PULIS PROUD OF BRIGHTER BORO
TONY Pulis praised a more lively Middlesbrough side as they went top of the Championship on Friday night after bagging the points against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
The Boro manager was pleased with their well-managed away performance, which lifted them above Sheffield United and into first place on goal difference.
Two goals in six minutes at the start of the second half were enough after a slow opening half.
Mo Besic fired home after 49 minutes, before turning provider for Britt Assombalonga to net his 50th Championship goal on his return to the starting line-up.
Boro’s first came from neat work by Stewart Downing to release Jonny Howson down the right. His cut-back found Besic hovering unmarked on the edge of the area.
He dropped his right shoulder to create space past the Wednesday defender and slotted home across goal to Cameron Dawson’s right.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder, fresh from international duty, looked sharp and was quick to latch on to a poor back-pass from Tom Lees in the Wednesday half.
He forced Dawson out of his goal and was unselfish in squaring to Assombalonga to tap home his fifth of the season.
Former Boro man Adam Reach got Wednesday back into the game with a volley from 18 yards.
Barry Bannan’s free-kick was half-cleared to the edge of the box by Ryan Shotton, but Reach kept his head over the ball to fire past the rooted Darren Randolph with little under 10 minutes left.
However, the visitors remained resolute at the back and held on for all three points.
Pulis said: “We were better today, brighter. Looking back at the [Nottingham] Forest game I’ve got to take some stick myself.
“They really responded. The disappointing thing is that we do so well up to the final third and we have chances that we don’t turn into goals. We should have scored three or four and we’ve got to improve in the final third to make us a better team.
“I’ve got a lot of time for Mo. I think on his day he’s as good as anything in this league. He and Stewart [Downing] at times were sublime.
“The Championship wants to get better and it is getting better. There are young players coming in from the Premier League and they’re getting call-ups for international football.
“The Championship have got to recognise that they can’t play the amount of games they’re playing and have the quality to take this league up again.”
Wednesday manager Jos Luhukay said: “It was what we expected, a very difficult game with a high intensity.
“Middlesbrough profited from mistakes in our defending. Then it’s difficult to come back, they don’t give many chances away.
“But we made it to 2-1 and, in the last 10 minutes, perhaps you need luck to make it 2-2. We now have three days to find the physical side and the mental side to succeed against QPR.”