Hull City vs Middlesbrough. Sky Bet Championship.
MKM StadiumAttendance16,445.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Hull City and Middlesbrough at the MKM Stadium as Michael Carrick claimed a first win in his second outing as Boro manager.
Tuesday 1 November 2022 22:58, UK
Michael Carrick secured a first victory as Middlesbrough manager with a 3-1 win at Hull, who are reportedly close to recruiting Liam Rosenior as new head coach.
Highly-rated Rosenior, a favourite in East Yorkshire during his playing days, watched from the stands as the Tigers slipped to another home defeat.
Chuba Akpom's 30th-minute header put Boro in control before Cyrus Christie equalised for the hosts on the hour.
Just when Hull had looked like building momentum, Tobias Figueiredo scored a soft own goal three minutes later.
An away win was then confirmed when Ryan Giles beat Nathan Baxter at his near post with the aid of an 80th-minute deflection off Christie, who was also credited with an own goal.
Rosenior no doubt left the MKM Stadium with plenty to ponder as Hull are just a point above the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.
It was, though, a significant victory for Carrick as Boro moved up to 18th.
Middlesbrough were good value for three points and had the game's first big chance after 12 minutes when Isaiah Jones teed up Akpom on the edge of the penalty area. Akpom had time and space but struck wide.
Carrick had identified a weakness on Hull's left and urged his players to exploit that perceived fallibility.
It worked, too, as Boro scored in an almost identical position to which Jones was earlier seen to good effect.
Tommy Smith's ferocious deep cross might have tested the resilience of weaker forwards, but Akpom bravely headed home.
Akpom, on loan at Hull from Arsenal in 2015-16, refused to celebrate.
Hull's plight could have worsened eight minutes later when Giles let one fly from the left.
Baxter spilled a routine save, but he at least had the wherewithal to scoop the ball to safety with his right leg.
Carrick would have been happy at the break but far less impressed by the lackadaisical manner in which Hull were allowed to create their first meaningful chance soon after the restart.
Christie was gifted an easy cross from the right, from which leading scorer Oscar Estupinan did well to volley towards goal. Zack Steffen reacted smartly to tip over the crossbar.
Even weaker defending then led to Christies's equaliser when he waltzed, unmarked, into the penalty box. The full-back's shot was scuffed but it took a huge deflection over Steffen's head.
Carrick will have been furious by such a cheap concession, but it was nothing compared to how Hull interim head coach Andy Dawson must have felt a few minutes later.
The Tigers feebly dealt with Jones' cross towards the back post, from where Darragh Lenihan headed across goal. Figueiredo lacked the spatial awareness to prevent the ball from rebounding off his legs and into the back of the net.
Hull at least tried to get back into the game, but there was no way back once Christie was adjudged to have scored another own goal.
Interim Hull head coach Andy Dawson: "I'm really disappointed with the performance. First half, I thought they were better than us. I don't think they caused us many problems but they were more aggressive than us. That was the message at half-time - believe in yourselves and try. Be brave.
"I thought the first 15-20 minutes we were excellent in the second half. All the momentum was with us but football has got an awful way of punching you in the nose. You have to keep believing and stick to the process. I thought their heads
probably went down a bit when that second goal went in. We have to do better. The only thing we can do is improve."
Middlesbrough's Michael Carrick: "It's a good moment for me, but it's not about me. The boys won for the fans and they can go home happy. I thought we played some really good football and we had to dig in at times. The way they've gone about the whole week has been really pleasing. They've applied themselves and their attitude has been spot-on. I'm really proud of the lads and I'm so pleased for them.
"When things go against you and you're not in top form, it's not easy. I understand that. I've been there, but you've got to find that little bit of something and nothing beats a little bit of success in all walks of life. To see them bounce back (from Hull's equaliser) and deal with that setback, I'm pleased for them as it's nice to have a little lift. I think we deserved that bit of success.
"The boys adapted really well. There were so many elements that we can be pleased about with the performance and we stuck together as a team. We want to look like a team to represent what the club is and what the fans stand for. You can never get the perfect performance but we're getting better."
