Middlesbrough vs Luton Town. Sky Bet Championship.
Riverside StadiumAttendance23,187.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Middlesbrough and Luton Town at the Riverside Stadium as goals from Chuba Akpom and Matt Crooks saw Boro seal a comeback win.
Sunday 11 December 2022 13:05, UK
Substitute Matt Crooks scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner for Middlesbrough as 10-man Luton suffered a 2-1 Championship defeat in Rob Edwards' first game in charge.
Edwards got off to the perfect start when Jordan Clark fired the Hatters in front at the Riverside before Chuba Akpom levelled for Boro.
But Crooks' last-gasp winner came after Amari'i Bell was sent off, with the win extending Michael Carrick's side's unbeaten stretch to five games.
On a freezing afternoon at the Riverside, it took a while for the game to warm into life, with neither side able to create anything of note in the opening half-an-hour.
It was the visitors who took the lead with the first shot on target after 33 minutes. There looked to be little danger for Boro when Clark received the ball midway inside the home side's half, but the midfielder skipped past Hayden Hackney and Jonny Howson before finding the bottom corner with a fine left-footed effort from distance.
But the hosts responded in style, drawing level just five minutes later when Akpom continued his fine run of form to make it five goals in six games with a downward header, turning home Ryan Giles' cross from the left.
Boro almost made it a quickfire double when defender Dael Fry saw his diving header flash just wide of the near post.
The home side ended the first half on top but had a let off moments after the restart when Luton's Tom Lockyer missed a glorious chance to give the Hatters the lead for the second time.
From a free-kick on the left, the centre-half was unmarked in the box and had time and space to pick his spot from six yards out but skewed the ball wide.
Middlesbrough again responded by getting on the front foot. A Howson volley from distance was well blocked before Akpom came close to adding a second, cutting in from the right and hitting the outside of the post.
Home goalkeeper Zack Steffen survived a scare 20 minutes into the second half when he hesitated with the ball at his feet and was charged down by Allan Campbell, the ball ricocheting into the side netting.
Luton went down to 10 men after 72 minutes when Bell picked up his second yellow card for a foul on Isaiah Jones, the same offence that had seen him cautioned in the first half.
With a man advantage, Boro pushed for the winner and substitute Crooks had a glorious opportunity after 87 minutes but fired over from close range.
But Crooks made no mistake moments later. A Ryan Giles free-kick from the left was only part-cleared and the loose ball landed at the feet of the substitute to lash home the winner.
Middlesbrough's Michael Carrick: "I'm happy with it because it didn't come easy but we found a way to win. It's not always going to be the easy-on-the-eye football and flowing like most of our performances so far have been. We've played some really good stuff I think, since I've come.
"Today we had to find a little bit within ourselves because it was a bit sticky at times today, particularly in the first half. You could see we were lacking that little yard of sharpness and connection and rhythm from where we left off (before the break). But at the same time, second half I thought we were finding that as the game went on and looked dangerous towards the end - even before the sending off I thought."
Luton's Rob Edwards: "I'm bitterly disappointed. The lads are all disappointed, they're flat in there as you'd expect. I'm not saying we deserved to win the game by any stretch but I thought the effort and the endeavour of the lads was different class. The first half was really good, I was really pleased. We didn't create loads of chances but we retained a real threat and the individual goal from Jordan was brilliant.
"I was disappointed to concede the equaliser but we were relatively pleased at half-time. There are bits to learn from the second half. We need to be slightly better with the ball when we win it back in transition. That allowed them to gain momentum and control. Obviously you add the red card in and it made it really difficult for us. We almost got there, so it does feel sore."
