That was an evenly matched contest, with chances and spells of dominance for both teams, punctuated by the Leeds defence turning a bazooka on their own ankles at critical moments.
Middlesbrough led from the second minute, and looked like they had another gear or two in them, but comical howlers from both Leeds centre-backs gave the scoreline a bit of gloss. The visitors may feel aggrieved at Mirco Antenucci’s disallowed goal, but it was a borderline decision, and in my book, a correct one, if poorly executed.
The end result is that Middlesbrough have won seven straight in league and Cup, and will clearly take some stopping in the race for promotion. Thanks for reading. Bye!
Full-time: Middlesbrough 3-0 Leeds United
Boro move within a point of leaders Brighton, and five clear of the chasing pack, with a win that was less comfortable than the scoreline suggested – but deserved nonetheless.
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93 mins: The hosts win a final corner, as Nugent finds Nsue, who forces the corner off Bamba. They play it short, and Swarbrick puts an end to it.
92 mins: There’s not a lot happening, with Middlesbrough keeping their shape to try and see out a clean sheet against a tired-looking Leeds.
90 mins: Four minutes of added time.
89 mins: Boro are pinging the ball around their midfield, the home fans are ebullient, the away fans are leaving.
Here’s what Middlesbrough have to look forward to if they keep this up: the promised land of the Premier League. It’s Watford v Crystal Palace, live with Jacob Steinberg.
87 mins: Final change for the hosts, as Adam Forshaw replaces captain Grant Leadbitter.
86 mins: Leeds continue to forage without success in the Middlesbrough area. I think they know the game’s up, and continued attacking endeavour is only going to make Uwe Rosler more angry.
83 mins: Antenucci, another impressive performer up front for Leeds, forces a corner with a mazy run and a shot that’s blocked. The visitors have performed well enough going forward; at the back, not so much.
GOAL! Middlesbrough 3-0 Leeds United (Fabbrini)
This is just embarrassing. Leeds knock the ball around aimlessly at the back, before Sol Bamba trips over his own shadow, presenting the ball to Fabbrini, who takes the chance clinically, rounding Silvestri and thumping the ball into the open goal.
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78 mins: ...this time, he fires it into the wall. Another change for Leeds, as Luke Murphy replaces Stuart Dallas, who has been a lively presence up front for them.
77 mins: The agricultural tackles continue, with Ayala clattering Antenucci from behind and picking up a regulation booking. Mowatt will have another chance to shoot from distance...
76 mins: Karanka decides it’s time to shut up shop, bringing on Nsue for Adomah. Not much time left for Leeds, and their momentum has stalled since that disallowed goal.
74 mins: Amorebieta brings down Cook, provoking an angry response from a couple of Leeds players. Swarbrick doesn’t reach for his pocket, and the free kick sails into the arms of Konstantopoulos.
72 mins: Fabbrini, who replaced the foul-happy Stuani, goes in the book himself for a clumsy challenge. Hopefully he can learn faster than Stuani did.
71 mins: Bellusci strides into the Boro half, picks his pass, and inevitably spears the ball into an opposing player’s path, setting up a counter attack which Bamba does well to quell, forcing Fabbrini off the ball.
69 mins: David Nugent’s attacking game peaked after 120 seconds, but he’s put in a shift, clearing another Leeds corner at the near post. A couple of Middlesbrough fans are making the most of the September sunshine, waving their t-shirts over their heads gleefully.
68 mins: Middlesbrough win a free kick out on the left, which Leadbitter bends into the area, and through harmlessly to Konstantopoulos. Boro fans call their goalkeeper Dimi (his first name is Dimitrios), and I’m starting to understand why.
66 mins: The hosts have managed to draw the sting from proceedings in the last few moments. Doukara, usually a striker, has slotted in on the left wing.
63 mins: A change for Leeds as debutant Botaka, who has shown only flashes of his jet-heeled qualities, replaces Doukara. Botaka began walking off before his number came up, so perhaps a planned change. Perhaps not.
