After a spirited 2-2 draw and the torture of a nerve-wracking, record-breaking 14-13 penalty shoot-out defeat in front of the Kop, Middlesbrough's travelling army of 3,000 rose as one to applaud their heartbroken heroes from the Anfield turf.

Here was footballing drama at its highest and a moment of truly moving unity as the defeated side, sprawled out on the pitch with battered limbs, tight hamstrings and cramp-stricken legs made the long walk across the pitch to show their appreciation and share in what was a truly remarkable evening of sport. With momentum building behind a unified squad, a talented young manager at the helm and the incentive posed by a magical night in one of football's iconic arenas, Middlesbrough Football Club seem to be very much a club on the up.

When the seemingly untouchable club legend Tony Mowbray left the Riverside in 2013 with a record of just 24 points taken from the previous 99 on offer, Boro were teetering on the edge of the relegation zone, staring into oblivion. The players were unmotivated, serious divisions were opening up within a dwindling fanbase and with a Teesside icon on the way out, the club's soul seemed to be leaking away.

Chairman and lifelong fan Steve Gibson was in no hurry to appoint a successor, and when he finally announced the arrival of ambitious Spaniard Aitor Karanka from José Mourinho's Real Madrid dugout, opinions were divided. A slow start to life under Karanka including a record-breaking dry spell in front of goal meant that the murmurs of discontent refused to die down.

Fast-forward less than twelve months, and things could hardly be more different. For the first time since the disastrous Gordon Strachan era, Gibson took the plunge and backed his new manager in the transfer market, bringing in a mixture of (relatively) big-money deals from across Europe and some shrewd loan signings from Mourinho's Chelsea.

Karanka's side almost managed a late push into the playoff picture thanks to a superb spell of form in the closing months of last season and now, after a summer in which Boro used their ambitious project to lure in every single one of their main transfer targets, the jigsaw is coming together. That night in Liverpool was not the only exhibition of the squad's unity; the rapturous celebrations which greeted an opening day win over Birmingham and the steel which saw out seven minutes of stoppage time pressure in a 1-0 win at Cardiff are clear signs that this is a squad filled with players fighting for each other and pulling in the same direction.

However, Boro are much more than a plucky Championship side who happened to punch above their weight for an evening in front of the Sky TV cameras - this is a squad with serious depth, quality and variety. Real Murcia's 23-goal striker Kike has become an instant fan favourite with five goals in his first ten games, rotating up front with Belgium international Jelle Vossen and Chelsea youngster Patrick Bamford, who puts the ball in the net wherever he is sent out on loan.

At the back, homegrown England u21 giant Ben Gibson lines up alongside Nigeria star Kenneth Omeruo, fresh off the back of a World Cup campaign which saw him lock horns with world talents Lionel Messi, Ángel di María and Edin Džeko to name but three. Karanka has been able to build what managers at this level aspire to - alined, efficient squad which has two, if not three highly capable players fighting for each position.

Despite all the positive feeling around the club, at the end of the day football is a results business - and they have started to come in abundance. After a good start, a hard-to-take defeat against rivals Leeds and turgid home capitulations against Reading and Sheffield Wednesday threatened to expose the 2014-15 season as another false dawn, but Boro hit back.

Inspired by the incredible goalscoring form of captain Grant Leadbitter from midfield, three wins in a row against Huddersfield, Cardiff and newly-promoted Brentford have shot them up the table into the playoff positions, and a 2-2 draw against Sterling, Balotelli, Lallana and co. is unlikely to upset their rhythm. With a solid back line, industrious midfield and an incisive attack, there is no reason why Middlesbrough can't be facing them again with three points on offer this time next year.