leaving the hosts with no chance of a top-four finish.
Bradley Barcola opened the scoring for Luis Enrique's side in the 18th minute and 18-year-old Yoram Zague added a second just five minutes later.
Nice managed to get on the scoreboard before the break as some slack PSG play allowed Jeremie Boga to play through Mohamed-Ali Cho to finish.
However, their hopes of an equaliser were dashed when Melvin Bard was sent off in the 75th minute for a dreadful foul on Barcola, who produced a lively performance in place of Kylian Mbappe, who was rested by Luis Enrique as the French champions prepare for life without him.
PSG, who have already clinched the title and are preparing for the Coupe de France final against Lyon on May 25, have 73 points, while Nice are fifth on 54 points.
With one match now remaining, Nice are four points behind fourth-placed Brest, ensuring they cannot qualify for the Champions League.
Data Debrief: Memorable day for Zague
Zague could hardly have chosen a better moment to score his first PSG goal, doing so on his 18th birthday.
He is the youngest player to score on his birthday in Ligue 1 in the last 75 years.
Atalanta 0-1 Juventus: Vlahovic strike hands Bianconeri Coppa glory
An early strike from Dusan Vlahovic earned Juventus a 1-0 win over Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday, as Massimiliano Allegri's side lifted their first trophy for three years.
Vlahovic put Juventus in front in the fourth minute when he latched onto a pass from Andrea Cambiaso and broke into the box, before driving his finish past goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.
The Serbia striker thought he had doubled Juve's lead in the 72nd minute when he nodded home from Cambiaso's cross, but that effort was disallowed for offside.
The Bianconeri had just 34 per cent of the possession and sat back for long periods, but Atalanta were unable to make their dominance of the ball count, failing to record a single shot on target from 13 attempts.
They will hope to fare better when they face Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final later this month, having now lost three Coppa Italia finals under Gian Piero Gasperini.
Data Debrief: Juventus on top once more
The Coppa Italia is Juventus' competition. They hold the record for most finals played (22) and won (15), and have now lifted the trophy in six of the last 10 years.
Allegri, meanwhile, has now won the Coppa on five separate occasions, surpassing Sven-Goran Eriksson and Roberto Mancini to become the competition's most successful coach outright.
Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea: Blues back on top of WSL with victory
Chelsea go top of the Women's Super League table after edging to a 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday.
Maika Hamano scored the winning goal in the 37th minute, tapping in from the goal-line after meeting Guro Reiten's whipped cross.
The Japan international almost opened the scoring before that, sending a diving header over the bar.
Ashleigh Neville scuffed Spurs' best chance over the bar from close range just after half-time, but the Blues regained their control to see out a vital victory.
Data Debrief: In their hands
Chelsea are on course to lift their fifth consecutive WSL after securing back-to-back wins against Bristol City and Spurs, scoring nine goals without reply.
Spurs' hangover from their FA Cup defeat may have carried over here, but they were up against a Chelsea side that have only failed to score in one of their 21 league games this seaosn.
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