Town fell to their second defeat of the season as they were beaten 2-1 by Middlesbrough at the Riverside to send the home side back to the top of the Championship. Cedric Kipre’s own goal in first-half injury time gave Boro the lead, George Hirst having seen a penalty saved moments earlier, before Morgan Whittaker added a second 10 minutes into the second half, prior to Dara O’Shea pulling one back for the Blues on 76, but Town were unable to find a second goal.
Boss Kieran McKenna named the same side which beat Norwich City 3-1 12 days ago with Sammie Szmodics and Sindre Walle Egeli considered fit enough to start despite being withdrawn from their international squads early last week.
Middlesbrough made four changes from the team which fell to a 1-0 loss at Portsmouth, their first Championship defeat of the season prior to the break, with Luke Ayling, Aidan Morris, who returned late from international duty with the US, Kaly Sene and Sontje Hansen all dropping to the bench and Alan Browne, Delano Burgzorg, one-time Town target Whittaker and David Strelec coming into the team.
The Teessiders, who had Hayden Hackney, who turned down a £15 million move to the Blues in the summer, in their midfield, switched to a back four from a three-man backline.
The game got off to a tentative start with the home side seeing most of the ball but not threatening, while Town won a couple of early free-kicks in the opposition half which came to nothing.
Hackney struck the first effort of the match in the 12th minute but the former England U21s effort flew over.
Within a minute, Leif Davis gifted the ball to Tommy Conway on the right of the box but the former Bristol City forward’s cross was diverted out for a corner by Kipre. The corner was taken twice following some wrestling between Conway and Jaden Philogene before the initial kick had been taken.
The Blues’ first chance came in the 17th minute, Szmodics, Philogene and Jens Cajuste combining before the Swedish international played in the overlapping Davis, who cut across to Szmodics, whose first-time effort was blocked by home skipper Dael Fry.
The ball eventually ended up back with Cajuste but his cross from the corner of the penalty area was too high for George Hirst at the far post.
Town briefly took charge, although while still scruffy at times, and on 20 Alfie Jones was booked for fouling Cajuste on halfway as the Blues broke.
Three minutes later, Hirst played a ball in behind the Boro backline for Philogene on the left, the former Aston Villa man cut in but his low shot was blocked.
The Teessiders subsequently had a spell on top and weren’t too far away from going in front in the 26th minute when Hackney skipped into the area, Cajuste pulling out of a tackle for fear of a trip, before hitting a strike which clipped Azor Matusiwa on its way wide.
Town put together their best move of the match in the 31st minute, one which should have resulted in a penalty.
Skipper O’Shea played a superb cross-field pass to Davis wide on the left, the full-back sending over a brilliant first-time ball to Hirst, whose goalbound effort was stopped by Jones, clearly with an outstretched arm. The Blues’ players protested vehemently but referee Matt Donohue remained unmoved.
From the resulting corner, the ball was cleared to Walle Egeli on the edge of the box but the Norwegian blazed deep into the stand behind the goal.
Town may well have still been bristling about the penalty moments later when keeper Alex Palmer was forced to make two brilliant saves to keep the scores level.
Cajuste and Matusiwa both missed tackles allowing Strelec to burst way on the right of the area from where he cut across to the unmarked Conway, whose strike was closed down superbly by Palmer. The loose ball fell to Hackney, who worked himself room for another shot, which caught O’Shea on its way through and Palmer again brilliantly saved, this time tipping over.
From the corner, the Blues, the ball was cleared to Browne on the edge of the box was blocked, Town failing to get it away before Browne was able to hit another effort which was again stopped with Town again struggling to get it out of the danger zone.
As the game opened up, Fry did well to get ahead of Szmodics virtually on the goal-line from a Davis cross from the left to head over.
The end-to-end action continued, Boro breaking on Town with Burgzorg somehow in acres of space on the left taking the ball on ball on before hitting a low shot across Palmer that the keeper pushed away to his left. The loose ball fell to Strelec, who somehow shot across the face and wide when it seemed easier to score. Palmer made his frustrations with the slowly retreating Walle Egeli very evident.
Four minutes later, the Blues were awarded a penalty. The ball was deflected wide to Davis on the left of the area and Callum Brittain pulled the full-back to the ground. This time referee Donohue, with his mind perhaps made up by having made the wrong decision earlier, pointed straight to the spot.
After a long delay, in which Brittain was booked, Hirst took the kick and hit it low to home keeper Sol Brynn’s right, the Boro number one palming it away, much to the delight of the home support.
It was Hirst’s second successive penalty miss, including his effort in the shootout at Bromley in the Carabao Cup, having scored his first at Birmingham on the opening weekend.
Two minutes into injury time, the Teessiders took the lead in fortuitous circumstances. Burgzorg crossed low from the right and Kipre kicked the ball against his own leg and past Palmer from the edge of the six-yard box to send the home fans into raptures.
That was the last action of a half which had started slowly before ending with opportunities galore, both sides spurning chances before Kipre’s own goal handed the initiative to Boro.
Town had had spells on top, but the home side probably more and really should have taken the lead in the period in which Palmer made three terrific saves and Strelec managed a miss that will almost certainly go viral in the days to come.
