PRIOR to last night, Emmanuel Latte Lath had gone ten games without scoring. Stepping off the bench, it took him just three minutes to end his barren run.

Dropped to the substitutes’ bench for the first time this season, Latte Lath had a point to prove when he replaced Tommy Conway in the 77th minute of a game that appeared to be drifting towards a goalless draw.

How he proved it. Darting into the box to reach a cross from Finn Azaz, Latte Lath angled his head from a position next to the penalty spot and directed a perfect header past goalkeeper Michael Cooper’s left hand.

In an instant, both the night and Latte Lath’s fortunes were transformed. Middlesbrough, having looked edgy and hesitant after two successive defeats, were able to see out a much-needed, morale-boosting victory. Latte Lath, whose commitment was beginning to be questioned after the collapse of a proposed deadline-day move to Ipswich Town, was once again being serenaded from the Riverside’s South Stand. “He’s our striker, our number nine.” And crucially, he’s back amongst the goals.

Latte Lath’s header settled an otherwise underwhelming occasion that was really only notable for the magnificent first-half goalline clearance that saw Luke Ayling prevent Jesurun Rak-Sakyi from claiming what looked a certain goal.

Boro were under the cosh at that stage, and might well have gone under had Ayling not hooked the ball clear. As it was, they became the game’s dominant force as they gradually began to grow in confidence and dominate possession.

As a result, Michael Carrick was able to celebrate a landmark evening. Last night’s game fell on the eve of the second anniversary of Carrick’s appointment as head coach, with the presence of his managerial predecessor, Chris Wilder, in the opposition dugout affording the occasion a sense of symmetry. It was also Carrick’s 100th game in charge of Boro, with the previous 99 having featured 49 victories. Thanks to Latte Lath, he was able to bring up the half-century.

Carrick’s big pre-match call was the decision to drop Latte Lath, with the Ivorian paying the price for a poor run of form that had seen him fail to score since the opening weekend of the season. What a way to put that right. Conway returned to the starting side to play up front instead of him, the first time the Scot had operated as a central striker from the outset of a game since his August move to Teesside.

Riley McGree was also restored to the starting line-up in the wake of Saturday’s home defeat to Bristol City, and the after-effects of the weekend setback seeped over into last night’s game.

There was an edginess to Boro’s early play that only added to the tetchiness that was apparent in the stands. Passes went astray, players in possession tended to take the easy option and, defensively, the hosts appeared hesitant and uncertain. When Seny Dieng gave the ball away passing out of his own six-yard box just three minutes in, the groans were immediately apparent. Confidence, both on and off the pitch, was clearly in short supply.

The mood might have become even darker had Dieng not got down sharply to keep out Callum O’Hare’s curled strike in the opening 20 minutes, and with Sheffield United holding the upper hand, Boro came within inches of falling behind just before the half-hour mark.

Rak-Sakyi dribbled his way into the right of the box, but while his low strike beat Dieng, a backpedalling Ayling produced a magnificent goalline clearance that saw him hook the ball clear just as it was looking certain to go in.

Boro were rocking, but in the closing stages of the first half, they finally managed to get a foothold in the game. Instead of constantly passing sideways, the hosts looked to get the ball forward quicker, and their increased urgency almost paid dividends.

McGree fired in a low drive from the edge of the area that was well saved by Cooper, before the Sheffield United shot-stopper made an even better double-save to keep the scoresheet blank. Having parried an initial effort from Ben Doak, Cooper showed smart reflexes to make a second stop after the ball rebounded off Conway.

Doak’s attacking surges down the right became more regular as the evening wore on, although the quality of the loanee’s end product didn’t always match the threat level of the situation he engineered.

In fact, it was one of those nights for Boro right across the field, with passes not quite reaching their intended destination, especially in the final third. Hayden Hackney was especially wasteful on occasion, although the midfielder was involved in the move just before the hour mark that ended with McGree firing in a near-post effort that was saved by Cooper.

At least it was Boro doing most of the pressing for the bulk of the second half, with Sheffield United’s players seemingly content to sit in and soak up pressure. Conway was presented a half-chance when Azaz pulled the ball back into his path, but his scuffed effort was blocked by a sliding Alfie Gilchrist.

Sheffield United’s defenders proved effective at getting their bodies in the way of Boro’s shooting in the 18-yard box, with Harry Souttar the next visiting player to frustrate the hosts. Ayling’s overlapping run down the right enabled him to pull the ball back into the path of Hackney, but the midfielder’s first-time effort was too close to Souttar, with the Scotland international able to hack clear.

While Wilder turned to his bench relatively early, making a triple change midway through the second half, Carrick opted to stick with his starting side until the 77th minute, at which point he finally introduced Latte Lath. It was to prove a game-changing intervention.