EFL

Middlesbrough moving up as leaders Leicester lose again

By Sports Desk November 11, 2023

Championship leaders Leicester suffered their second successive 1-0 defeat after Sam Greenwood settled a tight game with a late stunner to send Middlesbrough into the international break on a high.

Enzo Maresca’s side lost to Leeds last week and Greenwood – on loan at Boro from Elland Road – hit a brilliant free-kick seven minutes from time to lift Michael Carrick’s Boro up to 10th in the table, just two points outside the top six.

Leicester are now only top on goal difference following Ipswich’s win over Swansea.

The Foxes had looked the more likely winners for long spells at the Riverside but could not force a way through Middlesbrough’s organised backline.

There was not much to separate the sides in a hard-fought first half, with both keepers making brilliant saves.

Leicester dominated possession in the opening stages but it was Boro who created the better of the early chances, with Josh Coburn – who bagged a brace in last week’s 3-3 draw at Plymouth – twice going close.

Although the home side did a good job of restricting Leicester, the Foxes did have two good first-half opportunities to break the deadlock.

Maresca’s side were almost gifted an opener when Isaiah Jones’ attempted backpass was intercepted by Kelechi Iheanacho, who stung the hands of home goalkeeper Seny Dieng.

And just after the half-hour mark, Dieng again denied the leaders, making a superb one-handed save to keep out Jannik Vestergaard’s header after a corner from the left.

In the dying seconds of the opening period, it was the turn of Leicester keeper Mads Hermansen. First he got down to his left to tip a low Matt Crooks shot around a post. And from the resulting corner, he clawed out a Dael Fry header that looked destined for the top corner.

Leicester tried to turn the screw in the second half and substitute Abdul Fatawu bounced over a volley from close in after good work down the left from Stephy Mavididi.

Mavididi then had a chance of his own but dragged his left-footed shot wide of the far post, before Iheanacho was gifted an opportunity after a Dieng mistake, only for the keeper to make amends with a fine stop.

Iheanacho beat Dieng with his next chance with just over 10 minutes to play, only to see his delicate chip bounce back off the near post. And moments later, against the run of play, Boro scored what proved to be the winner.

There was initially some anger inside the Riverside when referee Oliver Langford pulled back play for a foul on Greenwood instead of playing the advantage with the home side in the attack and with men over.

But Greenwood lifted himself off the deck to curl home a beautiful free-kick into Hermansen’s top corner.

Related items

  • USA recall Pulisic and McKennie for Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals USA recall Pulisic and McKennie for Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals

    Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie have been recalled to the United States squad ahead of their Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals.

    The two-legged tie against Jamaica marks new head coach Mauricio Pochettino's first competitive games in charge.

    He has overseen two friendlies so far, a 2-0 win over Panama in his first match, followed by a 2-0 defeat to Mexico, a game which both Pulisic and McKennie missed.

    The latter's Juventus team-mate, Timothy Weah, is also back in the squad, but he will miss the first leg against Jamaica, serving the second of his two-game suspension after being sent off against Panama at the Copa America.

    Weah, who scored for Juventus against Torino, has been involved in four goals in his last four league appearances (three goals and one assist), as many as in his previous 63 matches between Serie A and Ligue 1.

    Meanwhile, Tyler Adams is a notable absentee despite recently returning from a long-term injury to feature for Bournemouth in the Premier League.

    The USA are chasing a fourth consecutive Concacaf Nations League title, and visit Jamaica for the first leg on Thursday before hosting the return on November 18 in Missouri. 

    USA squad in full:

    Diego Kochen (Barcelona Athletic), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic), Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough), Yunus Musah (Milan), Tanner Tessmann (Lyon), Malik Tillman (PSV), Cade Cowell (Guadalajara), Ricardo Pepi (PSV), Christian Pulisic (Milan), Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey), Tim Weah (Juventus), Alex Zendejas (America).

  • Injured Barcelona star Yamal withdraws from Spain squad Injured Barcelona star Yamal withdraws from Spain squad

    Spain will be without star winger Lamine Yamal for their upcoming Nations League games against Denmark and Switzerland.

    Yamal starred for La Roja at Euro 2024 and has been exceptional for Barcelona so far this season.

    The teenager has already provided a LaLiga-leading seven assists this term, while his 12 goal contributions rank joint-third in Spain's top tier, behind club-mates Robert Lewandowski (16) and Raphinha (13).

    Yamal has also attempted (84) and completed (34) more dribbles than any other player in LaLiga in 2024-25, while Barca's two league defeats have come in matches in which the attacker did not start; a 4-2 loss at Osasuna in September, and a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad on Sunday.

    Indeed, injured Yamal was left out of Hansi Flick's squad against La Real, and Spain have now called up Bryan Gil in his place, and Barcelona confirmed on Monday that the 17-year-old has suffered a grade one high ankle sprain, and will be out of action for up to three weeks.

    Luis de la Fuente's team are top of their Nations League group, with 10 points from their four matches.

    La Roja face Denmark on Friday before hosting Switzerland on November 18. 

    Should Spain collect one more win from their final two matches of 2024, then they will set a new national record for the number of victories in all competitions in a single calendar year. surpassing the 10 they managed in 2009.

    Barca also confirmed that Lewandowski will need 10 days out of action after suffering a back injury, meaning he will sit out Poland's matches against Portugal and Scotland.

  • Cavalier SC defeat Vere Phoenix 2-1 amid fiery exchange between coaches Cavalier SC defeat Vere Phoenix 2-1 amid fiery exchange between coaches

    Defending champions Cavalier SC continued their unbeaten run in the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Vere Phoenix United at Sabina Park on Sunday. Early goals from Dwayne Atkinson and Jalmaro Calvin gave Cavalier the edge, despite a second-half response from Vere Phoenix’s Matthew Woo Ling. The win moves Cavalier into fourth place with 15 points from four wins and three draws, while Vere remain in ninth with eight points.

    The match was charged with intensity due to a brewing rivalry between Cavalier’s Head Coach Rudolph Speid and Vere Phoenix Technical Director Craig Butler. With the Reggae Boyz technical staff, including Head Coach Steve McClaren, in attendance, Butler acknowledged the extra motivation within his squad to face the reigning champions.

    Despite the loss, Butler expressed confidence in his team’s potential, citing the absence of key players due to schoolboy football commitments. “When you look at the quality of the team, they’re both good, but it was good for us to play the top team in the league and to realize that they’re not many goals better than the team we have in place,” he told the Jamaica Observer. He further suggested that Cavalier’s narrow win only solidifies his belief that Vere Phoenix can compete for the title once they’re at full strength.

    Butler remained undeterred by his team’s current standing and praised the work of Head Coach Lenny Hyde, saying, “If the head of the competition can only beat us 2-1, it means we’re improving… we’ll continue to do what we’re doing.”

    Speid, however, brushed aside any narratives surrounding the rivalry, emphasizing Cavalier’s straightforward approach. “What narrative?” he responded dismissively. “We’re not worried about those things; we just played how we were supposed to play. We’re a professional unit, we come to get the points and go home — that’s it and that’s most important.”

    The weekend saw other intense matchups in the Jamaica Premier League:

    Mount Pleasant defeated Harbour View 3-1
    Portmore edged Humble Lion 1-0
    Racing United claimed a 1-0 win over Chapelton
    Montego Bay topped Dunbeholden 2-1
    As the league heads into a break for the international window, Cavalier SC remains focused on their winning streak, while Vere Phoenix looks to regroup and return stronger, setting up for what promises to be an exciting remainder of the season.

     

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.