Middlesbrough 3 v 4 Leeds United

Two changes were made to the starting lineup: Bamford returned because Daniel Farke felt we needed a little more experience, and Byram replaced Roberts at right back so Archie could stay in midfield due to an injury. The unfortunate Dijksteel had to play right back for Boro because neither Greenwood nor Bill could play for them against their parent club. You can see that Dijksteel will be missed when he leaves at the conclusion of the season by visiting their fans’ forum!

We got off to a strong start in the game, but after seven minutes, we were behind. A deflection pulled Ampadu out of the game when the ball was pushed through towards the penalty area, and it landed directly into Latte Lath’s path. Gnonto may have committed a foul when he was taken out of the game just inside our half. Meslier stopped his shot, but Firpo was taken off guard when Jones entered the game from behind him and put the ball in the net.

At that point, I was afraid that this would be just another dismal performance to add to our awful streak, but we were unfortunate to fall behind, and we bounced back from the setback admirably. We felt that we had had enough time to mentally regroup after the Blackburn loss, and we were more focused on winning last night. We had gone nine days without playing. And after seven minutes, things started to change.

Dijksteel attempted to stay up with Rutter after he grabbed the ball on the left flank and took it past him, but the Dutchman went a little too close and ended up colliding with Rutter’s back as they entered the area. Summerville took the spot, and although though Dieng erred in the wrong direction, his shot was well-positioned and curled into the corner of the net, eluding the goalkeeper.

And we took the lead in the eighteenth minute! Firpo took a leftward step and delivered a superb cross. Dieng was unable to handle it, but for a few second, I believed it would be another close-range miss as the ball bounced off Bamford’s leg. Nevertheless, he was skilled at what he was doing, and he was able to guide the ball into the net by simply needing to “get something” on it.

But on the half hour, Boro got back on terms just when it seemed like we were winning. I had assumed Rutter was returning to the form he had before his operation, but in reality, it was his error in trying to beat a player inside our own half that gave them the lead. Latte Lath was located on the boundary by Azaz. With a deft sidestep, the Ivorian tricked Ampadu and created space for a half-turn and powerful shot into the corner of the net.

Even so, the first half’s scoring did not end there as we scored again six minutes before the half ended, the goal that would become the game’s most talked-about highlight. By the time Summerville was able to deliver the through-ball into the area, Gnonto had already started his run after Gray fed him on the edge of the area and the Dutchman had to stop and look back to collect it.

Although Willy was at least a yard offside, Bamford may have obscured the linesman’s view, causing him to fail to flag Willy offside. And Gnonto seized the opportunity, sending the ball flying into the net. Michael Carrick, the manager of Boro, later complained that this goal would fundamentally alter the game’s dynamics and enable us to take a totally different tack in the second half.

There was still time for one more chance each before the break, with Dieng reading Bamford’s attempt to place a left foot shot past him into the corner, and Meslier getting down well to save from Silvera. As we drew breath at half time, Farke was instructing his team to tighten up a bit at the back, so it looked like we were sitting on our lead, but it might just have been a response to the chaos of the first half, and the need to cut out some of our defensive mistakes.

Thus, Boro were given far more possession, but they hardly ever seemed to be using it. Shortly after the hour, we broke away and took the lead. And with multiple players participating, it was a fantastic team move that may have been the best goal of the evening. Firpo received the ball from Gray and Bamford and saw Summerville cutting into open space on the left.

As he cut inside two defenders tried to get into position for his trademark right-foot shot, but he took it early and curled it delightfully inside the post. Cue scenes of delirium as he ran over to celebrate in front of the nearby Leeds section. At that stage it looked like we were going on to seal a comfortable win, and we created several chances to go 5-2 in front.

Summerville was close to a hat-trick from a narrow angle, with Bamford just failing to get a touch as the ball flew across the face of the goal. Then Gnonto was came into the box after another fine move, only to be denied by a superb tackle. But then I thought we started to get a bit casual, with only a two goal lead and plenty of time left in the game.

On the surface, the three like-for-like substitutions didn’t seem necessary, unless the players who were taken out had begun to tire. In place of Rutter, Bamford, and Gnonto, came Piroe, James, and Kamara. After being sent through, James was the next to be rejected by an incredible late challenge. It’s been argued that Leeds wastes so many opportunities because we hurry things and need to calm down before shooting, yet when James was taken down, that’s exactly what he was doing; the defender was closing in on him as he slowed down.

And out of the blue Boro pulled a goal back with three minutes of normal time to go. As a long ball was sent down the middle Latte Lath evaded Rodon and Ampadu to get to it, and he judged his back header superbly to catch Meslier off his line, as the ball looped over his head into the net. All of a sudden the mood completely changed, and we were left hanging on for the win we so badly needed.

Five minutes additional time was announced, much of it due to the length of time we took to celebrate our fourth goal. I was counting the seconds as Boro forced a series of corners and free kicks, most of which were dealt with by Rodon and Kamara, with Meslier producing one good flap and another fine save.

Dan James was dragged down when we did manage a break downfield, which prompted unjust remarks on a few sites that he stayed down for a minute to waste time. Even when he went down again after the last whistle, it’s evident that some people find it hard to believe that he could have been seriously hurt. He has an oblique abdominal muscle tear and a costal cartilage injury, which the official website confirmed today. He will undoubtedly miss Friday’s game against QPR.

Up until the referee sounded the final whistle and we won this unforgettable game, it was hard to watch. As important as the three points are, we really needed the victory to break out of our slump and prepare for the next two games. It is still necessary for Ipswich or Leicester to lose points in order for us to have a chance, but we still have hope.