Matt Crooks comes off the bench to score a dramatic stoppage time goal to secure a 2-1 win for Middlesbrough. Have we been here before?

For the second successive game, Boro came from behind to win, extending their impressive unbeaten stretch to five games and continuing their charge up the table under Michael Carrick.

After the joy of Norwich City before the World Cup break, Boro again showed their character to bounce back from a goal down against 10-man Luton Town and ruin Rob Edwards’ introduction to life as boss of the Hatters.

READ MORE: Recap Boro's win over Luton as it happened

Boro fell behind in the first half but responded in style, with Chuba Akpom hitting the net yet again to extend his remarkable run and make it five goals in six games. Luton had to play the last 18 minutes with 10 men after Amari’i Bell was sent off, and the hosts made the Hatters pay, Crooks yet again making his mark from the bench.

A week after playing for Australia in the World Cup round of 16 against Lionel Messi’s Argentina, Riley McGree was back at the Riverside and in the Boro starting XI as Carrick named an unchanged team for the fifth league game in a row.

The only change in the squad was the return of Duncan Watmore, the forward replacing Matthew Hoppe on the bench.

Carrick hoped high intensity training and three friendlies during the break would help bridge the gap between Norwich and Luton but no competitive action in a month was evident in the early stages of a game that only came to life when the visitors took the lead.

After half an hour without a shot on target, Jordan Clark fired Luton ahead, a fine finish but from Boro’s perspective too easy. The midfielder skipped past Jonny Howson and Hayden Hackney untroubled before picking his spot from distance.

As Boro demonstrated before the break at Norwich City, though, there’s steel and character about them and they responded in style, the goal acting as something of a wake-up call.

Isaiah Jones almost drew Boro level immediately, firing just over, before Akpom continued his remarkable run, directing another pinpoint Giles cross into the bottom corner.

Boro were on top but should have found themselves behind for a second time just moments after the restart, unmarked Luton centre-half Tom Lockyer somehow missing the target from six yards out.

But again the response from the home side was front foot football. Jonny Howson connected well with a volley from the edge of the box but the ball couldn’t find its way through a sea of Luton bodies. Akpom came close to adding a second when he cut in from the right and hit the outside of the post.

Zack Steffen didn’t have a lot to do and was almost caught cold when he hesitated for a moment too long and was charged down by Allan Campbell, the keeper relieved to see the ball ricochet into the side rather than the back of the net.

Any thoughts Luton had about winning the game went out of the window when they went down to 10 men on 72 minutes, Bell cautioned for the second time for fouling Jones, who’d had the better of the Town defender all afternoon.

Crooks missed a glorious chance on 87 minutes when he blazed over from close range but made no mistake in stoppage time when he lashed home a loose ball inside the box to spark scenes of ecstasy yet again.