Middlesbrough’s chase of Championship leaders Brighton and Hove Albion took another positive turn on Sunday, as they battered Leeds 3-0 at the Riverside.
Brighton have been the early pacesetters in the Championship, but dropped two points on Saturday after failing to capitalise on a 2-0 lead at Bolton. The hosts pulled one back four minutes before half time before Gary Madine’s injury time header broke the hearts of the travelling Brighton fans.
The two points dropped by the Seagulls on Saturday meant Middlesbrough could make up some ground on the leaders on Sunday, and they didn’t disappoint.
Leeds United travelled north on a decent enough run of form themselves, having picked up seven points from their previous four matches.
Manager Uwe Rosler’s pre-match tactics, and how he wanted his side to set up, was thrown out of the window very early on, as David Nugent scored with just three minutes on the clock. Leeds hit the back of the net next with 32 minutes gone, but sadly for defender George Bellusci, his diving header nestled in the wrong net – giving Boro a two goal advantage. Diego Fabbrini scored the third with just under ten minutes to go, ending any dying hopes the Whites had of getting anything from the game.
The convincing win over Leeds has lifted Boro to within a point of Brighton, and with the form the club have now got themselves into – you can certainly see Aitor Karanka’s side overtaking the Seagulls in the near future.
Brighton’s form too is undisputable, they’ve surprised many with the way they’ve started the campaign – but with only two points from two, now is the time for Boro to overtake their early season title rivals.
The bookies are keen on a Boro title, which will be welcomed by the fans. Many leading bookmakers, including Coral, have dropped the odds to as low as 10/11 for our success. It may also be worth keeping an eye on Coral’s enhanced multiples page to see whether Middlesbrough have been included ahead of the match with Reading on Saturday.
We travel to a Reading side who, like Brighton, have surprised quite a few with their impressive start to the season. Although five points behind Boro, they are only one place below us in third on 15pts. Two goals in a five minute spell at the start of their match on Saturday against Burnley was enough to secure a huge three points away from home, with Burnley pulling one back in the second half – but they couldn’t find the equaliser.
