Delano Burgzorg netted his first two Championship goals for Middlesbrough as they dominated Luton Town, putting further pressure on Hatters manager Rob Edwards.
Burgzorg’s first goal came from a well-executed corner, while Emmanuel Latte Lath displayed brilliant skill and composure to double the lead before halftime.
Finn Azaz, who had a hand in both first-half goals, made it 3-0 early in the second half, and Burgzorg added a fourth just three minutes later as the visitors were left reeling.
Jordan Clark pulled one back for Luton, but Azaz sealed Boro’s comprehensive win with a stunning curled finish. The result leaves Luton at risk of dropping back into the relegation zone, depending on other Saturday results.
The defeat marked Luton’s eighth loss in 15 Championship matches since their relegation from the Premier League, following a single season in the top flight after Edwards led them to a historic promotion 18 months ago.
Both teams made changes after midweek victories, with Luton swapping out five players from their win over Cardiff, including the injured Alfie Doughty, while Middlesbrough’s Michael Carrick made four changes, recalling Dutch striker Burgzorg.
Burgzorg made an immediate impact, scoring the opener with a composed finish from 12 yards after a clever set-piece routine. Ben Doak’s low corner was flicked on by Azaz at the near post, setting up Burgzorg for the finish.
Earlier, Boro captain Luke Ayling had wasted a chance by sending an effort over the bar, but the opener came against the run of play after Cauley Woodrow tested goalkeeper Seny Dieng and Liam Walsh missed narrowly at the other end.
Middlesbrough continued to dominate the first half after Burgzorg’s opener, with Emmanuel Latte Lath scoring a well-deserved second. He controlled a perfectly placed scooped pass from Azaz before turning in the box and slotting the ball into the bottom corner with a classy finish.
This marked the Ivory Coast international’s second goal in five days, having come off the bench to score in Boro’s convincing win over QPR.
Azaz then teamed up with on-loan Liverpool winger Ben Doak to extend the lead. Shortly after Dieng made a superb low save to deny Cauley Woodrow, Burgzorg rolled in a second into an empty net after Latte Lath had drawn Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski off his line.
Clark’s strike with 13 minutes to go was only a consolation for Luton, as Azaz capped a stellar performance with a brilliant finish from the edge of the box. The result moved Boro up to sixth place, depending on the outcomes of later matches.
Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick told BBC Tees:
“It was a really good day. We had to be good to win because the way they play, they make it really difficult and you could see that at the start of the game with the way they pressed man for man.
“The longer the game went, we got to grips with it, and the ideas we were looking at started to come off and you could see the front lads were really good today.
“As a team I thought we were terrific, I thought we defended really well. The midfield boys were fantastic off the ball and picking up second balls and starting our attacks.
“That is two or three weeks now where we have scored a good number of goals and it is a great feeling for the boys to have.”
Luton manager Rob Edwards told BBC Three Counties Radio:
“The people I feel for most are the supporters who either got up really early this morning to make it for kick-off or came up last night and spent even more money.
“I obviously feel quite numb, it’s a horrible, horrible day for us, one of those days when you want the ground to swallow you up.
“I thought for the first 30 odd minutes we were playing really well but a couple of errors and we go in 2-0 down, and then a few more errors and all of a sudden it’s 4-0.
“Some of them (who started) performed well, and maybe one or two didn’t, but it’s not their fault, it’s mine.”