Very disappointing result but not the performance.  
Even without FIVE players who would normally start the game  Boro were the better footballing team throughout the game and had enough chances to win - Bola , no less, had 3 good chances and Crooks had 2 clear chances with none taken.

The first half was almost perfect with an excellent goal from Archer.   Unfortunately, Luton got the perfect response early in the second half and were then gifted a penalty .

There were  lots of pluses from the performance and it would be harsh to be too critical - possibly look suspect again at corners.

From Luton’s perspective that’s 12 games unbeaten and a positive result and a confidence booster if they meet Boro in the play off final.

Onwards and upwards - the most important issue for Boro in the coming weeks is to get as many of the injured players fit.

My thoughts now drift to the locals here in Huddersfield who with Cardiff and Reading look most likely to be relegated with the two bottom teams. Who do Huddersfield play ?  - next game away to Cardiff , followed by Sheffield United and a final game home to Reading !! You couldn’t script it !!

Philip of Huddersfield 

Northern Echo Ratings

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-2-3-1):

6 Steffen: Will feel extremely aggrieved at the penalty decision that went against him – left his line effectively on a couple of other occasions

7 Dijksteel: Did well on his return to the side at right-back – defended solidly and got forward well on a couple of occasions

8 Howson: Boro’s Mr Versatile was at it again, slotting in at centre-half and defending with poise and assurance

6 Lenihan: Was generally in the right place to deal with balls into the box – won his fair share of headers

7 Giles: Got forward effectively down the left and delivered some dangerous balls into the box, especially in the second half

7 Mowatt: Used the ball effectively when he had it and protected the defenders playing behind him

6 Barlaser: Improved as the game wore on, with his passing gradually finding its range

6 Jones: Made some bursts down the right, although he wasn’t quite able to match the impact he made against Hull

8 CROOKS: Caused problems when he broke into the 18-yard box and delivered the pass of the game to set up Archer’s goal

6 Bola: Started brightly down the left, although his impact dropped slightly in the second half

7 Archer: Showed a striker’s instinct to nick the ball ahead of Horvath and casually roll home Boro’s first-half goal

Subs:

Muniz (for Archer, 78)

(not used): Roberts (gk), Bilongo, Stott, Sykes, Hackney, Akpom.

Man Of The Match: MATT CROOKS – He might have finished on the losing side, but the Boro midfielder was the pick of the players on the field.

This may sound strange to say but I thought that we were excellent tonight and pretty much played Luton off the park. Jones looked tremendous on the right and had their left back on toast. Mowatt and Barlaser were excellent and showed that they can come into the side and do the necessary job. Bola looked comfortable back in the team but isn't as much of an attacking player as Hackney, McGree and Ramsey and you could feel the difference. With one or two of them and Akpom back supporting Archer I would fancy us to beat this Luton team comfortably. Crooks was everywhere and showed just what a versatile player he is. 

We cut through Luton down both wings and also showed that they are vunerable to a well-played ball over the top. I loved the calm way that Arher left the Luton defender sliding towards the corner flag.

The goals that we were conceded can be largely ignored. The header from the corner was well taken and one can always concede something like that. The trick is to score more down the other end. The penalty just ......wasn't. 

Roll on the play-offs.

UTB

I was disappointed with the second half from the Boro. 

Luton’s first goal was a free header and I am not sure Dijksteel being fouled made any difference. The second was a penalty, because Steffen going down led to the Luton lad tripping over him. He did make a meal of it though.

Our final ball in and around the box was generally poor. Crooks would have been subbed a lot earlier if we had had someone else other than Akpom. Bola also did not do enough for further game time unless injuries dictate.

I thought Barlaser had a decent game try to play the ball forward, but was guilty of giving the ball away a few times, but less so many others.

Luton will be a lot happier tonight and probably believe they could edge Boro at Wembley, if both teams win through the first round.

@selwynoz 

The first goal was a good header but he was free because Dijksteel was dumped on his backside in the box. I think VAR would have taken a close look at that and might, just might, have ruled it out.

