Middlesbrough 3 Huddersfield 0
Leadbitter (Pen) 32 Ramirez 33 77
After nervy victories against Hull and QPR, Middlesbrough ticked
off another Championship fixture in more routine fashion as they convincingly
beat Huddersfield at the Riverside Stadium.
A Grant Leadbitter penalty and two goals from Gaston Ramirez
moved Aitor Karanka’s side to within a point of leaders Burnley with a game in
hand.
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| Boro fans pay tribute to former commentator Ali Brownlee in the 56th minute |
Boro still have seven games remaining as they continue to
strive for a Premier League place next season. After this result they will be
many people’s favourites to claim one of the two automatic promotion places –
especially with a favourable run in.
Next up are two more home games against Preston and Reading
before a trip to bottom of the table Bolton, who could be relegated when the
sides meet on April 16.
There is bound to be a test somewhere in there, this is the
Championship after all, however after this display the confidence and feel good
factor appears to be back.
It is now three wins in a row for a Boro side who, less than
a month ago, looked like throwing away their prominent position following back
to back defeats against Rotherham and Charlton.
Like in the second half against QPR this performance had
energy and urgency about it and in truth it was as good as over by half time.
Huddersfield shot themselves in the foot by giving away the
penalty and then conceding possession from the kick-off to fall 2-0 behind. It
could be argued that they made it easy for Boro to play against them, but
credit must be given for another tenacious display.
Karanka stuck with exactly the same side which won at QPR
last Friday meaning Tomas Kalas kept his place in the back four, despite Daniel
Ayala’s return from injury.
Christian Stuani started on the bench after he missed the
trip to Loftus Road following his involvement over the international break. However
it was another Uruguayan who stole the show here, as Ramirez added his fifth
and sixth goal for the club since his arrival in January.
The visitors were forced to make one change as left back
James Husband –on loan from Boro- was ineligible to play. There was a Riverside
return for Dean Whitehead who joined the Terriers in the summer after a two
year spell in the North East.
Before this game David Wagner’s side had scored eight goals
in their last five away outings and in the opening exchanges they passed the
ball with confidence and guile.
Eventually though, as they so often do at the Riverside, it
was the hosts who took control and it was Karanka’s side who created the first
chance when George Friend’s cut back found Albert Adomah before his effort was
blocked.
It was a night which provided a stage for Boro’s creative
players to flourish. The like of Adomah, Ramirez and Jordan Rhodes were able to
roam around in the final third and looked likely to make a difference whenever
they received possession. On 32 minutes they made the breakthrough.
With his back to goal, Ramirez turned Joel Lynch in the
penalty area and was clipped by the defender prompting referee Stephen Martin
to point to the spot.
Grant Leadbitter missed a penalty against QPR on Friday but
didn’t hesitate in making the score 1-0 here. He tucked the ball past Jed
Steer, who guessed the right way but couldn’t keep it out, and Boro had the all-important
opener – under Karanka they rarely lose when they go ahead.
Then, straight from the kick-off the hosts made it two when
Ramirez dispossessed Whitehead in the Huddersfield half and charged towards
goal. At first it looked like the Uruguayan may have taken it too far when he
attempted to take the ball around Steer, however from a tight angle he fired it
into the roof of the net to give Boro breathing space.
On the right wing Adomah continued to look lively, before
Boro’s opener he left Whitehead for dead and delivered a cross which Rhodes
couldn’t quite get on the end of. After the break the Ghanaian international
was set up by Ramirez inside the area but Steer denied him.
At the other end Dimi Konstantopulos had a quiet evening and
Boro’s back four were well protected by the industrial duo of Leadbitter and
Adam Clayton.
With 13 minutes remaining Boro sealed the points when Ramirez
curled a spectacular free kick into the top corner from a central position. It
could have been four when Nsue drove forward and cut in from the right but
Steer tipped his effort over the bar.
The remaining seven games won’t all be as easy as this, but Boro
are now one step closer to finishing in one of those golden automatic places.
Player
Ratings
Dimi Konstantopulos
6- Was a spectator for most of the game
Emilio Nsue 7-
Linked up well with Adomah once again and almost got on the score sheet
Tomas Kalas 7-
Earned his place and didn’t put a foot wrong once again
Ben Gibson 7-
Cleared the danger whenever in came near him
George Friend 7-
Made a couple of bursts into the box
Adam Clayton 8- Made
selfless tackles and blocks all evening
Grant Leadbitter 8-
Controlled the midfield and converted his penalty
Albert Adomah 8-Was
relentless down the right both with and without the ball
Stewart Downing 6-
Kept the side balanced but was anonymous for most of the game
Gaston Ramirez 8.5-
Had the match-winning qualities to win the game
Jordan Rhodes 6.5-
Working hard but the chances still aren’t dropping for him
Subs
Adam Forshaw 6-
Replaced Clayton with 16 minutes to go
David Nugent – Replaced Rhodes with 11 minutes to go, unfair
to give a fair rating
Christian Stuani - Replaced Ramirez with 4 minutes to go,
unfair to give a fair rating
My Boro Man Of The Match: Gaston Ramirez
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