Middlesbrough vs Queens Park Rangers. Sky Bet Championship.
Riverside Stadium.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Middlesbrough and QPR at the Riverside Stadium as goals from Rob Dickie and Lee Wallace earned victory for Rangers, who finished the game with 10 men
Saturday 17 April 2021 16:37, UK
QPR swapped places with Middlesbrough in the Championship after two goals in three first-half minutes helped secure a 2-1 win at the Riverside Stadium despite Seny Dieng's second-half dismissal.
With the play-off places out of reach for both teams, managers Neil Warnock and Mark Warburton have an eye on next season and QPR are finishing stronger.
Warburton's side moved up to 10th despite having to play the final 32 minutes with 10 men after goalkeeper Dieng was dismissed for a professional foul on Duncan Watmore.
Rob Dickie's 30-yard thunderbolt with quarter of an hour on the clock was followed by Lee Wallace's first for Rangers since arriving from Scotland almost two years ago.
Those two were enough to secure a sixth win from the last 10 matches despite Yannick Bolasie heading in for Boro in the 28th minute.
Middlesbrough's frustrations continued having dropped out of contention for a top-six spot in recent weeks and a fifth match without a win left them in danger of slipping out of the top half.
QPR started the stronger of the two even though there was very little for Middlesbrough's league debutant goalkeeper Jordan Archer to do before the opener.
Archer, signed from Motherwell in January, was beaten from long range in the 15th minute when centre-back Dickie was allowed too much space to roam into in the final third.
And after Darnell Fisher and Djed Spence had got into good positions for the home side, Archer was soon beaten for a second time at the other end.
Striker Lyndon Dykes swivelled in the area before half-volleying a cross into the six-yard box for Wallace to nod down and beyond the goalkeeper.
Middlesbrough regrouped and suddenly burst into life in a bid to prevent more disappointment.
When Neeskens Kebano delivered a sweet cross into the penalty area Bolasie leaped to head inside the top corner for his second Middlesbrough goal in consecutive home games.
Five minutes before half-time Middlesbrough should have been level. Watmore picked out Bolasie in the area but, with just the goalkeeper to beat, Dieng somehow stuck a vital foot on the ball as the forward seemed certain to round him.
Dieng suffered an injury in that attack and after receiving lengthy treatment he made a stunning stop just before the break when he dived to thwart Watmore's header from finding the net.
QPR had more of the ball in the early stages of the second half but Kebano and Stefan Johansen's off-target shots from distance were all either side had to show before the 58th minute.
But then Dieng was issued with his red card for rushing out of his area to dive into Watmore, who had beaten the offside trap, and Middlesbrough were on the front foot from there.
Dieng's replacement between the posts, Joe Lumley, was in no mood to be beaten. He made a stunning fingertip save to prevent George Saville from heading in and then another at his near post in the dying stages.
Middlesbrough's Neil Warnock: "I have got a few answers. In some respects, it is frustrating, disappointing, all of those adjectives. There were a few answers out there. I know who I have to get out, keep and build on. My mind was helped with one or two performances out there. To give two goals away, I still don't understand.
"Djed Spence was marking the man and let him (Wallace) head in the goal. Any player has to stick with the man. It was the winning goal in the end. We still had good chances to equalise and go on and win it. I think Yannick could have gone on to equalise when it was stopped for the red card. You can see we have a nucleus of good players, unfortunately we missed the lads we have missing. We have to bring players in so that when we do lose certain players we have good ones to replace them."
QPR's Mark Warburton: "When Seny had the injury…he broke his nose - quite a nasty break. He wanted to come out for the second half. He did very well. He pulled off the good save after the injury. But to have a 'keeper of Joe Lumley's quality on the bench is very pleasing for us.
"The first 20-25 minutes was very good. We got ourselves two goals up and looked very dominant. We conceded a sloppy goal to make it 2-1 and then the second half was a completely different dynamic because of the sending off. We had to show character. Middlesbrough have a strong squad. Joe Lumley came on and produced two outstanding saves for us to ensure we stayed in front and got the points. It should have been 2-2."