The biggest thing we learnt from tonight ,  one we can't keep clean sheets , even when we are dominant ,two we now no why some players since January are not getting picked , although Beurlaser was outstanding, the rest I don't know, stop the goals against , promotion 

@selwynoz    I do not think you can just ignore the two we conceded tonight. The first and undefended free header. Still not convinced about Dijksteel. Same about the penalty, however, not so much the trip, or not, but the sloppy way the ball was lost before that allowed the Luton lad to charge into the box.

We cannot defend with any consistency and I certainly do not agree with the NE’s marks overall for the back five. 

Well I managed to make the 5:00am start here in Brisbane and felt disappointed like others have said.  Not with the team or the performance but the result.

In my view we are a far better footballing side than Luton.  Not sure now if I would have been happy with the appointment of Rob Edwards if that is how he would have wanted us to play the game; too much long ball.

Unfortunately we failed to take all of our chances and we were done by two poor decisions.  I agree with Andy and others that if VAR had been operating then I suspect both goals would have been chalked off.

The penalty if there was any contact was minimal and much less contact than the Referee had let go previously, so he was clearly inconsistent and wrong in my view.

We were in full control of the first half but one or two performances dropped off in the second and we just could not force a second goal which was the minimum we deserved.

Still it’s not the end of the world and I have no fears were we to meet Luton in the final.  

We need, however, to get there and if it were to be either Coventry or Sunderland in the semifinals, then I think they both will be tougher propositions. 😎

@KP In Spain

I trust that you are enjoying your time in Oz. I find that the distance and different timing can make games feel quite strange sometimes.

I agree with you that, after watching this game, I would be happy to meet Luton in the play off final but don’t want to think about that yet.

Sunderland wouldn’t be an ideal opponent because of the ‘Typical Boro’ feeling that it inspires although we have to beat the Mowbray hoodoo some time.

I too feel a bit uncertain about Coventry and Gyokeres. In fact it is quite an unusual situation as it may well turn out that we will have their play-off qualification in our own hands, given that we meet them at the Riverside on the last day of the season. I can’t remember a situation - although I’m sure that it has happened - where one team is quite so directly responsible for deciding who they play in the playoffs. It’s a chance that a win for Boro in that game could stop Coventry from qualifying or a draw could be unleashing them on Luton.

The battle for qualification is incredibly intense and even Swansea in 12th could be coming up on the rails with their last game at home to West Brom. They are probably a bit too far away as 68 points is their maximum and Coventry can beat that by winning at home to Birmingham and other teams can get there with better goal difference. 

Whilst all that is going on we can watch and wait. 

UTB

@pedro 

I think that you are being a bit harsh. Luton are known as a big rough side and we made them look ineffectual. The header from the corner appears to have been aided by some clever interference work and I agree that we have to be able to cope with that. The chance for the second goal was pretty much the only time that Luton got through our defensive structure.

The way that we play at the back and in. I’d field will cause the occasional blip but we gain so much by bringing the opposition on to us and creating space for our forward movement. We are really good to watch and that hasn’t been the case for quite a long time.

UTB

@selwynoz.  We are having a wonderful time with the family thank you and in a beautiful and hospitable country.

It was very strange to be awake this morning at 4:45 and watching the sun eventually come up as it got darker at Kenilworth Road. We did have some heavy showers here so we did have something in common!

I had almost forgotten about “typical Boro” following MC’s appointment but agree that it could well rear its head if we had to play Sunderland, added to which there is the Mogga factor.

Gyorkeres will be a handful if we meet Coventry and we could really do with Fry back and at his best in that scenario.  

We may however, as you say, be able to put paid to Coventry’s playoff aspirations on the 8th of May at the Riverside, when I will be present to cheer us on to what hopefully will be our last league game in the Championship.

If I had a choice of opponents it would probably be Millwall who seem to be going off the boil.  I know the Den is intimidating but I think a full strength Boro side are more than capable of dealing with the hostility. 

