Middlesbrough 2-1 Southampton: First league win of season for Carrick
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Jonny Howson's penalty ensured a first league win for Middlesbrough since 19 April
Middlesbrough eased pressure on boss Michael Carrick as they got their first Championship win of the season - coming from behind to beat struggling Southampton.
Adam Armstrong finished well to put Saints ahead early on before the impressive Riley McGree levelled for the hosts just before the break, having already gone close.
The hosts took the lead thanks to Jonny Howson's penalty, after Taylor Harwood-Bellis had dragged down Josh Coburn in the area.
Coburn and McGree both had good chances to increase the lead while Saints' Samuel Edozie forced a good save from Seny Dieng as Boro held on.
The win lift's Carrick's side off the foot of the Championship and into 22nd place while Southampton slip to 15th spot, with a fourth successive defeat putting more focus on the leadership of boss Russell Martin.
They have conceded 12 goals in those losses, with the month starting with a 5-0 reverse at Sunderland and 4-1 home defeat by Leicester.
While fellow relegated sides Leicester and Leeds are at the top end of the table - first and fifth respectively - Southampton still appear to be awkwardly adapting to the second tier after losing James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia and Tino Livramento.
Middlesbrough could have been behind after 10 minutes as they lost possession in midfield and Will Smallbone's accurate pass put Che Adams clear, but the Scotland forward shot wide when he should have scored.
But not long after that Saints did go ahead, the hosts again turning the ball over to Flynn Downes and he found Adams who threaded it through to Armstrong, with the striker taking a touch before finishing well on the angle.
McGree almost equalised 10 minutes later as Coburn's strong run put Isaiah Jones through down the right and his pass across the face of goal was met by the sliding midfielder who, from a tight angle, could only roll it across the goalline and Saints gratefully cleared.
Middlesbrough continued to gain the ascendency and were rewarded when McGree blasted low into the bottom corner from the edge of the box after Jones caught Mason Holgate in possession.
The hosts continued to be the better side after the break as Jones and McGree both had good efforts, before Howson's penalty gave them a deserved lead.
It would have been 3-1 but for Coburn's selfishness as he broke clear with 20 minutes left, as the forward fired at goal rather than pass to one of the two unmarked team-mates to his left.
When he did pass he did it well - a flashed ball across the face of goal found McGree, but the Australia midfielder could not find the target as Boro held on for a nervy finish after Edozie's late chance.
Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick told BBC Radio Tees:
"The win's not the most important thing for me today, it was more seeing the spirit and the togetherness.
"When things don't go your way and you're up against it a bit, people's true character shows and who you can trust, who you can't and who's with you and who's not.
"I was standing on the touchline in the second half thinking whether we win, lose or draw this game I was hugely proud of everyone.
"Hopefully the players showed the fans what it means to them and the way the boys stuck at it, they gave everything, they fought for each other, no-one's ventured off, no-one's had a different agenda and it's easy to do that, I've seen it many times when results don't go well."
Southampton manager Russell Martin told BBC Radio Solent:
"We started the game well, stole the ball, were aggressive, scored a good goal and should have scored another one.
"The crowd had turned, the anxiety in the stadium had built up and then when we scored we just shrank.
"It wasn't a conscious decision to then be passive.
"We didn't look after the ball and then we didn't press, we became really passive and it's hurt us."