Whittaker, of all people, makes it 2-0 in the 55th minute - CJ:
Nice ball from Browne into Whittaker. He slips Strelec in behind wide. Nice ball low across goal from him and Palmer can only palm it [to] Whittaker, who fires home. He and his team-mates look elated!
The Beeb again:
Along with Stoke, Middlesbrough have the best defensive record in the Championship.
They've only conceded six goals in their nine games before tonight - can Ipswich breach them twice in the remaining half hour? They need to get the ball first - Boro are on the attack again...
Morris & Sène on for Whittaker & Strelec in the 69th minute.
The Tractor Boys pull one back in the 76th minute...
A testing last 10 minutes. Why was Conway the nearest player to their goal scorer- leave defending to defenders.
can Boro hold on ??
philip
Pointless booking for Sène in the 84th minute - the Beeb:
Kaly Sène breaks away down the right for the home side, but the flag goes up for offside.
The Middlesbrough man kicks the ball away - silly boy - yellow card.
I have just remembered: 2-1 at FT so "We are Top of the League, we are Top of the League!"
So, it finishes 2-1, with Boro temporarily back on top of the heap.
Good win, good win. The verdict has to be that Boro’s season is back on track.
Over 90 minutes they deserved to win. A good team performance but special mention to Hackney who is so influential and Brynn whose save was the turning point.
Philip of Huddersfield 👍😁👍
Was listening in a hotel room in Lisbon. Sounded like a great game on Tees, the crowd noise was the loudest I have heard on Tees. Having predicted we would get 9 points from these first 10 games so I have huge egg on my face. Hats off to Rob Edwards.
... after the first ten matches. 2,1 points per match. And who of us predicted 21 points after ten games? I guess nobody ...I have just remembered: 2-1 at HT so "We are Top of the League, we are Top of the League!"
Life is good. A wonderful game and full of action. A match to remember. Up the Boro!
@philip-of-huddersfield But the MoM was the Ipswich goalkeeper. He was the best in the first half.
Burgzorg had his best match in a Boro shirt. Up the Boro!
I think I predicted we'd have a 2 and a 1 after ten games - though it's possible I may have accidentally placed them in the wrong order...
The Beeb's initial verdict on the match:
A very good game of Championship football. That feels like a statement win for Middlesbrough as they head back to the top of the table.
Ipswich will point to George Hirst's penalty being saved by Sol Brynn with the score at 0-0 as a pivotal moment, but their own goalkeeper, Alex Palmer, had already produced four outstanding saves before Cédric Kipré's own goal handed Middlesbrough the lead.
Morgan Whittaker's first goal for the Teessiders looked to have made it safe before Dara O'Shea's header gave the Suffolk side some hope. But Middlesbrough held on and return to winning ways while Ipswich's five-game unbeaten run is over.
Managed to watch the game at my daughter and son in law’s house in the Highlands on the biggest screen I’ve ever seen!
What a great result. Off to Croatia tomorrow - what a send off.
That was the best performance of the season to date and a masterclass in how to take on a top class attacking team. Brittain and Targett were superb and it was a brilliant decision to play four at the back for most of the game. It allowed us to have more players in the midfield and available to press and Ipswich didn't work out an answer to it. We took on the best squad in the division and matched if not surpassed them. I still think that anyone ahead of Ipswich at the end of the season will be automatically promoted. Lets hope that its us.
UTB
Magnificent! This side is going places!
I'm going to award everyone in a red shirt, plus the manager, a 10. Except Jones, Targett and Fry who get 11/10, and Brynn and Hackney who both get 12!
Bergzog grew immensely during the game I’ll eat my words !!!
OFB
Another well managed seeing the game out after conceding that goal from the corner - but it seems this is a much tougher Boro and some good late subs and change of shape to keep Ipswich at arm's length.
This was an important win and puts us 2 points clear at top and 5 clear of third place with some winnable games coming up.
Also some good performances tonight with Burgzorg looking better than he has for a while - plus probably Hackney's best performance of the season too. Conway once again gave every ounce of energy for the cause and Browne looked very accomplished in midfield with lots of positive play.
