MX23RW : Tuesday, April 22 00:31:29| >> :120:81971:81971:
[monks data]
Middlesbrough logo
Championship | Gameweek 44
Apr 24, 2021 at 3pm UK
Riverside Stadium
Sheffield Wednesday logo

Middlesbrough
3 - 1
Sheff Weds

Bolasie (20'), Coburn (73'), Watmore (81')
McNair (27')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Windass (39' pen.)

Middlesbrough 3-1 Sheff Weds: Owls inch closer to relegation

Middlesbrough 3-1 Sheff Weds: Owls inch closer to relegation
© Reuters
The Owls are now four points from safety with only two games remaining.

Sheffield Wednesday's position in the Sky Bet Championship is hanging by a thread after they crashed to a 3-1 defeat at Middlesbrough.

The Owls are four points adrift of safety with two games remaining after they were beaten on Teesside, and must avoid defeat in their last two matches against Nottingham Forest and Derby to have any chance of avoiding the drop to League One.

They looked to be heading for a positive result when Josh Windass' penalty cancelled out Yannick Bolasie's opener at the end of the first half, but second-half goals from 18-year-old substitute Josh Coburn and Duncan Watmore enabled Middlesbrough to claim their second success in the space of four days.

Boro completed a quickfire South Yorkshire double after triumphing at Rotherham on Wednesday night, making the most of some poor Sheffield Wednesday defending to claim all three points.

Bolasie was a constant threat for the hosts as he drifted across the frontline, and while he failed to find the target with a low effort in the sixth minute, the Everton loanee claimed the opener 14 minutes later.

Julian Borner's poor first touch enabled Bolasie to win possession, and after advancing into the right-hand side of the area, the Boro forward drilled a low shot into the bottom corner via a slight deflection off Tom Lees.

George Saville headed over as the home side continued to press, but with their Championship status on the line, Wednesday's players gradually roused themselves as half-time approached.

Andre Green's deflected effort whistled just past the post, before Borner spurned an excellent opportunity when he hooked wide from eight yards out.

The Owls were the better side in the closing stages of the first half, and their superiority was rewarded as they equalised six minutes before the break.

Green was tripped by Marc Bola as he dribbled across the face of the 18-yard box, and with Barry Bannan having been removed from penalty duties after his miss against Bristol City last weekend, Windass stepped up to fire a low finish past Jordan Archer.

Windass should have claimed a second goal four minutes after the interval, but after breaking on to Green's square ball in the area, the striker side-footed wide from close to the penalty spot.

Adam Reach was denied by a well-timed challenge from Grant Hall as he broke into the box moments later, but while Wednesday dominated possession for most of the second half, they fell behind in the 73rd minute.

Coburn had only been on the field for eight minutes when his persistence in the Wednesday box won a corner. A short-corner routine resulted in Neeskens Kebano crossing from the right, and Coburn angled a header into the bottom corner to claim his first goal on only his second senior appearance.

Boro made the points safe from another corner with nine minutes left, with Watmore scrambling home from close range after Bolasie's header was blocked.

ID:444647: cacheID:444647:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5262:
Written by
P A
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Watford's Ismaila Sarr celebrates scoring their second goal against Reading in the Championship on April 9, 2021
Read Next:
Saturday's Championship predictions including Watford vs. Millwall
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds442713489296094
2Burnley442616261154694
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd442771060352586
4Sunderland4421131058411776
5Bristol City441716115749867
6Coventry CityCoventry44199166257566
7Middlesbrough441891764541063
8Millwall441712154546-163
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn44188185046462
10West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom441418125244860
11Swansea CitySwansea44179184852-460
12Watford44168205158-756
13Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds441511185867-956
14Norwich CityNorwich441314176766153
15Queens Park RangersQPR441314175258-653
16Portsmouth441410205669-1352
17Stoke CityStoke441214184560-1550
18Preston North EndPreston441019154555-1049
19Oxford UnitedOxford Utd441213194462-1849
20Hull City441212204352-948
21Derby CountyDerby441210224756-946
22Luton TownLuton441210224164-2346
23Cardiff CityCardiff44916194669-2343
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth441013214885-3743


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!