Middlesbrough vs Bristol City. Sky Bet Championship.
Riverside StadiumAttendance23,899.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Middlesbrough and Bristol City at the Riverside Stadium as Chuba Akpom cancelled out Andreas Weimann's goal to earn a point for Boro.
Saturday 5 November 2022 18:47, UK
In-form Chuba Akpom was on target again to earn a 1-1 draw for Middlesbrough against Bristol City in Michael Carrick's first game in charge at the Riverside.
Ex-Arsenal man Akpom struck for the third time in as many matches under Carrick as Boro came from behind to pick up a point in a contest they dominated for long periods.
Andreas Weimann had put the visitors ahead but their winless run in the Championship extended to four games.
Carrick unsurprisingly named the same team that started the midweek win at Hull - a victory that has raised hope of a climb up the table.
And Middlesbrough started as they finished at the KCOM Stadium, bursting out of the blocks and creating the first opening inside the first minute when Hayden Hackney fired over after a Marcus Forss cross was only half cleared.
Riley McGree had a glorious chance when he was sent through by Jonny Howson, but was denied by a fine Max O'Leary save, with the Robins managing to scramble clear as Akpom looked to pounce on the rebound.
Middlesbrough were punished for spurning those early opportunities when City scored from their first attack of the game after 10 minutes, with Weimann on hand to slot home at the back post following a counter.
The hosts did not let the early setback knock them off stride, with Forss and McGree both engineering openings for themselves down the left but they were each denied by O'Leary.
It was down the left that Middlesbrough looked most dangerous and another opportunity was created down the flank just before the half-hour mark when Ryan Giles' cross was met by Forss, who could not keep his header down.
The home attacks kept coming and McGree forced yet another save from O'Leary with a fierce drive that was touched over.
Boro's frustrations continued in the dying seconds of the first half, with Forss hitting the base of the post before McGree and Isaiah Jones had penalty appeals waved away when they went down in the box.
But all the pressure finally paid off just three minutes into the second period when Akpom turned in McGree's cross to continue his superb run of form and get Middlesbrough back on level terms.
The equaliser forced a reaction from City, who created a rare opening just before the hour mark when Antoine Semenyo fired over the bar under pressure inside the box.
Middlesbrough continued to probe and pushed for the winner but City held out.
McGree went the closest in stoppage time when he had a shot from distance palmed away by O'Leary but there to be no winner and the Robins returned south with a point.
Middlesbrough's Michael Carrick: "We wanted to win the game, we did enough to win the game performance wise, so there are two sides to it. I can't really ask much more of the lads. I think they've done ever so well, limited a dangerous team to not a lot and controlled large spells with penetration and looking dangerous at the same time.
"If you take the balance of the performance, it was very good. Points are what make the difference, I'm not swerving that. But at this stage, three games in, we can definitely look forward and be positive with what we've done so far."
Bristol City's Nigel Pearson: "It was a battling point for us. We set-up with a positive line-up and caused problems in the first half in particular. Some of our counter attacks were very good and we could have done a bit better with one or two. They had some sustained pressure as well. After the week that we've had it was important to get something positive.
"The two performances in the last week only brought us one point and we deserved a lot more. Our players put in a lot of effort and we got a fighting point. This is a tough place to come. Towards the end we defended our box with a lot of resilience. They had a number of free-kicks which we had to show a lot of commitment in dealing with, and we came through that with credit."
