Middlesbrough vs Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sky Bet Championship.
Riverside StadiumAttendance27,658.
Friday 30 March 2018 22:45, UK
Goals from Portuguese duo Helder Costa and Ivan Cavaleiro handed nine-man Wolves a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside and restored their six-point lead at the top of the Championship.
Costa handed Wolves the lead on 32 minutes with an emphatic finish from close range before Cavaleiro doubled the advantage with a simple header just five minutes later.
Second-half red cards for Ruben Neves and Matt Doherty shifted the momentum of the game in Middlesbrough's favour but although Patrick Bamford netted in stoppage time, they could not find an equaliser.
The result means that Wolves have moved six points clear of Cardiff at the top of the Championship while Middlesbrough cling onto their place in sixth on goal difference.
After Cardiff moved to within three points of Wolves following their 3-1 win over Burton, the pressure was on the visitors to respond and despite making an unconvincing start, they seized the initiative with two goals in five first-half minutes.
The opener resulted from Wolves' first real foray into their hosts half. Costa wriggled away from a challenge with a lovely turn only to see his shot saved by Randolph but he stayed alert and was on hand to bury a second chance into the roof of the net seconds later after being picked out wonderfully by Barry Douglas.
Middlesbrough, who had until then been on top, were seemingly shell-shocked and found themselves 2-0 down almost immediately. After Darren Randolph had clawed away a rasping Ruben Neves drive from distance, Douglas whipped a corner onto Wily Boly's head and although Randolph made another good stop, the loose ball looped up to Cavaleiro to score a tap-in at the far post.
A decision from referee Stuart Attwell shortly after half-time was the stimulus for a change in momentum as he surprisingly neglected to give Wolves a free-kick on the edge of Middlesbrough's box after Costa appeared to be clipped by George Friend who was tracking back.
Stung by a sense of injustice, Neves and Doherty were booked straight afterwards for both taking swipes at the lively Adama Traore, although the former could count himself unlucky to be cautioned. Just 100 seconds later, Neves was walking down the tunnel after receiving a second yellow for hacking down Friend just outside Wolves' penalty area.
With 70 minutes on the clock, Wolves went from ten men down to nine as Doherty was given his marching orders for allegedly elbowing Friend in the side of the head. Much like Neves' first booking, it appeared slightly soft.
With a two-player advantage, Middlesbrough unsurprisingly took the initiative and while they laid siege on the visitors goal, they weren't able to create too many clear-cut chances until Bamford lashed a ruthless volleyed finish into the top corner after being set-up by Traore in the third minute of stoppage time.
There was still time for further drama as in the fifth minute of six allocated stoppage time minutes, Stewart Downing screwed a volley agonisingly wide of the post with John Ruddy out of goal. That was Middlesbrough's last chance and when the final whistle sounded on a pulsating game, Nuno charged onto the pitch in a mixture of relief and jubilation at witnessing his side seal a massive win.
The Frenchman made an unconvincing start to the game as he was dispossessed on the edge of his own box but to say he grew into it from that moment on would be an understatement.
When Wolves went down to nine-men with 20 minutes plus stoppage time remaining, Boly, along with Conor Coady, stepped up to deliver an immense performance to deny Middlesbrough a route back into the game.
His finest moment came inside the last ten minutes with the scoreline at 2-0 as he improbably rose above Britt Assambalonga to nod a cross to the far post over his own bar to save a certain goal.
Tony Pulis: Their first goal came out of nothing really and their second from the set-play kills us. Neves had had two great efforts before that which tested Darren [Randolph] but to be 2-0 down after an even first half was very disappointing. Then they had two players sent off and we needed a break in the final third and we could have built from there.
I don't think he touched [Costa]. I think he's fallen over. Whether he's tried to get [Friend] sent off being the last man or not, I don't know what goes through people's minds, but he's one-on-one with the goalkeeper and he actually falls over himself.
Nuno Espirito Santo: We totally controlled the first half with good football and showed we were the better team on the pitch. Second half after the situation with Helder [Costa], which I have to see to judge better, the game totally changed and then there were the cards.
But we had to show character in our defending, we conceded a late goal but until then there weren't too many chances [for Middlesbrough]. It was a massive result for us because the games after the international breaks are the ones that determine how you do.
Middlesbrough take on Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium on Easter Monday while Wolves host Hull City on Tuesday before switching their attentions to a pivotal game away at Cardiff next Friday, which is live on Sky Sports Football from 7pm.
