Easily-forgotten Aidan Morris moment proved game-changing for Middlesbrough in Luton win

Middlesbrough entered the international break in fine form as they secured consecutive league wins for just the second time this season by beating Luton Town 5-1 at the Riverside.

Following up their midweek away win at QPR, Boro were ruthless and emphatic victors against the Hatters. Delano Burgzorg and Finn Azaz both helped themselves to braces in the game, with Emmanuel Latte Lath scoring the other as his recent return to goalscoring form continued.

Including the game-changing moment, the biggest positive and much more, here is the Boro-Luton analysis at a glance.

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The game-changing moment

In hindsight with what ultimately transpired as it rained goals at the Riverside for Boro, such a key moment shortly before Boro's opening goal could easily be forgotten. After a controlling opening 20 minutes or so in the game where Boro were lacking that final pass, Luton were starting to settle and grow into the game.

They had a couple of decent chances as their confidence grew, the most notable of which saw Liam Walsh fire just wide from the edge. But Aidan Morris deserves credit for a game-changing moment just before Boro's first - ending a promising opening for the visitors which could have easily resulted in Boro being one down.

It stemmed from a sloppy Matt Clarke pass out towards Luke Ayling on the left which Luton were able to turnover to find themselves in a promising position. The ball went into the box and into Elijah Adebayo's feet. With Clarke tight enough to stop him turning, he was forced to play back to Cauley Woodrow who, inside the box, looked to have the goal at his mercy.

It looked a certain goal but for Morris arriving at just the right time to get the tackle in and end the danger. Had Morris not been there, sniffing out the danger, it's highly likely that, instead of taking the lead just moments later, Boro would have found themselves behind. And we've seen that storyline more than enough times this season.

The moment rather summed up Morris' afternoon. Full of energy and tenacity in the Boro midfield, he dominated the game and dictated the tempo for Boro. It was another classy display from the American.

Boro's best player

In our post-match player ratings we gave Morris an 8 for much of the reasons highlighted above. In truth, he was really unlucky not to get a 9 - a rarity, as most who follow the player ratings regularly will know.

There was a 9 this weekend though, as Finn Azaz just edged Morris to our man of the match by virtue of a complete attacking display for Boro. As well as scoring two goals, he directly assisted another and also had a hand in Boro's other two goals as well.

Right from the off, he looked to be oozing confidence as his end-product has finally started to come in recent weeks. He now has three goals and three assists in Boro's last five games. Picking up the pockets of space in between midfield and attack, Azaz proved an excellent link player for Boro - regularly finding Ben Doak or Latte Lath with wonderful balls to set them away. That was Azaz at his technically-penetrative best.

The positive

It feels like for much of this season we've been talking about the positives of Boro's performances without getting the rewards. That was particularly the case with the attack where Boro were one of the highest chance creators in the league, but one of the worst for finishing.

It felt for so long we were just waiting for it to click, and finally, there are real positive signs that it has, or at least is starting to. This wasn't just a second straight win for Boro, it was a second consecutive big win. Having scored four goals at QPR, they added five against Luton. It really feels like they've found a clinical edge that was so often lacking early in the season, and that can be an excellent sign for their promotion credentials.

For as ruthless and clinical as Carrick's first Boro side were, they didn't ever score nine goals over two consecutive games. What they did do though, was win consistently. Two wins on the bounce is a real positive for this Boro side, but now they need to push on and prove it really has clicked for them.

The negative

In the balance of the day, it's not something that's need to be dwelled on too much as we all deserve to enjoy such a victory. Still, there will no doubt be disappointment to concede late on and lose the clean sheet - particularly for Seny Dieng, on his 50th Boro appearance, who had made a fine stop earlier in the game.

While it wasn't a big deal in the grand scheme of this game, in the bigger picture, it's something that shouldn't be just brushed under the carpet because it's not a new issue. Playing out from the back, Clarke's ball out was lackadaisical at best, while Micah Hamilton needed to be stronger to shield it better. Boro were caught out again by their own undoing.

The verdict

This was a brilliant day for Boro, and an excellent way to head into an international break. Carrick made the point after that the next break isn't until March, and so, when we return in a fortnight for the trip to Oxford, it will be the start of a rather hectic period of uninterrupted action that will start to shape the league table.

Two consecutive victories has put Boro right back into the mix again, and what's more, there are real signs of things starting to click for them. It's not just the amount of goals, but the manner in which they're playing, and the confidence the players are showing. They're good signs for Boro and, as long as this break doesn't halt that momentum, this could prove a real opportune time for them to kick on.