What will be will be and we just have to take care of business, hopefully. 😎

As a number of others have said we played well at times but missed a few chances which I think Chiba would have converted. Call me old fashioned but if we had a man on the post for the corner then it is cleared off the line. As to the penalty was it given because the referee was a premier league official and forgot there was no VAR? 

Posted by: @andy-r

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@selwynoz 

The first goal was a good header but he was free because Dijksteel was dumped on his backside in the box. I think VAR would have taken a close look at that and might, just might, have ruled it out.

And the guy who fouled Dijksteel was the goal scorer of the corner kick!

BTW, my MoM was Howson. Unbelievable performance at centre back. Up the Boro! 

I thought the Boro were superb last night. But for  a little lack of composure, on another occasion Crooks and Bola would have scored at least one apiece. Luton had the rub of the green when it came to two key events. So what. 

I might be picky and say Crooks lacked a little finesse when it came to ball control and Djiksteel still has a tendency to hold onto the ball after he should have passed. But, last night proved that the crisp, fast and mostly accurate passing game can be delivered from the squad,  not just the regular first eleven.

We still have to get there, but if we do and meet Luton again at Wembley, it will be even more difficult for Luton to keep up with us as our way of playing will be perfectly suited to the bigger playing surface.

As for the penalty, yes, there was contact,  if only just as Morris trailed his foot to try and touch Steffen and after he had already lost control of his tumble. So a lucky decision for the hatters. Their first goal wad also scored by a player with all the space and time simply because he pushed his marker over. I do agree that the real mistake was us giving the ball away very cheaply.

It is all in our hands now as we have more than enough quality to overcome every team in this league.

I thought we played well last night. We could easily have had more goals if Bola and Crookes had been a bit more composed and I think we are well placed going into the play offs.  

Crookes seems to link better with Jones and Dijksteel than with Forss and McGree but he still lacks pace. 

Disappointed.

Must say I wasn't quite as impressed with Boro's performance as the general consensus seems to be. I thought we were the better side - technically, tactically and aesthetically superior in the main - but the performance was some way short of many, many others we've put together over recent months.

Much of our game was more like a typical Championship affair, with us using the pace of Jones to race away down the right and wreak havoc. More direct, old fashioned wing play than we've usually seen under Carrick.

It was early-season Wilder-esque in my view: dominating the ball at times, lots of passing around the edge of the box but a combination of poor final balls and, when we got the last pass right, poor finishing. A bit of a hard luck story with the refereeing decisions and a couple of slips at the back and it did feel like we were back in September for much of the game.

That said, I thought Luton were distinctly average and it's an odd feeling to be both a bit flat at our performance but equally buoyed by a playoff rival's. They must be better than that, surely? If not, we're clear favourites for the playoffs.

@andy-r - Whatever else we may think about the game itself, Luton currently lie 3rd in the table and probably favourites to end up 3rd at the end of the season.  Plenty of people on here and elsewehere have said that "the table doesn't lie".  They will have proved themselves more consistently effective throughout the whole season than all teams apart from Sheffield United and Burnley. So, if we get to the Play-off Final, we may fancy our chances against any team in that match but I wouldn't say we are the "clear favourites".  The bookies on Teesside may give those odds but I'm not sure their colleagues in Bedford or Luton will.  It's like prior to a World Cup where the bookies here regularly put England right up there with the Brazils, Argentinas, Germanys. But in Rio or Berlin the odds offered may be very different.

If we can say that several of Boro's players haven't had game time recently, and were therefore "not up to speed", how do we explain Isiah Jones' performances?  He's had no game time for AGES...

@forever-dormo 

Dormo, I'm saying that if last night was Luton's level (I can't believe it was), whilst knowing that we were some way short of our best, then I think we are clear favourites. I'm not really talking about bookies odds but our best would have absolutely battered Luton last night and if they are the best of the rest, we're in good shape.

That assumes we have several our players back fit as well.

@andy-r I think we were clearly the better side which given that we had 6 first team regulars out is pretty impressive. Some of the replacements were a bit rusty but still outplayed a team that is likely to end 3rd and hasn't been beaten in months.

