Akpom equalises in the 25th minute, assisted by Forss. Back on the goal trail! 🙂
He's now equalled Paddy B's total of 17 league goals in a season. Only Bernie Slaven (21) & Big John H (25) to overhaul next...
After a very shaky start and conceding a sloppy goal( Steffen came for the ball and then changed his mind) Boro were the better team and played really well.
Archer is proving to be a handful - I like his pace and commitment.
Will Boro’s missed chances return to haunt them ?
Philip of Huddersfield
After a very shaky start and conceding a sloppy goal( Steffen came for the ball and then changed his mind) Boro were the better team and played really well.
Archer is proving to be a handful - I like his pace and commitment.
Will Boro’s missed chances return to haunt them ?
Philip of Huddersfield
Vic's assessment of the first half:
Boro punished for a sluggish start but dug in, clawed back and fashioned a fantastic leveller. Good possession and control, flashes of quality going forward & some decent chances but a few heart-stopping moments at the back too. Great game.
After the first ten minutes, we have been superb. Should be leading but 1-1 at half time.
Interesting to see if United would change something at half time.
Up the Boro!
Missed 1/2 hour of the match but just seen the good equaliser from Akpom on highlights. Hope we continue to play as well in the 2nd half as we could win it.
Great game with Boro dominant after an awful start conceding a poor goal rom a long throw
Midfielders all outstanding with the Howson,Hackney and McGree at the heart of most of Boro's moves
We have created numerous chances. Forss missed a golden opportunity after being put in McGree, but redeemed himself by playing in Akpom who scored a wonderful goal with all of the confidence of this seasons goals behind him.
No repeat of our second half at Cardiff please. We can win this one.
Archer bags his second goal in two games in the 48th minute.
Vic:
ARCHER HITS THE TARGET. WHACK! But what a brilliant, lucky, surging, determined run by Giles. What a start to the 2nd half. (2-1, 48 mins)
Boro 3 - 1 Archer again
74th minute, assisted by HH.
Tommy Smith booked in the 14th minute. 🙁
And Jonny Howson in the 57th. 🙁
Retweeted by Vic:
Boro 3 - 1. Terrific play by Boro. Hope we have a lot left in the tank for QPR. Finishing my bottle of wine!
Tremendous performance.
We have a real team.
Is this the best team for years.
The team epitomises MC by playing in a calm confident manner.
well done😂😂😂👍👍👋👋
Philip of Huddersfield
Who said we would win 3/1?
3-1 win! You beauty! Outstanding performance!
What a great game and an outstanding win. United shell shocked by Boro’s all round quality and apart from the first ten minutes they were second best for the rest of the game.
MoTM - all eleven. 😎
Vic doing his best to keep the lid on the inevitable post-match euphoria:
A lot of the talk tomorrow will be about chasing down the Blades and 2nd and that ambition is excellent & will drive us on - but just as important was carving out breathing space behind in the cut-throat play-off pack
Tommy Smith booked in the 14th minute. 🙁
And Jonny Howson in the 57th. 🙁
Crooks replaced Archer in the 82nd minute - & was booked in the third minute of injury time!
Aaron Ramsey replaced Forss at the same time.
No Jones and Barlaser unused. MC obviously seeing something different to what we assume.
Wow, just wow! I was thinking early on how good their team looked and then we just took control. Confidence looks sky high at the moment and there won’t be a team in the division who want to pay us right now.
No Jones and Barlaser unused. MC obviously seeing something different to what we assume.
Could Barlaser replace Howson on Saturday as 3 matches in 7 days might be a bit too much for Howson 🤔
Come on BORO.
Who said we would win 3/1?
You did 😉
What a great game and an outstanding win. United shell shocked by Boro’s all round quality and apart from the first ten minutes they were second best for the rest of the game.
MoTM - all eleven. 😎
Three nines & the rest eights, according to the Gazette:
That was absolutely outstanding. Sure we still don't get it right all of the time, but for most of the time we do and it is simply a joy to watch.
Sky just pointed out that MC now has the best start to being Boro manager of all time.... that includes Big Jack.
The next couple of months are going to genuinely exciting.
An unacceptably belated thanks to OFB for a cracking opener. And now having caught up properly, I must say this has been a particularly good set of follow up comments by all.
It’s been a busy few days of work for me and I haven’t had much time to catch up with the blog but I must admit I may not have commented anyway as in my heart of hearts I was expecting a hiding tonight.
