It’s great eight for victory sees them
MIDDLESBROUGH’S winning home run stretched to eight games as they beat Luton Town to move back into the top six.
Goals from Paddy Mcnair (penalty) and Duncan Watmore sealed it for the Boro as Harry Cornick’s goal proved little more than a consolation.
Here are the main take-aways from the game.
WINNING HOME RUN GOES ON
That’s eight league wins for Boro as the beat Luton to go back into the top six.
That’s a record-equalling winning run at the Riverside too – the last time they won so many on the trot on home turf being the promotion-winning 1997-98 season.
Something equally special feels like it’s happening at the Riverside too. The Red Faction drum beat throughout, the fans sung and the players gritted down on their gumshields against a physical Luton side.
There’s 12 games to go now, and Boro are right in, and right up for the fight.
BORO UP FOR THE GRITTY FIRST-HALF BATTLE
This was a proper Championship battle.
In-form Luton are a strong, physical team and you could see throughout the first half why they have caused so many teams problems in recent months.
They were in Boro’s faces from minute one, while the ball spent so much time up in the air as they looked to make use of their big, physical presence up top.
Boro had to be respectful of that, and to their credit, were never unnerved by it. Whether it was Dael Fry winning a big header or Neil Taylor crashing into an important tackle, Boro were a match for that gritty battle.
It wasn’t the easiest of contests for them to get the ball down and play their usual football, and that wasn’t helped by endless stoppages in the play disrupting rhythm, but they stuck to task in possession and kept going. They were the better footballing side.
Their reward came in the 16th minute when Isaiah Jones got away down the right and played in-field to Folarin Balogun, who showed a lovely touch before being brought down in an intricate and congested penalty area. Paddy Mcnair stepped up and cooly slotted home the penalty kick.
They could have had another too when Marcus Tavernier linked wonderfully with the Arsenal loanee, only for him to be dragged off-balance just as he shaped to shoot.
This time the referee wasn’t giving anything, just as he hadn’t when Cameron Jerome went in high, studs showing, on Anfernee Dijksteel in what could have easily been a red card for reckless play.
Nevertheless, Boro kept at it and while openings didn’t come all too often, they ought to have made a better fist of doubling their lead on the stroke of half-time when Jones ran in behind off the slip of his marker.
His final touch before the cross just let him down though, and in the end he was stretching as he played it across without enough power to evade Alex Palmer’s dive.
IMPORTANT LUMLEY SAVES
Following on from an excellent night against Spurs, Joe Lumley was important again in this one.
Boro started the second half well but on around the 55th-minute mark Luton had two opportunities that just switched the momentum of the game. Thankfully Lumley was equal to both.
The first saw Jerome flick in behind for Elijah Adebayo who Boro felt was offside.