Last-gasp Ayala gains revenge for Pulis
Like the smiling assassin who pats you on the back before plunging the knife in, this was revenge executed perfectly by Tony Pulis, as Middlesbrough scored a late winner through Daniel Ayala to go to the top of the Championship.
Pulis could not have been nicer about his previous employers in the build-up to his first meeting with the club since he was sacked in November, praising the character of his former players, as well as their new manager, Darren Moore.
It merely masked his desire to highlight the mistake they had made in getting rid of him and, having dominated without taking their chances, Boro scored in the second minute of injury time when Ayala squeezed a shot home after West Brom had struggled to clear a freekick from Muhamed Besic.
A man like Pulis does not forget. He was hounded out of the Hawthorns, and those fans who travelled from the West Midlands to Teesside had a chant ready, deriding his style of play as s--- as soon as he emerged from the tunnel. He will have enjoyed this.
“We were disappointed we didn’t come in at half-time with at least one goal,” said Pulis. “It’s always lovely to score at the end like that, when the other team doesn’t have a chance to react. We’ve had a good start to the season, but Leeds next weekend will be another big test.”
Boro were the better side but a bright start did not bring a goal. Jonny Howson headed the first chance wide after good play from Stewart Downing and George Friend. Downing was at the heart of most good things Boro did before half-time, dragging a couple of long-range efforts wide either side of a shot that needed to be tipped away by keeper Sam Johnstone.
West Brom were poor. Their best moment in the first half came courtesy of a Boro player, as Aden Flint sliced Harvey Barnes’s cross against his own crossbar. Boro were rampant but they were not clinical, Martin Braithwaite lashing a shot over the bar from inside the sixyard box.
Chances were wasted in the second half as well. Ryan Shotton headed over, before West Brom failed to take their best opening, with Dwight Gayle failing to hit the target under pressure. Darren Randolph then made an acrobatic save to keep out Jay Rodriguez.
“It was a sickener to lose like that so late,” said Moore. “It looked like it might have been handball. I thought we dominated possession. They changed shape to try to nullify us, that tells you everything.” Middlesbrough (3-5-2) Randolph; Ayala, Flint, Fry; Shotton, Clayton, Howson, Downing (Besic 72), Friend; Assombalonga (Hugill 81), Braithwaite (Mcnair 86). Subs Konstantopoulos (g), Leadbitter, Fletcher, Wing. Booked Ayala, Shotton, Besic.
West Brom (3-4-1-2) Johnstone; Adarabioyo (Dawson 69), Bartley, Hegazi; Phillips, Livermore, Brunt, Gibbs; Barnes (Morrison 69); Gayle (Robson-kanu 83), Rodriguez. Subs Myhill (g), Burke, Barry, Field. Booked Adarabioyo, Rodriguez.
Referee John Brooks (Leicestershire).