Middlesbrough: Boss Chris Wilder happy to see Boro dig deep to sink Luton Town

Boro won for the eighth home league game in a row for the first time in a single season since the 1997-98 promotion campaign.

It was enough to lift them up into the final play-off place and above Luton, who had started the day two points ahead of Wilder’s men.

Paddy McNair’s fifth goal of the season in the 17th minute from the penalty spot paved the way for the win after Folarin Balogun had been upended in the area by Reece Burke.

It was a tight affair after that remained in the balance until Duncan Watmore added the second goal with three minutes remaining of normal time.

Although Harry Cornick pulled one back for Luton in the sixth minute of added time by turning in Elijah Adebayo’s low cross, Middlesbrough had already done enough to seal the points.

Wilder said: “It was a different type of performance from us, it was an arm-wrestle.

“I said after 10-15 minutes it was going to be about the result and we needed to show different qualities to get over the line.

“From a defensive point of view we did deal with what Luton served up but from a football view it was scrappy, it was an arm-wrestle, turgid. The first goal came from a great bit of play.

“I was disappointed we had a couple of chances before half-time, and Luton came back at us after that with nothing to lose. It became that sort of afternoon, so we had to get over the line by hook or by crook and we did that.

“Luton are up there for a reason, they have structure and win games of football.

“It became lively, tasty, with moans and groans from each bench. Nathan (Jones) might have moans about a couple of situations and I could moan about a couple of situations too. It was about getting the result.”

Middlesbrough: Lumley, Anfernee Dijksteel, Fry, McNair, Jones (Bamba 90), Crooks, Howson, Tavernier, Taylor, Balogun (Watmore 63),Connolly (Coburn 83). Unused substitutes: Sporar, Peltier, Bola, Daniels.

Luton Town: Palmer, Burke, Lockyer, Naismith (Clark 65), Bree, Osho (Lansbury 39), Campbell (Cornick 73), Bell, Hylton, Jerome, Adebayo. Unused substitutes: Berry, Snodgrass, Kioso, Isted.

Referee: Jeremy Simpson (Lancs).