Sheffield United 1-2 Middlesbrough: Boro take top spot in the Championship after win at Blades

Middlesbrough took over at the top of the Championship as an impressive first-half performance earned them a 2-1 victory at Sheffield United.

Goals from Tommy Conway and Riley McGree during the opening 45 minutes proved to be crucial, taking Boro two points clear of Coventry City at the top after a sixth straight win.

Patrick Bamford gave Sheffield United hope with a goal midway through the second half.

However, their task was made more difficult when debutant Joe Rothwell was sent off 10 minutes from time and they could not find an equaliser.

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Match action

Blades midfielder Gus Hamer saw an early curling effort pushed away by goalkeeper Sol Brynn before Middlesbrough took control, producing some incisive attacking moves to open up the home defence on a number of occasions.

Hayden Hackney slipped a good ball through to Conway on the left-hand side of the area and the striker will have been disappointed with his effort from a promising position, blazing his shot wide.

Adilson Malanda saw a header saved by Michael Cooper and Morgan Whittaker also put himself in goalscoring positions, heading straight at Cooper and then seeing his shot flash beyond the far post.

The breakthrough came in the 19th minute when Luke Ayling, Whittaker and McGree combined well to set up Conway, who produced a fine finish.

Hackney went close to putting Boro further ahead, firing inches wide of Cooper’s right-hand post before Bamford had a great chance to equalise, bringing the ball down from a superb Hamer pass and firing a fraction wide of the target.

Brynn came to Middlesbrough’s rescue with a superb save to keep out Hamer’s well-struck effort and Cooper did likewise for Sheffield United, getting down well to turn Whittaker’s shot wide.

The visitors went 2-0 up in the final minute of the half when Hackney’s drive struck Cooper’s right-hand post, the ball bounced up, and McGree was quickest to react, heading the loose ball into the unguarded net.

Second half

As the home side looked for an early second-half goal to inspire a revival, an inviting ball across the face of goal from Callum O’Hare was just too far in front of the lurking Bamford.

Bamford did pull a goal back in the 73rd minute, controlling a great ball into the area from Hamer before beating Brynn from 12 yards.

Rothwell, who came on as a substitute at the start of the second half, was shown a red card in the 80th minute following a reckless challenge on Alan Browne and that all but ended any hopes of getting anything from the game.

We go again

Kim Hellberg praised a “very, very impressive” performance from his Middlesbrough team following the win at Bramall Lane.

Hellberg said: “I think the whole game was a brilliant game of football.

“I think it was two teams that were going at each other, two teams that tried to be offensive, two teams that tried to take the ball from the other team.

“I think that was everything that I love with football in terms of that type of game.

“And I think after the first 10 minutes our players were unbelievable in balancing, taking the ball forward when there was opportunity, finding combinations, going behind them and creating a lot of chances that we could have scored even more maybe. 



“To do that performance against a very, very good team here under lights was impressive from the players. 


“A big night and a very tough one, away from home to get those type of results, to get six in a row.

“And in there having three away games that have been won in different ways, I think that’s very, very impressive from the group.

“Again, for us it will be the same thing tomorrow. We’ll try to get better, try to develop, learn from it. That’s what it’s all about. It’s 15 games left, but we’ll go again.”

Disappointed

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder was disappointed with his side’s failure to build on a promising start, while first of all praising the opposition.

He said: “I’ve got to say, the best team we’ve played all season, in the spell that I’ve been here, by quite a long shot.

“The start was good, we had opportunities. I’d imagine for the neutral, especially the start, it was ridiculous in how the game started.

“We were really on the front foot, knowing that they’ve got dangerous players. We committed to the press, tried to get after them, tried to break the rhythm up.”


Wilder had no complaints about Rothwell’s sending-off, adding: “It may be a bit of frustration, maybe not playing football for the early part of the season and wanting to make his mark, but it’s a mistimed tackle.

“I’ve got no issue with the decision off the back of that and he’s got his head in his hands straight away and in the changing room afterwards.”

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