None of it. Boro were brilliant, thoroughly deserving the three points.
What a mad season this is proving to be. We entered with so much hope, had it utterly and cruelly dashed, and now look at us. Rollercoaster.
It’s still a long shot to chase down the automatic promotion places but it’s a slightly shorter shot now. We’ll know if it’s really on in three or four games’ time.
When was the last time we actually improved the squad in January like we have this time with Cameron Archer? Oh I remember, it was when we signed Gaston Ramirez. How did that season end again?
Great game by Steffen after all the negative comments on lots of message boards, hope he gets the plaudits he deserves.
Come on BORO.
I said before these great results started, that we were playing great stuff, and that we would get promoted. I do not claim to know more than other people, but I do like beautiful football, and our manager is producing it, by coaching, and man management. He has them in the palm of his hand, and that is a gift beyond any other.
It turned out to be Merlot after all at the pub due to a total lack of Rioja. I was disappointed at the lack of reds available. I could have gone Shiraz but, you know...
Steffen was criticised by my "group" at the Battered Badger for his failure to make his presence felt for their first goal - a slowish long throw to about a yard outside the 6 yard box which should always be the keeper's domain - but Steffen later redeemed himself with a few good blocks and punches to clear later in the game. Maybe the bigger lads at the centre of defence might have expected the ball to be aimed at McBurnie for that goal - but what do I know...?
Boro certainly suffered in the first 15-18 minutes but gradually came back into the game and the equaliser by Akpom raised the roof. I can't believe the stats shown to me late in the game by a mate at the pub because, although it was an open game, I felt Boro created the better chances and looked the more likely to win as the second half progressed. Two goals by Archer that were the result of good play and good finishes, and the 3 points were coming to Boro. I think McGree and Hackney get better the deeper we get into the season and there were blocks and hard running later in the game when Sheff United made runs forward.
It was a genuinely enjoyable experience to watch Boro dispatch a team laying clear 2nd in the table. There is no doubt the momentum is with the Boro. The confidence in the players is obvious. "They've scored against us? We'd better get up there and score 2 then!"
The race for second place is not over. If we keep winning, the pressure will mount on the Blades. And they have lots of fixtures in the next month or so against teams in or about the Play-Off positions. If they drop points the pressure increases.
What this shows is that we MIGHT get into the top 2 but we surely MUST finish in the Play-Off positions and 3rd seems most likely if we do. HAPPY DAYS!
(I had been asked for a prediction as the game kicked off and the lad before me suggested 1-3 to Boro. I therefore, to add some variety, suggested 2-3 to Boro and when their forward headed the ball goalwards deep into injury time and probably 30 seconds before the final whistle, my suggestion looked a good bet. But as the ball soared over the bar, I was happier with 1-3 than I would have been with 2-3 so I was fine with the miss!).
I think the considered phrase is "GET IN THERE!"
I see the EG gave n/a scores for Crooks, Ramsey and Mowatt. In the latter’s case, fair enough - I don’t think he touched the ball. But Crooks made a telling contribution, putting Blades defenders under pressure (as he did to Cardiff on Saturday) and ensuring the ball came nowhere near our goal as the clock ticked down. He was an 8 for me! And I like the look of Ramsey - again, he contributed well, beating his man several times and retaining possession effectively. A 7, but to maintain the team’s remarkable consistency, I’ll raise it to 8! Can’t remember the last time the EG gave everybody at least an 8 - if ever? - but that says it all about this superb win. I’m loving this team right now. We have immense character, playing our own game determinedly and refusing to lie down, regardless of what the opposition throw at us, and the football we’re playing is exquisite and of very high quality. If we continue in this vein, there won’t be many sides in this league who’ll live with us. When did we last have a goal difference of +16??
Here’s a statistic to gladden the heart:- MC has now won 7 of his 10 away matches in charge. I really can’t get used to this! We’re all so used to Boro sides in recent decades win the odd match away, but more often losing. We always used to look upon away games with a degree of trepidation. I can’t ever recall such a consistently successful away streak. Any offers, Ken?
And more good news: - Of our 14 remaining games, 8 are at home, 10 are against sides currently lower than tenth in the table, and only 2 (Burnley at home, Luton away) are against teams in the current top six. I reckon that’s a very encouraging run-in.