Middlesbrough 1 Millwall 2
Ledesma 80 Maierhofer 15, 30
With play-off challengers faltering left, right and centre,
the door towards the top six was beginning to re-open to some of the chasing
mid-table pack; however Boro are one of the teams who have failed to step
through it.
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| Maierhofer's two goals gave Millwall all three points |
Four wins in a row along with others slipping up had given
Aitor Karanka’s side a glimmer of hope of sneaking into the final play-off
position, however a 2-1 defeat to relegation threatened Millwall has all but
condemned Boro to what will be their sixth successive season in the
Championship next campaign.
On this performance at least Boro appeared further away from
Premier league football than they have been all season; in fact it was Ian
Holloway’s Millwall side, currently locked in a battle to stay in the
Championship, who looked more like a side fighting nearer the top end of the
table.
Placed in the bottom three before kick-off Millwall simply
wanted this victory more and prevailed as worthy winners due to two first half
goals from striker Stevan Maierhofer which lifted them out of the bottom three.
Boro on the other hand played well below the standard that
has seen them conquer the likes of Burnley and Derby in recent weeks. They
could still look back on this as a major opportunity that passed them by.
Karanka made one change from the side which beat Burnley the
previous Saturday, Kenneth Omeruo returned from suspension and replaced Daniel
Ayala who was sent off at Turf Moor and therefore ineligible to play.
Boro’s lack of options due to suspensions and injuries meant
for the second match running Karanka deployed the 3-5-2 formation with Albert
Adomah and Emmanuel Ledesma operating as wing-backs, while Omeruo, Nathaniel
Chalobah and Captain Jonathan Woodgate made up a three man defence.
Millwall were unchanged from their 2-2 draw with Watford
last time out. There was a place in their side for ex- Boro midfielder Nicky
Bailey while Scott McDonald, who also made the switch from Teesside to London
in the summer, started on the bench.
The first chance of the afternoon fell Boro’s way after eleven
minutes. Grant Leadbitter did well to
keep possession and set up Danny Graham on the edge of the Millwall penalty
area, the strikers shot was low, on target and required a decent save from
Millwall keeper David Forde who tipped the ball onto the post.
From that point on the hosts had little joy, as the visitors
took control of proceedings. On fifteen minutes Boro could only half clear a
Millwall corner which dropped to Lee Martin on the visitor’s left, with time to
deliver the cross he picked out the towering figure of 6ft 7 Stevan Maierhofer, who leapt higher than any
defender to nod the ball past Dimi Konstantopoulos.
Millwall continued to profit in the wide areas as both
Martin and fellow winger Martyn Woolford exploiting the space provided by Boro’s
unfamiliar back line.
The hosts had chances to draw level, first Lee Tomlin’s
cross fell into the path of Jacob Butterfield, whose volley from a tight angle
forced an instinctive save from Forde. Minutes later Butterfield turned
provider when his cross from the left found Graham however the striker’s header
lacked power and resulted in a comfortable save.
That passage of play didn’t last and Millwall were quickly
back on the front foot. But what will surely irritate Karanka the most is the
way the visitors doubled their lead, an almost carbon copy of the opener saw
Martin, once again in space on the left, cross to the unmarked Maierhofer who
headed home from close range.
Boro’s frustration began to boil and Whitehead received a
booking for a challenge on Millwall defender Alan Dunne, before Tomlin and
Graham both shot efforts wide, but they were only half chances at best.
After the break Millwall predictably retreated to defend
their two goal cushion, knowing the hard part had been accomplished. That did
allow Boro to see more of the ball however they struggled to test Forde in the
visitors goal.
With just under an hour played Karanka made his first change
by introducing Luke Williams in place of Butterfield while Holloway withdrew
Shaun Williams to bring on striker Steve Morrison.
That should have been the substitution that put the game out
of sight and made sure the visitors returned to London with all three points.
Morrison latched onto a long ball and advanced clear of the Boro defence, he
attempted to roll the ball under Konstantopoulos who anticipated the situation
well and saved low at his feet.
Moments later the Boro keeper was called into action again
to deny Woolford’s low effort following a Millwall counter attack. Another
substitution saw Karanka throw on Curtis Main as the hosts piled forward to try
and rescue the game.
They needed inspiration from somewhere and with ten minutes
to go they found some. Graham was fouled on the edge on the Millwall penalty
area and received a free kick in a promising position; Ledesma stepped up and
swept a left-footed effort beyond Forde into the top corner of the net.
McDonald got his chance to make his Riverside return with
five minutes remaining; he would have added Millwall’s third if it wasn’t for
another smart save from Konstantopoulos.
The final few attacks carried little threat and the game
like Boro’s play-off hopes slowly faded and the door towards the play-off
slammed well and truly shut for another season at least.
Player Ratings
Dimi Konstantopoulos
7.5- Made some decent saves and was wasn’t helped by his defence for
either goal
Jonathan Woodgate
5.5- Lack of pace was capitalised on by Millwall forwards
Nathaniel Chalobah
6- Struggled to compete with Millwall striker Maierhofer in the air
Kenneth Omeruo 6-
Cleared the danger when he could on a difficult day for the Boro defence
Dean Whitehead 5.5-
Failed to get to grips with the game as Millwall controlled midfield
Grant Leadbitter 6-
Broke up play but struggled to impose himself on the match
Emmanual Ledesma 6-
Scored great free kick, but struggled to adapt to wing back position
Albert Adomah 5.5-
Failed to have his usual impact and also struggled in wing back position
Jacob Butterfield
6.5- Looked one of Boro’s most creative players before being replaced
Lee Tomlin 6.5-
Provided the little creativity that Boro had going forward
Danny Graham 6- Was
given few opportunities up front
Subs
Luke Williams 5.5-
Had little impact when brought on with 30 minutes to go
Curtis Main- Only on for 15 minutes not enough time to give
a fair rating
George Friend – Only on for 5 minutes not enough time to
give a fair rating
My Boro Of The Match: Dimi Konstantopoulos
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