Middlesbrough vs Stoke City. Sky Bet Championship.
Riverside StadiumAttendance24,779.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Middlesbrough and Stoke City at the Riverside Stadium as Chuba Akpom put Boro ahead, but Ki-Jana Hoever scored the equaliser for the Potters.
Tuesday 14 March 2023 23:23, UK
Middlesbrough missed the chance to go within a point of the Sky Bet Championship automatic promotion places as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke at the Riverside Stadium.
Boro hit the front midway through the first half when Chuba Akpom tucked in his 23rd of the season with a neat finish but Ki-Jana Hoever pulled things level just before half-time with his third goal in two games.
Stoke frustrated the home faithful for large parts and came closest through Jacob Brown's close-range header but neither side were able to find a winner as Stoke ended Boro's relentless run of seven home league wins on the bounce.
Middlesbrough were gifted an opportunity to take the lead just five minutes in when Ben Wilmot lazily gifted the ball to top scorer Akpom, leaving him one on one with Jack Bonham, but he failed to hit the target.
Stoke came into the game in fine form and had ideas of grabbing the opener themselves but Hoever, fresh from his brace against Blackburn at the weekend, sliced wide of the target a couple of minutes later.
The hosts came knocking once again as Akpom's effort from outside the area had the beating of Bonham, but he saw it crash off the crossbar.
Boro struck midway through the first half as Aaron Ramsey broke forward and slipped through Riley McGree and he put it on a plate for Akpom to grab his 23rd of the season.
Stoke had Bonham to thank when he stopped them from going two down as Ramsey's clever looping header was fingertipped away by the Potters keeper.
City continued to plug away in search of an equaliser before the break and got their reward as Josh Laurent threaded through to Wolves loanee Hoever, who drilled in from close range to make it all square.
Both sides went in search of a winner to keep their respective good runs going. McGree's free-kick from the edge of the box was met by Bonham's diving save before Will Smallbone's half-volley from the edge of the area flew centimetres wide of Zak Steffen's goal.
The visitors looked the most threatening to take the lead, with another Smallbone effort from the edge of the area deflected to safety before Steffen was on hand to remarkably keep out Brown's glacing header from point-blank range.
Southampton loanee Smallbone had another go to put the Potters in front but fired a shot straight at Steffen's midriff with 10 minutes left on the clock.
Despite the Stoke pressure, Boro almost punished them for their missed chances but Paddy McNair could not slide in Dan Barlaser's late free-kick as both sides took a share of the spoils in an exciting encounter.
Middlesbrough's Michael Carrick:
"I thought it was a tough game and credit to Stoke for that - they have obviously been on a good run.
"It's probably the first time we have had that sort of game since I've been here at home. So it probably shows good the boys have done, in some ways there is a touch of frustration but I'm proud of the lads' effort. It's one of those days where we played against a good team and did not quite have that spark or quality in the end."
Stoke's Alex Neil:
"I thought it was a really good and open game but I thought over the piece we had the better chances to win the game. I thought we really tried to force the issue and win the game and obviously Middlesbrough have got bigger prizes that they are playing for.
"We are trying to show everyone have far we've come over a short space of time, and I thought we did that. I thought it was a good match between two good teams. To come away from home at a team that's playing as well as they are and to perform as well as we did, I am really pleased."
