SAM’S THE LEADER OF SIX PACK
Hall McNair Mendez-Laing
NEIL WARNOCK has a trick or two up his sleeve for Middlesbrough’s promotion run-in.
The Boro chief knows it’s a long-shot for his side even to make it into the play-offs, let alone go up this season.
But they are still in the mix and Warnock reckons that in maverick forward Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, he may have a trump card.
The former Cardiff winger scored his first goal since Warnock (right) rescued him, after he was booted out of the Welsh capital and banned from football for three months for drugs offences.
The 28-year-old wrapped up a convincing home win with a dinked finish in the dying minutes, which Warnock claimed was “Dalglish-esque” in its execution.
With defenders Grant Hall and Paddy McNair having given Boro a two-goal cushion, against a Stoke side now winless in 10 away games, their campaign remains very much alive.
“He can win games,” said the Boro chief who accepts that after his three month lay-off, Mendez-Laing cannot be flogged in the remaining 10 games.
“We haven’t scored enough goals and that’s why we are where we are really. But he can score at any level – I can show you his two goals at Old Trafford on the final day of the Premier League season, when he terrorised the full-back.
“He has plenty of potential but has been out for a while. I don’t want him to try too hard, just get some mileage in and make some starts before the end of the season.
“When you’ve been through what he has, it’s a relief and now he wants to show the lads what he can do.
“You’re not going to see a better finish than that. It reminded me of Kenny Dalglish – stunning!”
The Potters could not make the most of a bright start and once McNair was pushed into Boro’s midfield, they totally lost the initiative.
The top six are now out of reach but manager Michael O’Neill is looking for a bit more substance over style between now and May.
“Up until their first goal, we were clearly the dominant team,” he said.
“But dominance doesn’t win you games, unless you put something on the scoreboard.
“We simply didn’t do enough with the ball, not enough balls into the box, not enough chances, not enough shots.”
Referee: Andy Madley BORO: Bettinelli 7, McNair 8, Hall 7, Fry 7, Spence 6 (Mendez-Laing 82), Howson 7, Morsy 6, Bola 7, Kebano 6 (Johnson 65, 6), Bolasie 6 (Fisher 65, 6), Akpom 6 (Assombalonga 77, 7).
STOKE: Gunn 6, Smith 6, Souttar 6, Chester 6, Norrington-Davies 7 (Vokes 67, 6), Obi 6, Allen 7, Brown 6 (Tymon 45, 6), Powell 6, Clarke 6 (Matondo 63, 5), Fletcher 6
Man of the match Paddy McNair
MOTM PADDY McNAIR (BORO)
SAM KERR netted a hat-trick as Chelsea retained the League Cup with a merciless 6-0 thrashing of Bristol City.
That represented a record-breaking cup final scoreline, with Fran Kirby helping herself to a brace.
Guro Reiten was the other scorer in a one-sided showpiece at Watford’s Vicarage Road.
Blues boss Emma Hayes said: “We were unbelievable for 60 minutes – the pace, intensity and movement.
“It was a great team performance across the board. Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr were unbelievable.
“It was a performance of a team very confident in what they were doing.’’
The win came at a cost however as Norway defender Maren Mjelde ended up in hospital after being stretchered off with a knee injury.
Hayes added: “It is a bittersweet moment. Maren is a huge person in our dressing room. She is the person everybody looks up to. I hope she is OK.”
The Robins arrived in hope thanks to the three wins and a draw that lifted them off the bottom of the Women’s Super League table for the first time since September.
But champions Chelsea would not be denied an eighth major trophy and quickly added to the 14 goals they had scored against City in this season’s two league meetings.
Kerr’s (above) early double was followed by City goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley gifting Kirby two of her own.
Hayes made three changes at half-time but Kirby added two more assists for Kerr’s treble and Reiten.
In the WSL, TOTTENHAM played out a 0-0 draw at READING. Royals manager Kelly Chambers said: “I am happy – clean sheet. For me, that’s the most important thing.”
Spurs chief Rehanne Skinner added: “I thought we played really well.”