62 mins: The game is opening up here, as a Leeds attack falls down at the feet of Botaka, before Boro break, with Leadbitter looking for Fabbrini in space on the right. Bellusci gets across to clear for a throw-in, and after more defensive jitters, Berardi cuts off Downing, at the expense of a corner.
60 mins: Middlesbrough try to regroup after a shaky start to the half, with Downing teeing up Friend for a left-wing cross – but he can only find the gloves of Silvestri, who for once doesn’t have any defenders making life difficult for him.
57 mins: Stuani is replaced by Fabbrini, which is probably for the best. Another very good chance for Leeds, as Botaka finds Antenucci unmarked in the middle – but the striker powers a header straight at Konstantopoulos.
55 mins: Controversy here, as Cook sees his shot blocked and the ball ricochets to Antenucci, who tucks it away from an apparently offside position. The assistant keeps his flag down – then raises it after speaking to Swarbrick!
Leeds are furious, but replays show the ball clip Dallas’s heels, rendering Antenucci – who was onside from the original shot – a fraction offside. Probably the right call, but it took almost a minute to arrive.
53 mins: Dallas executes a nifty one-two with Antenucci and barrels towards goal, but his touch is overhit and Konstantopoulos collects it.
52 mins: A scrappy start to the second half, with plenty of free kicks conceded. Adomah is the latest to do so, giving Mowatt a chance to shoot from a central area, 30 yards out. He gets the ball up and over the wall, and as it swerves viciously to the right, Konstantopoulos does well to turn the ball away.
49 mins: The Leeds defenders have given Silvestri more grief than the opposing strikers, with Sol Bamba again testing his goalkeeper with an awkward attempted clearance. Silvestri is forced to turn it over his own crossbar, but the corner is wasted.
48 mins: Middlesbrough break, but Taylor, probably Leeds’ standout player so far, gets across to tackle Adomah and end the danger.
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46 mins: Stuani takes down Taylor for the third time with an ugly lunge, close to the Middlesbrough goal-line. Swarbrick gives him a warning, even though he’s already had two. He really should be off. Mowatt is over the free kick, but the hosts get it clear.
Peep!
Here we go again. No changes for either side, although Uwe Rosler is having a word with Souleymayne Doukara, who may be introduced imminently.
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The second half is kicking off shortly, after a slew of now-slightly-awkward England rugby-themed ads and exhortations to gamble. Middlesbrough are yet to concede two goals in a game this season, so this is a tough ask for Leeds.
On a side note, now that Fulham’s tribute to the King of Pop is no more, I think the hulking ship carcass behind the North Stand is my favourite offbeat addition to a stadium. Any other suggestions?
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Half-time: Middlesbrough 2-0 Leeds United
It’s been an even contest, with possession and chances split between the sides, but the hosts have offered more danger from their deliveries and set-pieces, and even when they haven’t, dodgy Leeds defending has helped them out. A long way back for the visitors; back in a few.
47 mins: Bellusci gets forward and attempts a cross from deep... which sails out of play. He’s not the most popular among Leeds fans, if my social media research is anything to go by, and won’t be getting any handshakes in the away dressing room either.
45 mins: There will be four added minutes, as another dangerous Downing delivery skims wide off the head of Ayala. Boro have ceded possession, looking passive at times, but almost every ball into the box has caused Leeds problems.
44 mins: Downing, like the Teesside Eden Hazard that he is, switches to the left to exchange passes with Adomah, before forcing a corner. He then pops up on the right to swing a cross in, which Stuani nods wide of goal.
43 mins: Could have been three for Middlesbrough, as Stuani, mooching around the penalty spot, springs forward to attack an inswinging Adomah cross, but can’t get a touch on the ball.
41 mins: Mowatt lines up another shot from the edge of the area, and beats Konstantopoulos, but also the far post, with a low effort. Plenty of attacking endeavour from Leeds, but nothing to show for it.
