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.
Al-Ittihad 0-5 Al-Ettifaq: Ekambi scores hat-trick in five-star display
Karl Toko Ekambi netted a hat-trick as Al-Ettifaq got back to winning ways in style with a 5-0 thrashing of Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
He scored twice in four minutes at the end of the first half to send the visitors into the break 4-0 up before getting his third just 10 minutes after the break.
Seko Fofana had already given Steven Gerrard’s side the lead five minutes into the contest, while Moussa Dembele doubled their advantage from the penalty spot.
Al-Ittihad had the chances, but they could not find the back of the net, as they stayed fifth, but are now just six points above Al-Ettifaq.
Data Debrief: Clinical finishers
Al-Ettifaq had five shots on target against Al-Ittihad, scoring with all of them while creating an xG of 3.62.
With his hat-trick against Al-Ittihad, Ekambi has now scored 11 goals for the season, netting more than once for the first time since joining the club.
Al-Akhdoud 2-3 Al-Nassr: Brozovic stunner delays Al-Hilal coronation
Marcelo Brozovic scored twice – including a fine half-volley in second-half stoppage time – as Al-Nassr beat Al-Akhdoud 3-2 to delay Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League title coronation on Thursday.
Former Inter midfielder Brozovic fired in a seventh-minute opener from outside the area before Cristiano Ronaldo tapped into an empty net to double the visitors' lead.
Sadio Mane struck the woodwork early in the second half and Al-Nassr relinquished control of the game from there, with goals from Hassan Al Habib and Saviour Godwin making it 2-2.
However, Brozovic blasted a bouncing ball home following a goalmouth scramble in the first of seven minutes of stoppage time to hand Al-Nassr a fifth straight win and keep them within nine points of Al-Hilal, with three games still to play.
They have only delayed the inevitable though as the leaders – who have only dropped four points all season – need just one more point to secure their crown ahead of facing Al-Hazm on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Brozovic upstages Ronaldo
While it's usually Ronaldo writing the headlines for Al-Nassr, he was upstaged by Brozovic on Thursday as the Croatian found the net with both of his shots, also leading all players on the pitch for final-third passes (19) and completing 90.1 per cent of his passes overall (81/95).
Liam Rosenior departs Hull City after 18 months in charge
Hull City have parted company with head coach Liam Rosenior with immediate effect.
Rosenior departs the MKM Stadium after 18 months in charge of the Tigers, who narrowly missed out on the Championship playoffs this season.
Hull were one point above the relegation zone when the former Derby County assistant succeeded Shota Arveladze in November 2022, but he guided them to safety in 15th place.
Rosenior signed a new three-year deal in December and oversaw just one defeat in Hull’s last seven games of this season, in which they finished seventh and just three points behind sixth-place Norwich City.
"This has been the most difficult decision I have had to make as chairman of this wonderful football club," said chairman and owner Acun Ilicali.
"Since Liam’s arrival, we have enjoyed an open working relationship and progress has undoubtedly been made over the course of his tenure. He will always be a part of this family and I thank him for all his work.
"However, it has become evident that our visions for the future are not aligned, and I feel that now is the time to make a change. I know what this football club can achieve, and we will not stop in the pursuit of that.
"We have worked hard over the last two years to develop our squad. We now have many highly talented players at our disposal, and we will continue to invest and improve our playing personnel to give this club and its fans the success they deserve."
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