Boro maintain winning home habit to improve their promotion prospects

Middlesbrough made it eight home wins in a row in the league for the first time since 1998 by beating Luton 2-1 at the Riverside.

The latest victory for Chris Wilder’s team lifted them above Luton and into the Sky Bet Championship’s play-off zone once again.

It was a tough battle on Teesside in which neither side really got going but Paddy McNair’s fifth goal of the season in the 17th minute from the penalty spot paved the way for the victory.

Substitute Duncan Watmore prevented a nervy finish when he wrapped up the points with three minutes left by scoring his sixth of the campaign – although Harry Cornick pulled one back for Luton in the sixth minute of added time.

Just days after the Riverside created a special atmosphere to help Boro reach the sixth round of the FA Cup by beating Tottenham, Wilder made two changes to his attack. Aaron Connolly and Folarin Balogun were recalled ahead of Watmore and Andraz Sporar – and both players started well.

However, the Hatters – with only two defeats in their previous 13 league games – were well aware of the significance of this one too, with just two points separating the teams before kick-off.

After a slow start, Luton found themselves chasing the game when Reece Burke tripped Balogun in the area after he controlled Isaiah Jones’ ball.

McNair calmly sent goalkeeper Alex Palmer the wrong way from 12 yards with a neatly side-footed penalty into the bottom corner.

A few minutes later the goalscorer led the protests to officials when Cameron Jerome appeared to plant his high studs into Anfernee Dijksteel’s groin area. The striker was cautioned by referee Jeremy Simpson.

Jerome almost levelled things soon after half an hour too, when he stretched to turn a delivery into the centre