Middlesbrough vs Bristol City. Sky Bet Championship.
Riverside StadiumAttendance24,438.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Middlesbrough and Bristol City at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday; Anis Mehmeti and Yu Hirakawa seal victory for the Robins in the absence of manager Liam Manning.
Saturday 19 October 2024 18:08, UK
Bristol City produced a performance to make absent head coach Liam Manning proud as they won 2-0 at Middlesbrough.
Manning is currently away from the club following the death of his baby son Theo, with assistant head coach Chris Hogg leading the team at the Riverside Stadium.
And first-half goals from Anis Mehmeti and Yu Hirakawa ensured City extended their unbeaten run to five matches.
Mehmeti hammered in the first in the 27th minute before Japanese winger Hirakawa curled in a lovely finish at the end of the first half.
Boro fans showed their frustrations at the end of both halves after watching their team struggle to turn possession and opportunities into goals.
Ninth-placed Boro, who are now level on points with Bristol City, had two thirds of the ball before the break and created plenty of openings, even before Mehmeti's breakthrough.
Finn Azaz curled an effort wide of the far post inside five minutes and he laid on a second opportunity for Emmanuel Latte Lath soon after, but the striker's finish was wide.
And when Hayden Hackney's lazy pass to Aidan Morris was collected by Jason Knight with the half-an-hour mark approaching, City capitalised.
Knight's pass to Mehmeti was controlled first, beating Hackney in the area, and the finish was powerful beyond the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Seny Dieng in the centre of the net.
Even then Middlesbrough kept probing. Latte Lath missed the target after he was picked out by Rav van den Berg, while City goalkeeper Max O'Leary denied the lively Ben Doak.
There was a sense that Middlesbrough had to convert or be hit on the break and that was exactly what happened on the stroke of half-time.
This time defender George Edmundson was caught out deep in his own half and Bristol City skipper Knight charged through. When he was thwarted the ball fell invitingly for Hirakawa to curl his first goal for the club inside the far post.
With half an hour remaining Boro head coach Michael Carrick made a double change. Former Bristol City forward Tommy Conway and Delano Burgzorg were introduced for Azaz and Micah Hamilton.
More Middlesbrough pressure and possession followed, but Bristol City defended superbly and that was epitomised by defender Zak Vyner throwing himself to block an effort from Latte Lath.
Burgzorg also hammered an effort into the arms of O'Leary and Doak struck an effort inches wide, while Carrick made a further two attacking substitutions, but still Bristol City held firm.
Bristol City assistant head coach Hogg thinks his players did Manning prou. Both teams wore black armbands at Boro and there was a minute's applause as a mark of respect for the Manning family.
The travelling supporters celebrated the victory together with the coaching staff and the players after the final whistle, with the team holding a banner on the pitch with the message 'Fly High Theo'.
Hogg, who grew up not too far from the Riverside and went to school in nearby Yarm, said: "It has been an emotional week.
"You can see the reaction at the end between the players and supporters, this has united the city and the wider support.
"It has been heart-warming. It shows you the power of football and community. The support Liam and his family are getting, I can't thank people from the bottom of my heart.
"I had to take a minute to compose myself. Liam has a great relationship with all the players. They are good people in there who care.
"It has been tough but they knuckled down how they can. They tried to give everything today. I am so proud of them.
"Seeing the connection between players and fans will live with me forever.
"Ideally I would have liked the ball a bit more. But the spirit they showed was outstanding, defending the box and the blocks."
Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick:
"It has happened too often. We can't be that on top and that creative and have nothing to show for it, never mind be 2-0 down at half-time.
"It is something we have to improve and goals change games. We should have been two or three up before those goals.
"We are all in this together, it is all of us. We have to find ways to do something about it. I thought first half we were good. Second half we weren't as good and that is something we have to look at.
"I don't know why you wouldn't stick with it? One game ago we beat West Brom, we beat Stoke, and we were as good as we could be against Watford for 70 minutes.
"Everyone would have been feeling fantastic and one game later it hasn't gone to plan."
