Middlesbrough started life without last season’s Championship Player of the Year and top scorer Chuba Akpom with a 1-1 draw against Huddersfield at the Riverside Stadium.
Midfielder Hayden Hackney scored a stunner just after the hour mark to rescue a point for Michael Carrick’s side, cancelling out Dael Fry’s own goal 14 minutes earlier, with the draw meaning both Boro and the Terriers are still looking for their first win of the Championship season.
Former Arsenal striker Akpom this week completed a £12million move to Dutch giants Ajax on the back of his stunning 29-goal campaign for Carrick’s side last season.
Boro’s bid to find goals in Akpom’s absence led them to Emmanuel Latte Lath, who joined from Atalanta this week and made his debut against Town as did fellow new arrival Lukas Engel.
But the pair were denied a winning start by the Terriers and their returning manager Neil Warnock, who was back at the Riverside for the first time since he was sacked in November 2021.
Boro had lost their first two games of the season for the first time since 2007 but made a bright start, with Latte Lath keen to impress. The Ivorian had two efforts on goal inside the first six minutes.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic in the opening stages, however.
Boro goalkeeper Seny Dieng did well to claw away a Matty Pearson volley after 10 minutes before Brahima Diarra got a shot away on the swivel inside the six-yard box that clipped the outside of the post eight minutes later.
The Terriers made a dream start to the second period, taking the lead less than two minutes after the resumption when Sorba Thomas’ corner from the left was turned into his own net by Fry at the front post.
Thomas’ deliveries were causing problems and Town pushed for a second, with the home defence looking shaken and vulnerable.
It took Boro 10 minutes or so to settle after falling behind and Aussie winger Sammy Silvera lifted the Riverside crowd with a shot that clipped the top of the bar.
Ex-Manchester City forward Morgan Rogers went close on the hour mark after a fine individual run only to be denied by Lee Nicholls.
But there was nothing the Huddersfield keeper could do to keep out Hackney’s effort a minute later.
There looked to be little danger for Town when the midfielder received the ball on the left edge of the area but the 21-year-old shifted it on to his right foot and hit a thunderbolt into the top corner.
Boro had a glorious chance to win it in stoppage time but Silvera skied his effort inside the box.