The Blues then spurned their chance from the penalty spot - having had an even stronger shout earlier when Fry handled - before the late own goal.
Matt Target sent the second half’s first effort into the fans behind the goal in the opening minute from 25 yards, then Town broke up the other end, Szmodics turning a Hirst cross from the right into Brynn’s arms.
In the 50th minute, Philogene was tripped by Hackney as he burst towards the area, the Boro midfielder surprisingly not receiving a yellow card. Philogene and Davis stood over the ball with the latter subsequently hitting a very disappointing effort straight at the wall.
Two minutes later, the Teessiders again found acres of space on the Town right, Burgzorg playing in Conway and Palmer once again did well to dive at the Slovakian international’s feet. The ball ran loose, however, and Hackney’s effort was blocked, before Whittaker blazed over.
It had been virtually all Boro since the break and in the 55th minute they doubled their lead. Strelec was allowed space on the right to cross low, Palmer pushed it out on the stretch and Whittaker turned home the loose ball. The home fans delightedly celebrated the former Plymouth man’s first goal for the club since his January move.
Town set about getting themselves back into the match, Szmodics hitting a shot which deflected over from the edge of the area.
On 63, the Blues were again caught two against one at the back as Boro counter-attacked following a Darnell Furlong long throw from the right. A ball played straight down the middle sent Whittaker away with Matusiwa doing well to stop his pass to the unmarked Burgzorg.
The home side kept the ball, however, and Burgzorg eventually sent a low shot across the face and wide.
Town made their first changes in the 67th minute, ex-Boro man Chuba Akpom, who was booed by some sections of his old support and applauded by others, Jack Clarke, Ivan Azon and Marcelino Nunez replacing Szmodics, Walle Egeli, Hirst and Cajuste.
A minute after the changes, the Blues were awarded a corner after Boro keeper Brynn took too long over a restart, the first time the new rule has been utilised by an official in a competitive Town game.
From the flag-kick, the ball ran loose in the area from Nunez’s shot and almost fell to Azon, but instead was nearer to O’Shea, who scuffed wide.
Boro made their first changes moments later, Sene and Morris replacing Strelec and Whittaker.
Following a lengthy stoppage for an injury to Boro’s Browne, Town threatened again Azon, Clarke and then Furlong all having efforts blocked.
But the home side continued to find holes in the Blues’ backline, Burgzorg again found in space on the left of the box but O’Shea blocked.
The Town skipper saw a shot from the edge of the area deflected behind in the 77th minute and from the resulting corner the Irish international pulled a goal back with his first for the club.
Nunez whipped over a well-struck ball to the near post, by far the Blues’ best set piece of the evening, and O’Shea flicked a header across Brynn and into the net.
Having reduced the deficit, Town went about looking for a second, but not before Matusiwa was booked for a foul, the Dutchman’s fifth of the campaign meaning he’ll miss the Charlton game on Tuesday.
On 79, Clarke was played in by Davis on the left and sent over a low ball which the diving Brynn got to just ahead of Azon as the Spaniard slid in.
The Teesiders swapped Conway for Sam Silvera on 82, the Blues switching Matusiwa for the more attacking Jack Taylor two minutes later.
With four scheduled minutes remaining, Azon was threaded in on goal but slipped the ball wide with the linesman’s flag in any case raised, which looked harsh. Boro replaced Burgzorg with Ayling for the final three minutes.
Town kept pushing in four additional minutes but without particularly convincing that they might create the chance from which they could score a leveller and the final whistle drew a huge roar from the home fans, their side having returned to winning ways after three games without a victory and to the top of the table.
As has often been the case this season, the Blues were good in patches and poor in others, especially the spells either side of the break in which the game was effectively lost.
They were notably defensively more at sixes and sevens from counter-attacks than has been the case and a better side than Boro would have made them pay more heavily for their lack of cohesion - as well as sloppy passing - with Palmer saving his teammates’ blushes on a number of occasions.
At the other end, the Blues once again failed to make the most of their chances, Hirst’s penalty miss at 0-0 most notably, while Szmodics and Azon both look in desperate need of a goal.
Town’s set pieces were poor until Nunez’s introduction from which O’Shea scored the goal which gave the travelling 2,500-plus fans hope that their long trip might not be in vain.
But in the end the home side saw the final minutes out comfortably to claim their fourth home win of the season with the Blues still to taste success on the road.
Town are back at home, where they have won their last three, on Tuesday when Charlton visit.
Middlesbrough: Brynn, Brittain, Targett, Jones, Fry (c), Hackney, Conway (Silvera 82), Burgzorg (Ayling 87), Whittaker (Morris 69), Strelec (Sene 69), Browne. Unused: McLaughlin, McGree, Nypan, Bangura, Hansen.
Town: Palmer, Furlong, O’Shea (c), Kipre, Davis, Matusiwa (Taylor 84), Cajuste (Nunez 67), Walle Egeli (J Clarke 67), Szmodics (Akpom 67), Philogene, Hirst (Azon 67). Unused: Walton, Greaves, Young, McAteer. Referee: Matt Donohue (Manchester). Att: 27,805.