ARMED AND DANGEROUS
Boro battle back into the top six
CHRIS WILDER admitted his Middlesbrough side had to win “an arm-wrestle” against play-off rivals Luton.
Boro made it nine successive home wins – and eight straight Riverside league victories for the first time since 1997-98.
On-loan Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun won Wilder’s men an early penalty that was coolly converted by Paddy McNair and Duncan Watmore (celebrating below) came off the bench to add a second three minutes from time.
Substitute Harry Cornick pulled one back for the visitors deep in stoppage time, but it was too late to stop Boro leapfrogging Luton and returning to the top six.
Boro boss Wilder said: “It was an arm-wrestle. It was a scrappy game. It’s always a battle to get a result, but we had to show some different qualities to get over the line and I’m delighted.”
Hatters boss
Nathan Jones made seven changes to the side that started against Chelsea in the FA Cup in midweek, including keeper Alex Palmer following his arrival on an emergency loan from West Brom.
And Palmer was soon under scrutiny when Boro were awarded a spotkick just after the quarter-hour mark. Centreback Reece Burke brought down Balogun and McNair sent Palmer the wrong way. It wasn’t until after the break that Luton began to threaten, with Boro keeper Joe Lumley rescuing his side twice in quick succession to deny Elijah Adebayo and Cameron Jerome.
Boro were furious when winger Isaiah Jones was cynically scythed down by Henri
Lansbury, who was booked. But Watmore doubled Boro’s lead. Jonny Howson played the ball down the line and, after Burke blocked Watmore’s cross, the former Sunderland forward threaded home his finish
Cornick then reduced the arrears from Adebayo’s cross, but too late to make a difference.