How Middlesbrough's players rated in the 3-1 win over Watford:

7 Dieng: Good early save to deny Bayo. Couple of confident claims.

9 Ayling: Signing the Leeds loanee is undoubtedly a summer transfer priority for Boro. Ayling took his tally of assists to eight in 11 games as he set up Latte Lath and Jones. A hugely impressive loan spell.

7 Van den Berg: Usual calm and confident presence in the backline.

8 Clarke: Superb clearance from underneath his own crossbar in the second half. Impressive end to an outstanding second half of the season for Clarke, who has established himself as a key player for Boro.

6 Thomas: Solid enough defensively. Had a glorious chance to score his first Boro goal in the second half but was denied by Bachmann.

8 Howson: Marked his new contract with a quality midfield display. Crunched into a couple of tackles and guided McCabe through a polished first start. Standing ovation and an embrace with Carrick when he was replaced.

7 McCabe: Tidy and polished first start for the Teessider, capping off a memorable breakthrough season and a brilliant week. He was named Academy Scholar of the Year at the club’s awards on Thursday night.

7 Jones: Linked up well with Ayling throughout and capped good showing with late goal.

8 Gilbert: Another positive outing to send the forward into the summer on a high. Made a stunning last ditch tackle early in the second half, then went close to scoring with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

8 Azaz: Another promising showing from the forward, who has been getting better by the week. Drifted around and was hard for Watford to pin down. Set Ayling away in build-up to third goal.

9 Latte Lath: Another goal – but there much more to like about Latte Lath than just his first half strike. He chased every ball and scared the life out of Watford’s defence.

Substitutes:

7 Barlaser (for Howson, 65): Good showing from the bench. Lofted cross almost led to a Clarke goal.

7 Bangura (for Thomas, 65): Came off the bench to score Boro’s crucial second goal after Watford equaliser.

Greenwood (for Gilbert, 71): N/A

O’Brien (for McCabe, 71): N/A

Wilson (for Ayling, 90): N/A

Subs not used: Connor, Dijksteel, Silvera, Coburn

Watford: Bachmann 6, Pollock 6 (Grieves, 79), Sierralta 6, Hoedt 7; Andrews 6 (Eames, 92) Kayembe 6, Kone 6, Asprilla 6 (Massiah-Edwards, 92), Sema 6 (Morris, 46); Bayo 6, Rajovic 5 (Martins, 55).

Subs not used: Hamer, Livermore, Ramirez-Espain, Grieves, Nabizada