The game probably did us more good in the long run than if we kept Chuba and Hackney in the team and won. Annoying to lose, especially the way we did. It also shows how important having multiple clinical finishers in a team is. 

Howson proved me wrong. Not only can he play CB in a 2, he was arguably better than McNair. Barlaser seemed to thrive having a whole game to play in. He was a bit rusty initially and the partnership with Mowatt doesn't have the advantage of the 20 games worth of familiarity that Howson and Hackney have but he definitely offers something a little different. 

I must admit that I was surprised that Carrick was so nonchalant about the game having very little meaning. I guess he's working on the premise that the last three games are about preparing for the playoffs. Always a bit risky to take that approach because a team can lose its mojo in an instant.

I see a lot of criticism of Crooks around and about that I think is unfair. If you compare him with Akpom playing the #10 role, Crooks is defensively stronger and more likely to create an assist. Because he has fantastic late movement into the box he'll probably get as many chances as Akpom does. It's just that Akpom's finishing is ludicrously clinical while Crooks misses 3-4 times for every time he scores. Bearing in mind that Crooks was asked to play a role he hasn't played all season with minimal preparation, I thought he did really well yesterday. Along with Barlaser, Mowatt, Dijksteel and particularly Jones, you feel that those 5 are fantastic options to have. Bola struggled but never gave up and you have to cut him some slack. 

I think Akpom would be disappointed not to play. He is on fire and after all the accolades that he has had and deservely so,he would have been desperate to get another goal.

I think there have been some good posts, giving slightly different view points.

The problem for me is that given where we where and how we were playing, it is astonishing to be in the play offs and sitting fourth.

As many have said, the football we having been watching at times has been outstanding.

I guess the issue I have is, having come so far, I just keep imagining a "Typical Boro" finish. I really do wish I had the belief of some on here.

@andy-r - I agree that if we have our best XI on the field, and those players play to their best, we SHOULD beat any of the play-off teams.  Let's hope it turns out that way and that we do not, as Pedro fears, have a "Typical Boro" moment in those last 3 play-off games.

What’s really encouraging is that MC doesn’t buy into this Typical Boro stuff. OK, we’ve had a few avoidable slip-ups, such as at WBA and Huddersfield, but every team has those. It seems to me that he has built a team - and a squad - that plays in a particularly exciting and effective way, scoring tons of goals in the process, and does this in the great majority of games. He’s raised the expectations so high. They’re so well drilled that we now expect them to turn it on in every game, and it’s therefore doubly disappointing when it doesn’t quite work. 

The playoffs are obviously a huge challenge, but MC has this team playing with enormous belief and self confidence. He still has work to do to tighten up the defence, but Boro won’t be afraid of anybody. They know we can beat anybody. I’d bet, though, that no team currently vying for a playoff spot will relish the prospect of facing us. 

Considering we had 6/7 of our first eleven missing, Fry (McNair), Hackney, Forss, Akpom, Ramsey, McGree, not to mention Howson out of position and I have not included Smith who has played most of the games since MC arrived, I thought we gave more than a good account of our selves. True poor finishing by Crooks and Bola (what would the score have been if Akpom and Ramsey/Forss/McGree/Hackney had those chances). Psychologically which team is better off after last nights match, Luton because the won against a team missing 3/4 of their starting eleven and getting two dubious goals, that VAR (in the playoff final) would rule out or Boro who played against a full strength Luton side with more than half the team that don’t regularly start and will have something to prove come the final (if we both get there). I am glad I have my hotel booked UTB.

Come on BORO.

I'm in the Powmill and Selwyn camp on last night's game.

I can remember few occasions in the past when we have played so well and yet been beaten.

It was quite astonishing to me that we could play a reserve midfield which has had no game time together yet which could produce football of such fluency and cohesion.  It was a real tribute to Carrick, his coaching staff as well as the players themselves that we could give Luton such a footballing lesson on their own midden.

And to be completely heretical let me suggest that in one important respect last night's trio of Mowatt, Crooks and Barlaser are superior to Ramsey, Hackney and Howson. They offer a greater midfield presence. They are  tougher, more resilient and less open to the kind of physical bullying that could prove to be our Achilles heel in the play-off away legs.