40 mins: Charlie Taylor trots upfield, but has his heels clipped by Stuani. That should probably be another booking, but Swarbrick lets him off with a warning. It could be 10 v 10, if a sterner referee – Mike Dean, for instance – was in charge.
38 mins: Downing, who has been quiet so far in the centre, retreats to his natural habitat and curls in a testing cross, which Ayala flicks on. Stuani is flagged offside, but still has a bash at an overhead kick that bobbles wide.
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35 mins: Leeds continue to make waves going forward, with first Dallas, then Mowatt, testing Konstantopoulos with efforts from outside the area. Taylor wins a free kick close to the corner flag after a daft challenge from Kalas, but Boro clear. I make the shot count 5-1 in Leeds’ favour.
33 mins: It’s a good job Uwe Rosler has gone for the Savalas/Brynner/Pitbull look, because he would surely be excising his hair at the root. That was dreadful, brainless stuff from Bellusci.
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GOAL! Middlesbrough 2-0 Leeds United (Bellusci own goal)
...ah, never mind. Having spent half an hour rebuilding their composure, Leeds hand a second goal to their hosts. Friend whips in a cross, but without a red shirt anywhere near him, Bellusci, who was at fault for the first goal, thumps a near-post header into the net. Silvestri isn’t saving that.
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30 mins: Swarbrick does go to his pocket here, with Stuani booked for a petulant lunge. Leeds are gaining some ground here...
27 mins: Leeds are inching up the field, holding the ball deep in Middlesbrough’s half, before Tom Adeyemi has a rush of blood and punts the ball at goal. It takes a deflection, but is easy for Konstantopoulos to collect – he’ll want his defence to close down quicker than that.
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25 mins: Leeds have recovered well from that rocky start, with Charlie Taylor swinging in a low cross from the left that Ayala gets a hesitant boot to.
23 mins: After link-up play between Berardi and Antenucci, Botaka wanders in from the right wing, but sees his angled shot blocked.
22 mins: Both players are back on the field, with Mowatt sporting a bandage and tape combo, making his head look like a poorly wrapped present.
19 mins: Amorebieta and Alex Mowatt are both in a heap after a nasty clash of heads, so there’s a break in play. Antenucci should have done a little better with that opportunity, but it’s a warning to the hosts, who have been a bit casual after that blistering start.
18 mins: Kalas misplaces a cross, and Leeds launch a counter-attack, with Antenucci and Berardi combining, before Berardi exchanges passes with Botaka and slots a pass in to Antenucci. He works an angle to shoot, but it’s a tight one, and Konstantopoulos saves comfortably.
16 mins: Antenucci almost rubs salt in the wounds, getting into space on the left byline, but Ayala is unruffled by his shimmying, and pokes the ball away to safety.
14 mins: Antenucci, who picked up a knock a few moments ago, flies into a challenge, planting a boot over the ball and onto the shin of Kalas. No card for the Italian, who deserved a yellow at the very least.
12 mins: Round two to Middlesbrough in the Kalas-Dallas rivalry, as the Chelsea loanee matches Dallas for pace, cutting off his run and returning the ball to Konstantopoulos.
10 mins: Almost an own goal for the ages, as Adomah sprints down the left and swings the ball in. Sol Bamba, on his own in the penalty area, tries to chest the ball back to Silvestri, and somehow overdoes it, forcing the keeper into a sprawling save. Boro win a corner, still smirking amongst themselves, but it comes to nothing.
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9 mins: A midfield tussle at present, with the hosts happy to sit on their early lead for now, and Leeds looking short of attacking ideas.
A footballing guilty pleasure of mine is the terse official club tweet informing fans that the opposition has scored. Here’s a fine example:
7 mins: Both managers out of their dugouts to give instructions. Former Leeds man Adam Clayton is penalised for a foul on Adeyemi, after an awkward tangle of legs in midfield.
