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Boro 2-1 Huddersfield: Justice prevails as relief greets huge win
Duncan Watmore and Ashley Fletcher scored before Paddy McNair was sent off
www.gazettelive.co.uk
There was a sigh of relief at full-time at the Riverside as Middlesbrough finally ended their five-match winless run.
Despite the best efforts of the referee, ten-man Boro clung on to beat Huddersfield 2-1 thanks to goals from Duncan Watmore and Ashley Fletcher.
But the game is somewhat overshadowed by the straight red card of Paddy McNair which very nearly cost Boro a very important three points.
Thankfully, justice prevailed as they saw the result out.
Paddy McNair was sent off against Huddersfield (Image: PA)
Down on luck and form, Boro couldn't have made a worse start if they tried.
Neil Warnock switched things up for the Terriers' visit, reverting back to a back three with Dael Fry still absent. But they were so slow out of the blocks and as they looked sluggish their equally down-on-their-luck opponents hassled them early on.
They moved the ball quickly and Boro struggled to win possession before a combination of Sam Morsy and Marc Bola fouled not far from the edge of the box to give the visitors a ninth-minute free-kick.
And getting exactly what they deserved, Isaac Mbenza stepped up and smashed his free-kick over the wall and beyond a helpless Marcus Bettinelli.
Credit where it's due though, rather than collapse, Warnock's side eventually settled into the game and by the 15th minute onwards they controlled the first half.
They might have had a penalty as the first half reached it's halfway point when Duncan Watmore was clearly grabbed by Juninho Bacuna as he looked to run beyond him in the penalty area.
Boro have suffered a lot from bad decisions of late and some have proven particularly costly as their unbeaten run stretched to five ahead of this one.
With little luck or form then, what they needed more than anything was a piece of individual brilliance - and that's exactly what they got from Watmore.
Receiving the ball on the left byline, he cut in, beating left-back Lewis O'Brien before curling with his weaker left foot into the far corner beyond Ryan Schofield. A wonderful solo goal exactly what Boro needed at an opportune time too.
Duncan Watmore celebrates (Image: Getty Images)
And befitting of their turnaround in the first half, they went in at the break ahead.
This time there was no doubt as the lively Neeskens Kebano crossed and Darnell Fisher, enjoying his more attacking role, crept in ahead of O'Brien to get to it first before being taken down by the full-back.
Back in the starting line-up for the first time since his hamstring injury in September, Ashley Fletcher stepped up and converted, though only just, it has to be said. Not the cleanest of strikes from Fletcher's spot-kicks, but nevertheless enough to squeeze under Schofield who will be disappointed not to have kept it out.
Game-management was the name of the game for much of the second half as Boro looked to be back to the Boro of old.
They slowed the game down, won cheap free-kicks and continued to control the game without having the same attacking intensity of the first half.
It wasn't until the 75th minute that Huddersfield had any kind of sniff of an attempt to get back in the game.
Just prior to the shambolic red card, the visitors broke and were in a four-on-two in their favour only for the final ball to let them down. They kept at it and moments later substitute Kieran Phillips saw his close-range header somehow kept out by the pawing hand of Bettinelli. Not sure he knew much about it, but he kept it out.
That was when the incident occurred. The ball was loose on the edge and McNair had every right to go in for it. His challenge was strong, but he won the ball. At worst, you give a free-kick, but even that would be harsh. A straight red card ranks up there with the most inept pieces of refereeing this reporter has ever witnessed. If that's a red card we might as well pack-up now.
That left Boro with around ten minutes to see the game out.
It was a desperate race to the finish line as they defended for their lives. Huddersfield hit the post and Bettinelli was forced to save a couple.
In the end, justice prevailed. Boro saw the result out. It was massively needed!