Liam Manning admitted a cool exterior belied a racing heartbeat after his first home game as Bristol City head coach produced a 3-2 Championship victory from a five-goal thriller.
The Robins looked on course for a comfortable win when Taylor Gardner-Hickman curled a superb first goal for the club after 37 minutes and Tommy Conway doubled the advantage with a penalty just before the break after Matty James had been fouled.
But Boro roared back to level by the 52nd minute through Zak Vyner’s headed own goal and a Matt Crooks shot before Mark Sykes volleyed home a 67th-minute winner from an acute angle.
Manning punched the air at the final whistle, having taken four points from his first two games as successor to Nigel Pearson.
“That was nice and relaxing,” he joked after being asked to evaluate his first game in charge at Ashton Gate.
“There are less stressful ways to spend a Saturday afternoon and my heart is still racing. But I consider myself in a privileged position as head coach of a great club.
“Overall I’m delighted. The second half didn’t start as we had planned, but we will learn from that and the way the players defended the lead after going 3-2 up was fantastic.
“We worked in training on four of the lads defending against eight attackers and it was a bit like that in the closing stages when every player had to show great commitment.
“The most positive sign was the number of quality chances we created against a very good side. The crowd played their part and I felt very proud to be on the touchline at Ashton Gate in charge of a Bristol City team.
“You never stop learning in this game and if you think you know it all, you shouldn’t be involved.
“I have great faith in the squad I have inherited and we have a lot of young players who will improve with age and experience.”
Boro boss Michael Carrick sent his side out early for the second half, but made it clear there were no teacups thrown during the interval.
He said: “I just told the players to believe in what they are good at. Do what they do best. In the second half we were more like our usual selves.
“We controlled the game for long periods so I’m very disappointed to be going home with nothing.
“I didn’t think it was a penalty because our player got a touch on the ball, but that’s football.
“We paid for a messy five minutes in the first half and one in the second. Other than that, we played some good stuff.
“When those little moments catch you out, you can find yourselves with too much to do.
“The boys were good chasing the game in the second half and then one lapse has cost us.
“All their goals came from isolated incidents. First a shot into the top corner no goalkeeper would have saved, then a penalty and then a corner.
“We didn’t manage the minutes leading up to half-time well enough. But the players responded really well after the break and we looked the only team likely to win.
“Bristol City were well organised and asked questions of us. I wish Liam all the best in his new job.”
Fiorentina 2-2 Napoli: Kvaratskhelia keeps visitors' slim European hopes alive
Dethroned Italian champions Napoli's hopes of playing European football next season are hanging by a thread after they played out a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina in Serie A on Friday.
Napoli took the lead in the eighth minute through defender Amir Rrahmani, who nodded home a corner by Matteo Politano.
Cristiano Biraghi levelled for Fiorentina in the 40th minute from a free-kick, before M'Bala Nzola put the hosts in front two minutes later when he fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia responded with another stunning free-kick early in the second half to rescue a point for his team.
Eighth-placed Fiorentina, on 54 points and with a game in hand, are five points behind Lazio in seventh.
They can still earn a Europa League spot either by leapfrogging the Rome side or by winning the Europa Conference League final in which they face Greece's Olympiakos on May 29.
Ninth-placed Napoli, on 52 points, still have a slim chance of making the Europa Conference League playoffs.
Data Debrief
Fiorentina left-back Biraghi has now scored six goals from direct free-kicks since the start of 2021-22, which is behind only James Ward-Prowse (seven) - now of West Ham and formerly of Southampton - as the most across Europe's top five leagues in that period.
Kvaratskhelia also levelled via a direct free-kick, making this the first Serie A match in which both teams scored via that route since Fiorentina against Lazio in April 2018 (Jordan Veretout and Luis Alberto in that case).
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Marc Skinner signs Manchester United Women contract extension
Marc Skinner has signed a one-year contract extension as Manchester United Women head coach with the option of a further 12 months.
The 41-year-old guided United to their first major silverware last weekend with victory over Tottenham in the Women's FA Cup final.
United are fifth in the Women's Super League with one game to go - a massive drop on last term's runners-up finish - but Skinner will stay on.
"It's an honour to extend my stay at Manchester United," Skinner, who was appointed in 2021, told United's official website after the news was confirmed on Friday.
"I've always felt at home here, with our excellent players, staff, and fans.
"Being able to secure the team's first major trophy at Wembley was a real career highlight for me and another sign of our continued growth, on and off the field."
United conclude their campaign on Saturday against Chelsea, who lead Manchester City on goal difference entering the final day.
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