5 mins: The Riverside is rocking as Leeds try to find their feet. Stuart Dallas, a player with pace and creativity, is well marshalled down the left flank by Kalas.
3 mins: One defeat in the last 39 games for Boro when they’ve taken the lead. Hang in there, Leeds fans.
GOAL! Middlesbrough 1-0 Leeds United (Nugent)
This is what we like. Nugent nods down a long diagonal ball to Stuani, who dances around Charlie Taylor and crosses back to the striker, whose close-range shot thuds into the turf and rises into the roof of the net!
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1 min: Both teams are in their traditional colours, and both sport old-school, unfussy kits; Boro are in all red, Leeds in all white. Kalas hooks a long ball up the right touchline, but Bamba gets across to clear.
It's go time
Neil Swarbrick gets the match under way, with Middlesbrough looking to avenge two league defeats against Leeds last season.
Five minutes, or thereabouts until kick-off. Here’s Middlesbrough’s finest musical exports to tide you over until then...
A word from the two managers: Karanka says he’s happy with performances in a difficult league, and that the two weeks of training after the home defeat to Bristol City have helped them to fight back. Rosler is happy to start the season in solid fashion after the team flirted with the drop last season, and hopes to ‘give the first punch’ today. I don’t think he means literally.
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Middlesbrough players will warm up in ‘Save Our Steel’ t-shirts, with the club also giving permission for banners bearing the message, in support of workers at the nearby Redcar steelworks. Boro chairman Steve Gibson, and manager Aitor Karanka have both spoken out of the issue. You can find out more about the campaign here.
Just the two defensive changes for the hosts from their last league outing, the 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest, with Tomas Kalas and Fernando Amorebieta replacing Ben Gibson and Emilio Nsue, who are both on the bench.
For Leeds, it’s a little more complicated, with Gaetano Berardi, Giuseppe Bellusci, Tom Adeyemi and Mirco Antenucci stepping off the bench, and DR Congo winger Jordan Botaka making his debut. They replace Scott Wootton, Liam Cooper, Luke Murphy, Sam Byram and Chris Wood, who is injured and out of the squad. Without wanting to go all Paul Merson on you, those changes aren’t great news for a weary MBMer.
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Team news
Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos; Kalas, Ayala, Amorebieta, Friend; Clayton, Leadbitter, Downing, Adomah; Stuani, Nugent.
Subs: Mejias, Gibson, Kike, De Pena, Nsue, Fabbrini, Forshaw.
Leeds United: Silvestri; Berardi, Bellusci, Bamba, Taylor; Adeyemi, Cook, Mowatt, Botaka, Dallas; Antenucci.
Subs: Turnbull, Wootton, Cooper, Murphy, Phillips, Byram, Doukara.
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Preamble
Hello. In the small hours of tomorrow morning, there’s a fair chance that for an hour or two, the moon will turn red. Just the moon, turning red for a bit. No big deal. There could be a red moon rising over the Championship before then (do you see what I did there?) as Middlesbrough can close to within a point of leaders Brighton – and more significantly, put daylight between themselves and the chasing pack.
After an indifferent start, Aitor Karanka’s team have won six straight games in all competitions, bouncing back impressively from their playoff final horror show. Boro possess top-flight talents, not least returning hero Stuart Downing, and boast a forbidding strength in depth. Small wonder that they’re already odds-on to secure promotion, as fans face up to the bittersweet prospect of becoming the north-east’s only Premier League outfit.
Let’s not write off today’s opponents Leeds too lightly, for to do so would be arrant foolishness. Uwe Rosler’s side have been consistently competitive all season – losing just once in their first eight games – and in Chris Wood, they have a striker in form. In the absence of a Premier League fixture this lunchtime, this tie between two formidable sides, who have spent a combined 110 years in the top division, will more than suffice.
Kick-off is at 1.15pm; team news and build-up to come.
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