Coventry City 1-2 Middlesbrough: George Saville nets late winner for Boro
- Published
Grant Hall scored his first goal for Middlesbrough with the equaliser against Coventry City
Middlesbrough came from behind to beat Coventry City and reignite their Championship play-off push.
Both sides had looked set to continue their indifferent form with a draw until George Saville won it for the visitors late on.
The second half was low on quality, but Jonny Howson made a surging run to the byline and played the ball across the face of goal for Saville to tap into an empty net.
Coventry had gone ahead early on when Boro centre-back Anfernee Dijksteel diverted the ball into his own net after Sam McCallum's long throw-in caused confusion in the six-yard box.
The visitors improved and were rewarded shortly before half-time when Grant Hall headed in Paddy McNair's free-kick at the back post to level.
Having taken just a single point from home games against Bristol City and Cardiff City, Neil Warnock's side registered back-to-back away wins to keep them within three points of the top six.
Coventry, meanwhile, have won just once in nine league games and remain six points above the bottom three.
The Sky Blues are without a win in their past three games and could not repeat their impressive last home performance when they deservedly beat title contenders Brentford.
After Dijksteel had presented them with an early lead, Gustavo Hamer came closest to extending that when he fired narrowly wide from Liam Kelly's lay-off.
Boro went close when Neeskens Kebano's shot was blocked on the line by Coventry centre-back Michael Rose before Hall headed his first goal for the club.
Coventry struggled to impose themselves after the break and their next concerted spell of pressure came shortly before substitute Saville won it for Boro.
Matty James and Hamer both shot wide, while the Dutchman saw a shot deflected behind for a corner in stoppage-time.
Coventry City manager Mark Robins told BBC CWR:
"There wasn't a lot in that game. They do what they do and we do what we do.
"We ended up not getting the balance right in the first half and probably went too long too often despite taking the lead.
"They get you into positions where you don't want to be and the changes they were able to make off the bench put us under pressure and made the difference in the end.
"There were some things we did in the second half where I thought we were better, but the irony is they've ended up getting the better of us.
"There's that little bit of know-how and experience that gave them a little bit of a boost."
Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock told BBC Radio Tees:
"It was a difficult match on a tough pitch and they've changed their style to be very direct.
"It took us a bit of adapting, but we got there in the end. It was really disappointing to concede from another long throw-in, it makes you wonder why we bother marking anyone.
"But Paddy McNair's delivery from that free-kick was different class and it was great to see Grant Hall on the end of it.
"I always thought in the second half we could play better and the substitutes made that key difference for us in the end."
From OJ Simpson to the LA riots: How the helicopter changed the news
Zapped: Office drone Brian is transported to a strange new world...