Luton's reputation, like Millwall's, rests to a large degree on their intimidating presence at home in front of a partisan and hostile crowd. We saw little of that last night thanks largely to the presence of Crooks, Mowett, and Barlaser none of whom is cowed by that kind of confrontation.

It is a quality we are going to need in the first leg match, whoever our opponents are, since it will be a game in which the home team will come at us in the hope of establishing a comfortable lead.

We couldn't cope with Sunderland in such a scenario only a few weeks ago. Hackney and Howson both had poor games and offered little defensive resistance, whilst Fry, whom many would like to see slot straight back in, had a nightmare, got himself on the wrong side of the striker, was outpaced, gave away a penalty, was sent off, and effectively put the game out of our reach.

A repetition of that, or of the Huddersfield or Bristol (to say nothing of the West Brom) collapses, in which our midfield gave the back four little defensive cover, is the most likely way in we could find ourselves in real difficulty.

Of course, Andy is right in that we lacked the necessary creativity in the final third that we will certainly need  in the second leg home game. But I take great comfort from last night's game that we also have at our disposal the kind of midfield resilience which we are  sure to need in the vital play-offs  to come.

Posted by: @malcolm

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I think Akpom would be disappointed not to play. He is on fire and after all the accolades that he has had and deservely so,he would have been desperate to get another goal.

I believe Akpom and possibly Hackney were at the EFL awards ceremony in London Sunday night which didn’t finish until after midnight, which apart from giving them a well earned rest, could have been a factor in having them on the bench.

Come on BORO.

Just to reiterate, I thought we were the best team on the pitch last night despite a very unfamiliar XI. I just thought we weren't quite as good as some of the comments and also the manager's appraisal (though appreciate he has to keep spirits up).

Strange isn't it? I'm the one saying weren't great last night but seemingly also one of the most confident about the playoffs on the back of it!

I posted the above about a week ago but reading some of the posts since last night’s result, it has started already, let’s look at some of the feared opposition:

Sunderland, if Blackburn get a point against (on the beach) Burnley tonight Sunderland drop to 7th with Watford (H) and Preston (A) to play will they make it 🤔

Blackburn, a point tonight will move them to 6th, then Luton (H) and Millwall (A) will they make it 🤔

Millwall, 7th same points as Sunderland with Blackpool (A) and Blackburn (H) will they make it 🤔

Coventry, 5th one point in front of Sunderland, Millwall and Blackburn with Birmingham (H) and Boro (A) will they make it and be 5th or 6th 🤔

WBA, 9th two points from 6th with Shef Utd (A) on Wednesday, then Norwich (H) and Swansea (A) will they make it 🤔

Preston, 10th two points from playoffs with Shef Utd (A) and Sunderland (H) to play, will they make it 🤔

Norwich, 3 points behind playoffs with WBA (A) and Blackpool (H) to play, will they make it 🤔

Swansea, 3 points behind playoffs with Hull (A) and WBA (H) to play, will they make it 🤔

Well gentlemen, pick your own nightmare and many sleepless nights 😂😂😂

Come on BORO.

@exmil I suppose it's the nature of being a fan to fret.

Assuming we play Luton in the final, I would prefer to avoid:

WBA - Corberan is the kind of manager who specialises in out-thinking an opponent. They have lost Dyke (I believe) but they're still a formidable team. I reckon we should win over 2 legs but they give me a sense of doom.

Sunderland - the Mowbray factor and the fact that is a derby. Form goes out the window. We could easily concede 3 goals in 10 mad minutes and never recover. Plus Sunderland have over-achieved and will be playing without much pressure of expectation.

My preference would be Blackburn Rovers; I think if they crawl into the play-offs they'll freeze. Coventry, Millwall, Preston, Norwich and Swansea could theoretically still make it but I feel pretty confident about those. Norwich will give me cold sweats from the flashbacks; if they do make it into the play-offs they might suddenly click.