With both Middlesbrough and Millwall suffering defeat during the midweek set of fixtures, both sides had to shift focus to each other.
Millwall had the surprise announcement of Neil Harris stepping down after this match earlier in the week.
Would Millwall give Harris a fantastic send-off, or would Middlesbrough continue their push to keep themselves in the playoff hunt?
Middlesbrough Show Their Gritty Side
With Millwall being such a steady, hard-to-break defensive minded team, Middlesbrough had to show a different side of their game.
Millwall had some good chances to start the contest, but afterward, they did not threaten the Middlesbrough goal much.
Once Middlesbrough snatched the early advantage, they were content to be a gritty, defensive team that could limit good chances.
It might not have been the prettiest, but the approach was certainly effective.
Against another team that’s desperate and has similar ambitions, that kind of approach is exactly what a team needs.
Millwall Rudderless?
Millwall throughout the match felt as if they had no sense of direction or purpose after a hot first fifteen minutes.
Femi Azeez was the most effective Millwall attacker on the day as he had two of Millwall’s three early big chances.
However, once Middlesbrough took the lead in the tenth minute, Millwall’s attacking threat decreased the more time passed. The second half especially was low on productive chances.
For a final game as manager, Neil Harris has to feel extremely dissatisfied with how his tenure in charge of Millwall ended.
Two poor scoreless defeats have pushed Millwall down to thirteenth in the table and nine points from the last playoff spot.
While that is certainly not out of reach, whoever is the new manager at The Den will have some work to do.
Middlesbrough’s Main Men Step Up Despite Quality Being in Short Supply
Fresh off winning the Championship Player of the Month award, Finn Azaz wanted to show he deserved the award.
While it may not have always counted on the scoresheet, Azaz clearly showed in moments how talented he is.
That was clear in the game-defining moment as Azaz combined with the in-form Emmanuel Latte Lath on a beautiful one-two combination where Azaz slotted Latte Lath in on goal and Latte Lath clinically finished the chance.
It was a moment of brilliance in a game that was otherwise rather short of scoring brilliance.
Change in Keeper?
Senegalese international Seny Dieng has often been Michael Carrick’s top choice between the sticks for Middlesbrough.
However, when Dieng was out due to illness, Middlesbrough academy product Sol Brynn stood up in his place and performed quite admirably.
When Dieng came back, he showed he was just a step slow in defending his goal. This led to Carrick selecting Brynn for the Millwall match despite Dieng being healthy.
Sol Brynn showed Carrick he was worthy of his manager’s confidence by saving several chances in the beginning of the match which led to Middlesbrough scoring and ultimately winning the match.
While it certainly helped that a couple of key defenders were back from injury for Middlesbrough, there’s no doubt that Brynn has become a Championship quality goalkeeper.
His quick reactions, reflexes, and smarts have helped him be a stalwart constant for Middlesbrough every time he plays.
While Seny Dieng has been solid during his time at Middlesbrough, it might be time for Brynn to become the more full-time option at goalkeeper for Michael Carrick’s side.
While it was not the most attractive or prettiest game of football available to watch, it was a match that showcased two ambitious teams that were competing for similar goals.
In the end, Middlesbrough’s quality pushed them over the line. It was well deserved and showed a side of Middlesbrough that was seen in the Burnley match.
It shows that Middlesbrough can win in different ways. If one wants to compete for and make the playoffs, good, talented clubs have to win these kinds of matches.
