Terrible first half they tumble into
MANAGERLESS Middlesbrough dropped into the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone as their problems continued to mount with a 2-1 home defeat to Blackburn.
Rovers returned to winning ways at the Riverside thanks to an early own goal from Darragh Lenihan and a superb longrange finish from Sam Gallagher.
Duncan Watmore gave Middlesbrough hope when he pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time, but, with interim manager Leo Percovich watching on from the technical area as he continues to oversee firstteam affairs following the dismissal of Chris Wilder, the hosts were unable to avoid a second successive defeat.
Boro’s afternoon began badly when they fell behind after just four minutes. Dominic Hyam was unmarked at the back post as he nodded a cross back across goal and, while Gallagher attempted to bundle home from inside the six-yard box, Lenihan got the final touch to deflect the ball into his own net.
Lenihan left Blackburn to join Middlesbrough on a free transfer in the summer – that was hardly the way he would have wanted to mark his first reunion with his former employers.
Gallagher clearly wanted to claim the goal as he wheeled away in celebration, but the Rovers striker did not have to wait too long for a strike that could not be taken away from him.
There appeared to be little on when he controlled Hyam’s long ball in the 17th minute, but, after turning inside Paddy Mcnair, he rifled a brilliant 20-yard finish past Zack Steffen.
Steffen’s goal was under threat for most of the first half and the Boro goalkeeper, who is on loan from Manchester City, produced three excellent saves to keep his side in the game.
He kept out low efforts from Callum Brittain and Gallagher before producing a brilliant point-blank stop to tip Gallagher’s close-range header over the crossbar after the striker had perfectly timed his run to meet Tyler Morton’s free-kick.
Boro were in danger of going under completely, but the hosts hauled themselves back into the game as they scored on the stroke of half-time.
Jonny Howson released Watmore into the left-hand side of the area and the forward drilled a precise low finish through Thomas Kaminski’s legs.
Having given themselves a lifeline, the Teessiders displayed much more urgency and purpose in the second period and substitute Isaiah Jones went close with a long-range effort that Kaminski gathered.
That was a routine save, but Kaminski’s next intervention, with 16 minutes remaining, was rather more out of the ordinary. Lewis Travis’ defensive header looped onto the inside of a post, with the rebound falling to Chuba Akpom two yards out.
The Middlesbrough substitute looked certain to score, but Kaminski somehow scrambled across his line to block his closerange effort. Boro had a few more chances and nearly moments but ultimately their equaliser did not come.
With no new manager yet in place, Boro dropped into the Championship relegation zone once again and can only blame themselves after such first-half efforts.