WHEN EMMANUEL LATTE LATH scored Middlesbrough’s winner against Sheffield United on Wednesday night, he immediately set off to start celebrating in front of the Riverside’s North Stand.

It did not take long for him to be engulfed by his team-mates. The euphoric scenes reflected the collective relief at the deadlock finally being broken after Boro had been knocking on the door of the Sheffield United backline for most of the second half, but also highlighted the depth of the affection felt within the Teessiders’ dressing room for Latte Lath.

These have been difficult times for the Ivorian, who was dropped from the starting line-up for the first time this season on Wednesday after failing to score in ten successive games. Even with that barren run, however, his team-mates never doubted him. ‘Keep believing’ was the message – and it paid dividends when the ball hit the net against the Blades.

“He’s a top, top striker,” said Finn Azaz, who provided the cross for Latte Lath’s match-winning header. “He hasn’t been shying away from it. He’s been getting in the same positions, making the same runs, showing the same work ethic.

“For whatever reason, it hasn’t been falling, but that happens. He’s just kept doing it, and ultimately, he got the winner the other night.”

Initially, it looked as though Latte Lath had run offside as Azaz broke forward in the Sheffield United half, but sensing that the striker was going to check his run, Azaz held on to possession before floating the ball into the box.

The Irishman’s patience was rewarded, with Latte Lath getting himself back into an onside position before breaking forward again to direct an angled header into the bottom right-hand corner.

“Me and him have got a great connection,” said Azaz. “We were building that from last season. I know his movement and what he likes. I think just the fact that I stayed on the ball a moment longer allowed him to get back onside and make that run.

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“It just opened up really nicely. It’s top movement and a top header. You can say the ball is good, but a lot of things have to go right from the striker’s point of view, and I was just buzzing he was able to get that winner.”

Attention now switches to this afternoon’s game with Norwich City at Carrow Road, and an opportunity to claim back-to-back league victories for only the second time this season.

A lack of consistency has hampered Michael Carrick’s side so far this term, along with an inability to convert dominance in terms of possession and territory into clear-cut chances.

Like his manager, Azaz has been pleased with a lot of what he and his team-mates have been doing this season. After getting over the line on Wednesday night, however, he accepts it is important Boro build on their midweek victory.

“I think the performances have been really good, but for whatever reason, we just hadn’t been getting the win,” he said. “We’d had a few lapses, but against Sheffield United, we were excellent and we got the job done.

“You can see it every week that the Championship is crazy, it’s one of the hardest leagues. I just think it’s just about being consistent and trusting the process, then the results will take care of themselves.

“You can’t get too down on the lows or too high on the highs. We just need to keep trusting the process, how we’re performing, keep performances consistent and then hopefully we’ll be where we want to be come the end of the season.”