Pulis gets revenge courtesy of Ayala
TONY PULIS exacted revenge against the club who sacked him last November thanks to an injury-time winner from Daniel Ayala, who is proving quite a turn for Middlesbrough.
Brought in to reinforce the Boro defence against freescoring West Brom, the Spaniard struck in injury-time to clinch the victory that kept his side top of the table.
There was a suspicion of handball as Ayala challenged Ahmed Hegazi in the box following Mo Besic’s free-kick.
But the central defender is proving quite a finisher and as the ball dropped, he lashed it past Sam Johnstone for his fifth goal in his last 11 outings.
It is a ratio most strikers would be proud of.
The Baggies had scored 11 goals in their previous two league games but could find no way past a resolute Boro.
Since George Friend’s late equaliser at Millwall on the opening day of the season, Boro have been first-half specialists.
But they were unable to maintain their record of having scored all their goals in the last four games within 32 minutes of kick-off.
Boro did have their chances. Jonny Howson saw an early diving header deflected wide off the backside of team-mate Britt Assombalonga after being set up by Friend.
And after Friend himself had a penalty appeal turned down when the ball skimmed off Tosin Adarabioyo’s hand into his face, Stewart Downing tested Johnstone with a 25-yarder.
No Baggies player managed a shot on target in the first period, though the visitors did come closest to breaking the deadlock when Aden Flint sliced an attempted clearance against the underside of his own bar.
Boro should have gone ahead in the 43rd minute through Martin Braithwaite.
The Danish international has been in fine form this season since returning from a loan spell at Bordeaux and he remains vulnerable to a late swoop from a club on the Continent.
But composure deserted him when Flint’s knockdown fell into his path and he lifted the ball over from eight yards out.
In the hosts’ first attack of the second half, Ayala, one of their chief threats in such situations, was on the end of a long Friend throw-in but got little power on his header. Boro soon threatened again with Ryan Shotton heading wide at the far post and then Braithwaite brought the best out of Johnstone with a crisp drive.
Dwight Gayle had opened his Baggies account last week and the Newcastle loanee should have marked his return to the North-east with another goal but, after running on to Matt Phillips’ pass, he could not keep his shot down.
Sixteen minutes later, Boro goalkeeper Darren Randolph flung himself to his right to turn a Jay Rodriguez shot behind.