Middlesbrough 4-3 Norwich City: Ashley Phillips scores late Boro winner in thriller
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Middlesbrough and Norwich City at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday; Ashley Phillips seals late victory for Boro in a seven-goal thriller.
Saturday 12 September 2026 18:19, UK
Ashley Phillips was the unlikely late match-winner as Middlesbrough edged a seven-goal thriller, beating Norwich 4-3 at Riverside Stadium.
The Canaries, looking for a third win on the bounce, made the perfect start with just 50 seconds on the clock when striker Mohamed Toure hammered in, but within six more minutes Boro had gone ahead.
Sebastian Berhalter, signed from Vancouver Whitecaps this summer, powered in his first Middlesbrough goal to level things.
Exciting winger Amario Cozier-Duberry, making his first league start since arriving on loan from Brighton, then got the Riverside crowd bouncing with a tidy finish a few minutes later.
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And Norwich fell further behind when Berhalter added his second in the 36th sixth minute to put Kim Hellberg's side in the driving seat.
Norwich fought back when Jovon Makama's predatory finish 20 minutes from time was followed by an equaliser from fellow substitute Jacob Wright five minutes later.
However, defender Phillips - with his first league career goal after arriving from Tottenham - popped up in the area with the killer blow to secure a third straight home win for Middlesbrough.
Norwich got things rolling early on after Andre Brooks brilliantly kept the ball in play. Alfie Jones was outmuscled by Toure before he fired powerfully in off the far post.
Less than three minutes later Berhalter levelled. The American hammered a finish in off the underside of the crossbar after a horrible turn from Ruairi McConville allowed Tommy Conway and Will Lankshear to create the opening.
Middlesbrough claimed the lead less than three minutes later in style.
A precise cross-field ball from Berhalter was chested down exquisitely by Conway. He ran at his marker before squaring to Cozier-Duberry, who curled a low finish inside Vladan Kovacevic's bottom right corner.
There were chances at both ends after that but Middlesbrough, after goalkeeper Radek Vitek had made a fine one-handed stop to deny Brooks, extended their advantage before the break.
It was Berhalter again who was in the right place to turn Callum Brittain's scuffed shot beyond a wrong-footed Kovacevic.
After the restart chances were more limited until Norwich introduced their substitutes.
Wright and Makama combined for the latter to beat Vitek and pull a goal back in the 70th minute, and they had the hope they needed.
Soon after Wright had levelled himself. He was left in acres of space to find Anthony Musaba. After the winger's shot was saved, Wright was in place to turn the loose ball high into the net.
However, Middlesbrough were not finished either. Phillips completed the scoring in the dying seconds, capitalising on Lankshear's pass across the area to secure a dramatic three points.
The managers
Middlesbrough's Kim Hellberg:
"If you look at the game as a neutral, it was a fantastic game. This was two teams that does everything they can to win the game.
"In that way it was a fantastic game, there was a lot of quality, the best version of football that I like - two teams going at each other is brilliant.
"We were the better team over 90 minutes, even though we played a very strong team. I am happy with that and it was down to the character of the boys and getting the win when things weren't going our way second half.
"The strong thing for this group is how they support each other. I see so many who were outside the squad who today celebrated like it was important for them; that is not always how it is but this group is fantastic like that.
"I need to help the players know what we should do better to win the games. Game management is a massive thing. The character of the players won us the game."
Norwich's Philippe Clement:
"It was a frantic game, with two teams really going to win.
"The biggest disappointment was not the first goal against but the 30 minutes after. I saw two/three players starting to doubt, they were not brave enough on the ball. We didn't show the football we can play.
"I wanted to see another phase of the team (after half-time) and we then showed our qualities - the team did brilliantly. The biggest memory of this game was how good we can be if everyone goes full.
"It felt like a boxing fight. I felt Middlesbrough were on the ropes in the last 10 minutes, but in the dying seconds we got the punch where we go down and we lose.
"But I'm proud of what my team showed in the second half. We will have a good season if we do that in the next days and months.
"Everyone who watched the game will have enjoyed the game - seven goals. But I'm gutted now that we don't get points from this game because we deserved this."