The defence looked pretty old school back four with two strong centre-backs in Fry and Jones with good solid full-backs in Brittain and Targett. I think there's still work to be done in the forward positions as Whittaker had a terrible first half that was redeemed by a better start to the second and his first goal for the club - though Strelec looked a bit subdued and Sene didn't offer much of a threat when he came on but the game had perhaps shifted to one of not losing by then. Not to forget an immense display by Brynn in goal!
Top of the league and a rival beaten - should be a good weekend!
A weekend is always better after a Boro win. But to win on Friday, with the other teams all below Boro in the table, means that if you want to follow the other games, you can do so with a sense of contentment whatever the other teams might do.
Enjoy the weekend Diasborians!
A really enjoyable win and performance last night.
I must admit that I wasn’t confident going into the game. Ipswich’s squad looks stronger than ours on paper and they came into the game with more momentum. On seeing the selection, I also wasn’t quite sure what to make of the switch in formation - in part pleased to see a more attacking line-up given the slight issues we’ve had in scoring goals, but equally wondering if this was really the game to go a bit less solid.
I needn’t have worried.
With big chances spurned in the first half and then a penalty conceded, it still felt very typical Boro but then everything changed.
We have to give serious praise to Sol Brynn. Has any new goalkeeper ever come into the side so immediately settled? It’s remarkable that a young academy graduate - especially a keeper - has walked into the team with so little fuss. Despite his relative inexperience, there is barely any discussion week to week about that position, which in itself shows how comfortable everyone is with him.
The penalty save was magnificent and it changed the game far more than the earlier misses from Conway and Strelec might have.
Hackney too was superb, driving Boro forward and making the most of having that extra attacker ahead of him. He’s much more effective in a 4-2-3-1 I suspect.
Thank goodness he turned down that summer move - to Ipswich of course - when the club were seemingly happy to take the money.
Alongside him, Browne is another who has slotted in seamlessly - a steady hand in the Howson mould. We all love Morris’ work rate and attitude but Edwards will have to consider whether Browne should get a run in the team.
i thought that both fullbacks were very good as well, offering the solidity we’ve come to expect but also a crossing threat that has previously been a bit hit and miss.
Still some work to do on the attacking combinations but it seemed pretty clear that the club has had a good international break and came back fully ready for the challenge last night.
Another big pat on the back to Rob Edwards and his coaching team.
Great start to the weekend.
Another fantastic Friday night under the lights, please can we do this every week!!
Burgzorg fantastic, Fry fantastic, Browne fantastic, Conway fantastic, Hackney amazing and Whittaker scoring his goal, the weight of the world not only lifted off his shoulder but the whole stadium felt it.
A huge mention to Brynn too, fantastic penalty save but commanded his box so well yet again.
But after all the names above this was a hardworking team win and I have to say well deserved.
We need to follow this up now in midweek against Sheff Wed and avoid the typical boro tag, this team looks up for it.
The quote a well known movie "are you not entertained"
We would have drawn that game last season, but what was not to like
Penalties
Penalty saves
Goal line clearances
Defenders throwing themselves in front of the ball
Goalkeepers saying "you shall not pass"
We do need to practice sticking the ball away but happy that whitaker scored...
And breathe
A pity some national newspapers don’t have a report on last night’s game.
philip of Huddersfield
👎🤔👎
Great to have 2 Middlesbrough lads in Brynn and Fry, as well as Hackney from Redcar, in the team and thriving. They all made significant contributions last night. The fans love the local connection. For a long time, the sense of optimism and excitement is palpable. UTB
Well that was good. The coaching staff certainly look to have made good use of the international break. Strelec excepted, the selections were made from players who had not been away playing for their countries and there was a coherence which looked like the result of rigorous drilling.
A pity some national newspapers don’t have a report on last night’s game.
philip of Huddersfield
👎🤔👎
I wonder if part of the reason that HH had such a good game was down to the absence of Morris. I really rate AM but perhaps his not being there forced HH to look for different options. Just a thought.
@martin-bellamy valid point Martin, I always think Hackney looks really at home playing in that pocket of space between midfield and attack - Morris and Browne being the holding midfielders ?