Middlesbrough claimed an impressive 4-1 win over Cardiff City in the Championship on Saturday.
Despite going into this game mathematically out of reach of the top six, Middlesbrough still gave their travelling away fans plenty to cheer about.
Boro claimed their first Championship win since beating Swansea City 2-0 earlier this month, courtesy of goals from Matt Clarke, Finn Azaz, Emmanuel Latte Lath, and Alex Gilbert.
Michael Carrick‘s side were clinical in Wales; as per Sofascore, they only have seven shots on target, with four of them being goals.
Middlesbrough finally finding clinical touch
A common theme for Middlesbrough this season has been their wastefulness in front of goal.
Before the game vs Cardiff, EFL pundit Ryan Dilks commented on Middlesbrough’s xG this season, with only the Championship’s top four teams having a better xG than Boro.
And a fit and firing Latte Lath has certainly gone a long way in helping Boro to get more goals; he’s now scored 15 in the Championship this season with seven of them coming in April alone.
He and Azaz in particular were standout players against Cardiff on Saturday.
But another, lesser-seen name has run into praise as well; 22-year-old attacker Gilbert.
Alex Gilbert praised following ’emphatic’ performance vs Cardiff
Former West Brom youngster Gilbert has had to be patient with Middlesbrough.
But in what was his first start of the season, he didn’t let Carrick down.
Gilbert came off the bench and claimed an assist in the 4-3 defeat vs Leeds United previously, and not only did he score vs Cardiff but he also claimed the assist for Azaz’s goal too.
TeessideLive gave Gilbert an 8/10 rating vs Cardiff, with journalist Craig Johns adding:
“Given his first start on the back of his assist against Leeds, Gilbert took it. Even in a low-key first half he looked the Boro player most likely to do something, with his positivity and eagerness. As well as setting up Azaz’s, his finish to score Boro’s fourth was emphatic.”
Alex Gilbert will ease loss of one player next season
Carrick is without the likes of Riley McGree, Josh Coburn and Marcus Forss in attack right now.
And going into next season, the club will see Sam Greenwood’s loan expire, with the possibility of a permanent swoop up in the air.
So Gilbert’s emergence against Cardiff and in the last week comes at the perfect time.
Carrick has been able to give him some first-team exposure ahead of the summer and ahead of next season, potentially setting him up for a big 2024/25 campaign.
He’s had a stop start past few years owing to injuries and just generally being out of contention.
But he’s been a real force in the last two games, especially against Cardiff where he looked as though he’s been playing in the Championship for years.
Gilbert potentially becoming a key attacker for Boro could save them a lot of money in the transfer market this summer.