Middlesbrough ended a run of three consecutive Sky Bet Championship defeats with a 2-1 victory at Swansea achieved in strange fashion.
Substitute Samuel Silvera struck the 77th-minute winner, whipping home a close-range free-kick after Swansea goalkeeper Carl Rushworth had been penalised for picking up Harry Darling’s back pass.
Middlesbrough led at the interval through Sam Greenwood’s composed finish, but Jamal Lowe equalised to give Swansea hope of only a third home league win this term.
Alan Sheehan took caretaker charge for the third time, with Swansea still hoping to appoint Tottenham coach Chris Davies as Michael Duff’s permanent successor.
Swansea had picked up four points from Sheehan’s two games, while Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick was seeking to arrest a decline that had brought four defeats from their last five games.
The vast majority of first-half chances fell Swansea’s way, with the hosts dominant in the early stages.
Unfortunately for Swansea, many of them fell to defenders, with Middlesbrough goalkeeper Seny Dieng grateful for their wastefulness.
Darling, fresh from his late midweek equaliser at Stoke, strode forward to ripple the side-netting and the unmarked Josh Key headed over from eight yards.
Liam Walsh soon swung over another delicious cross which Bashir Humphreys beat Dieng to, only to plant his header wide with the goal gaping.
There was brief discomfort for Swansea – and Rushworth in particular – when the goalkeeper fell heavily under Emmanuel Latte Lath’s challenge and needed treatment before being able to continue.
Further evidence of Swansea’s profligacy in front of goal came midway the first period.
Josh Tymon sent Lowe scampering into the channel behind Dael Fry and the Jamaica forward took his time to pick the right pass, squaring to Walsh whose effort went inches wide.
Middlesbrough bared their teeth for the first time as Matt Crooks set up Greenwood and his shot forced Rushworth into action at his near post.
The deadlock was broken two minutes before the break after a spell of patient passing from the visitors.
Crooks moved inside from the left to spot Greenwood’s run and a fine left-footed finish gave the on-loan England Under-21 international his fifth Middlesbrough goal.
Swansea were not deflated by falling behind and Jamie Paterson fired wide before the equaliser arrived after 59 minutes.
Tymon found space down the left to deliver a fine cross and Lowe met it with power from six yards out to give Dieng no chance.
Isaiah Jones almost restored Middlesbrough’s lead after charging through from his own half.
But Rushworth’s error allowed Morgan Rogers to tee up fellow substitute Silvera for the winner and Boro survived the stoppage-time loss of Dieng to injury to hold on for a much-needed victory.
Tonali set for August return after receiving suspended two-month ban from FA
Sandro Tonali has been given a suspended two-month ban by the Football Association (FA) after admitting to breaching gambling rules.
The sanction means the Newcastle United midfielder will be eligible to return to action on August 27, 2024, when his 10-month suspension issued by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) expires.
FIFA ratified that ban, causing it to become applicable worldwide, after Tonali admitted to placing bets on matches as part of an investigation into unregulated betting platforms in Italy.
In March, the FA charged Tonali with breaching English football's gambling rules 50 times between August and October last year, leading to fears his spell out of the game could be extended.
However, on Thursday it was confirmed that the FA had suspended Tonali's punishment for the duration of the 2024-25 season, meaning he can return in August if he does not reoffend.
In a statement, Newcastle said: "Sandro Tonali has been given a suspended two-month ban from competitive football by an independent regulatory commission after self-declaring breaches of FA betting rules.
"He has also been fined £20,000 and warned by the FA as to his future conduct.
"Provided that he does not commit any further breach of the FA betting rules during the suspension period, Sandro will not serve any part of the two-month sanction.
"As acknowledged by the FA in the independent regulatory commission's written reasons, the level of assistance Sandro has provided by self-referring and fully cooperating with a subsequent investigation is extraordinary and unprecedented.
"Sandro is continuing to follow a therapeutic plan and educational programme with the club's full support and will continue to train with his team-mates."
Tonali's initial ban has limited him to just eight Premier League appearances since he joined Newcastle from Milan in a £55million deal, while he will also miss Italy's Euro 2024 campaign.
Will Still leaves Reims job with immediate effect
Will Still has left his role as Reims head coach with immediate effect, the Ligue 1 club announced on Thursday.
Still took over as Reims boss – initially on an interim basis – after Oscar Garcia was sacked in October 2022 and went unbeaten through his first 19 league games at the helm.
The 31-year-old was eventually handed the role on a permanent basis and led Reims to an 11th-placed finish in Ligue 1 in 2022-23, with his lack of a UEFA Pro Licence causing the club to be fined €25,000 per match until he began the course.
Reims are currently 11th in Ligue 1 again, though they are winless in their last five games and have lost each of their last three.
In a statement, the club said: "Following a meeting this morning between president Jean-Pierre Caillot, general manager Mathieu Lacour and head coach Will Still, it was mutually agreed that the two parties would not continue the sporting adventure together next season.
"In order to allow Reims to confidently look forward to the next year, it was also decided that Will Still and his deputy Nicolas Still would step down from their respective functions as of today."
Still was linked with the Sunderland job earlier this season and said in February that he would be open to joining an "ambitious" Championship club.
Coventry City 1-2 Ipswich Town: Burgess puts Tractor Boys on brink of promotion
Ipswich Town took a huge step to Premier League promotion after Cameron Burgess snatched a second-half winner in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Coventry City.
Kieran McKenna's side require just one point from their final Championship game against League One-bound Huddersfield Town to go up, after a decisive victory at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Kieffer Moore blasted in an eighth-minute opener for the visitors after Wes Burns' crafty cutback pass, easing the pressure on Ipswich and dampening the top-two hopes of third-placed Leeds United.
Haji Wright levelled in the second half, only for Burgess to squeeze a winning goal past Bradley Collins five minutes later, putting Ipswich on the brink of top-flight football for the first time since their relegation in 2002.
A draw against Huddersfield, who are 23rd and three points adrift of safety, would secure promotion at Portman Road, marking just the fourth instance of back-to-back promotions in the Premier League era.
Having managed to climb out of League One, McKenna's entertaining side would join Watford, rivals Norwich City and Southampton as the only sides to achieve the feat.
Data Debrief: Ipswich end winless run at perfect time
Prior to this game, only five teams had won fewer points in the Championship than Ipswich's six since the beginning of April (W1 D3 L1).
Yet McKenna's men refused to let their top-flight push derail as the Tractor Boys ended a four-game winless run to move within touching distance of history.
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