Middlesbrough vs Hull City. Sky Bet Championship.
Riverside StadiumAttendance24,158.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Middlesbrough and Hull City at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday | Goals from Liam Delap and Ozan Tufan earn victory for Liam Rosenior's Tigers
Wednesday 13 December 2023 23:11, UK
Substitute Ozan Tufan's winner eight minutes from time completed a memorable turnaround to earn Hull a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.
Boro had led at half-time courtesy of Emmanuel Latte Lath's seventh goal of the season in the sixth minute.
But Middlesbrough, who have now lost four of their last five matches, failed to capitalise further on a poor Tigers first half.
And Hull, making the most of vital substitutions by head coach Liam Rosenior, responded fittingly to win it when Liam Delap's goal with 21 minutes to go was followed by Tufan's fifth of the campaign.
The win lifted Hull back to level on points with sixth-placed Sunderland, with Middlesbrough now six points further back in 13th.
The return of Isaiah Jones initially injected fresh life into Middlesbrough after the weekend's disappointment of losing at home to Ipswich.
And he was involved in the opening goal to put Hull on the back foot after back-to-back defeats themselves.
After Sam Greenwood and Lukas Engel's link up play down the left, Jones' effort was blocked and the opportunity fell to Latte Lath to finish low and beyond Ryan Allsop.
A few minutes later Allsop was equal to another effort from Latte Lath before the Tigers recorded their only shot on target of the opening period. Aaron Connolly's effort curled into the arms of Seny Dieng from distance.
Jones, who missed the defeat to Ipswich through injury, should have scored the second soon after. He was played in behind full-back Lewie Coyle but when faced with just Allsop to beat he failed to find the target from 12 yards out.
Middlesbrough controlled possession for much of the first half and Jones' pace and direct running was a huge factor.
But Hull, in need of a lift after losing talismanic winger Jaden Philogene to a knee injury, were still in it when the game restarted.
Tyler Morton curled an effort high and wide from distance to raise a few more concerns among the Teesside crowd.
And after Greenwood went close to increasing the lead with a curling 30-yard free-kick that flew away from the right-hand post, Hull got their rewards.
Jacob Greaves flicked on a corner at the near post and Delap was left unmarked to nod in the equaliser to end a run of four games without a goal.
That sparked Middlesbrough briefly back to life. Allsop had to hold a header from Matt Crooks moments after Greenwood had been denied in a crowded area.
But Hull, who brought five subs on in the space of 16 minutes starting before the equaliser, showed greater desire to get the win and three players from the bench combined to win it.
Ruben Vinagre got beyond Anfernee Dijksteel to drill a low cross which Dan Barlaser made a mess of in the box, and Greg Docherty rolled back for Tufan to hit first time beyond Dieng in the 82nd minute.
There was still time for Middlesbrough to almost grab a point, but Rav van den Berg shot wide inside a crowded box before the final whistle was blown.
Middlesbrough's Michael Carrick:
"I thought we played ever so well. Against a good team, we gave them next to nothing, played some really good football, looked dangerous and had so many opportunities. Bitterly disappointed. I'd have been bitterly disappointed with a draw after that to be honest with all the good things that I saw in the game. It's one of them things.
"It's the way it's gone. We need to be that bit more ruthless but I thought we gave them hardly anything in the game. We didn't let them have much. I thought the second goal would come but we just didn't quite have that quality with our last pass or finish to make it count. I thought there was a spark tonight. I don't think we need a spark. I thought the performance was there, so in terms of a spark, no. I thought the boys did a lot of good things and we'll take a lot of confidence from it."
Hull's Liam Rosenior:
"It certainly feels better now than it felt at half-time. I have spoken to the players a lot, and this was the first time in the year we had lost two in a row. And it was always going to be difficult to come back from a goal down against a very good team. I said at half-time it was about character and resilience. We showed how much it meant to us. This was a huge step for us tonight. That was probably the worst first half we have played in a long time. I have got a young team, an exciting team, a team that doesn't have much experience of the Championship.
"The subs made a massive difference. Tufan was outstanding, Vinagre, Docherty, McLoughlin, Adama, every single sub had a positive impact on the game and that is a good sign. That is the lesson for this group, when every player's engaged, from 1-20, and I changed system four times in the game, then it is down to the players and they showed that when things are up against us we have the spirit and determination."
