MICHAEL CARRICK insists there were “plenty of positives” to emerge from Middlesbrough’s 2-1 defeat at Luton Town this evening.

Boro were beaten in controversial fashion at Kenilworth Road as Carlton Morris’ second-half penalty, which was awarded despite Zack Steffen appearing to pull out of his challenge on the Luton striker, proved decisive.

Carrick made five changes from the side that beat Hull City last week, opting to rest Hayden Hackney and Chuba Akpom.

And while his patched-up side might have left Luton empty-handed, the Boro boss was delighted with the way in which some of his fringe performers stepped up as they returned to the starting team.

Carrick said: “I’ll be honest, with the game, the result is the result in the end, especially with the way it’s happened. It was never really going to play a big part in our season.

“Coming into the game tonight, we both are where we are in the table, to an extent. It would have been a bit of a miracle to get any further up the league, and we knew that. We were realistic about it, but to be honest, I’ve taken loads from the game.

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“I thought the players were terrific. Some were out of position a little bit, some things were tweaked a little bit, but they’ve fitted in like they’ve been playing there for a long time, and playing together as a group for a long time.

“It shows how well they’ve trained. They’ve played with each other each and every day, and they’ve taken that into the game at a tough place, as tough as you get in this league really. So, we take a lot from the game – I thought the boys were terrific. I was really proud of them and enjoyed watching them.”

Carrick’s decision to rest both Akpom and Hackney was a reflection of just how much football they have played this season.

The pair are not carrying injuries, and are likely to feature in Boro’s two remaining matches of the regular season against Rotherham United and Coventry City.

Carrick said: “We made a few changes, but there was really only a couple of players that we left out in Chuba and Hayden.

“They’ve played every game since I’ve been here, so they needed a breather at some point. We thought this was the best one for them, but I thought the boys that played were great.”