Middlesbrough get back to winning ways against Sheffield United after Latte Lath moment of class
A Middlesbrough side that have struggled to score against a Sheffield United team that had conceded just five goals heading into the clash at the Riverside. It was never going to be a free scoring game, was it?
That being said, all it needed was one moment of quality from the bench to snatch all three points. Finn Azaz's curling cross found substitute Emmanuel Latte Lath behind the Blades' centre-half pairing and he powered a header into the back of the net to move the Teessiders within two points of the Championship play-off picture.
Michael Carrick made two changes for his 100th game in the Boro dugout, following the disappointing defeat to Bristol City at the weekend, with Tommy Conway and Riley McGree replacing Latte Lath and Micah Hamilton.
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You have to go back to October 1997 for the last time Sheffield United won at the Riverside in all competitions, scoring just three times in eight meetings on Teesside, but they looked the more comfortable of the two sides in the opening stages. Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Callum O'Hare were both lively without creating much danger for the Boro backline.
The first-half was a predictably tight affair with Seny Dieng called into action to deny Callum O'Hare from the edge of the area, but he could only palm the ball into the path of George Edmundson and it rebounded off the Boro defender for a Blades corner. The Boro shot stopper had a couple of nervy moments playing out from the back, but there was nothing wrong with his ability to make a save.
The Boro goalkeeper had to be alert to turn Sydie Peck's cross away from danger from the resulting corner with the visitors in control of the opening stages. Chris wilder's side enjoyed more of the ball inside the opening 20 minutes, but the hosts weren't without opportunities.
Finn Azaz played a great first time through ball for Tommy Conway who raced through one-on-one, but the pass had a little too much on it and Boro had to settle for a corner. The Teessiders had their first sighting on goal when Luke Ayling lofted the resulting corner back in the box towards Edmundson, but his effort was deflected wide.
The best chance of the first-half fell the way of the visitors when Rak-Sakyi got the better of Edmundson just 10-yards out from the Boro goal, his low drive beating Dieng but Ayling was there to clear the effort off the line. It was a moment that kicked Boro into life, immediately going up the other end and testing Blades goalkeeper Michael Cooper with McGree forcing the 25-year-old into a save low down to his right.
Carrick's side started to find their groove as the first-half wore on, Ben Doak the architect of all things good for the hosts. The Liverpool loanee cut in from the right and drilled a low effort goalbound, which Cooper could only palm into the path of Conway, but there was too much speed on the ball and it deflected behind for a Boro corner.
Boro's right-hand side looked like their best way to break down a resolute Sheffield United back line in an opening 45 minutes that lacked real quality in the final third from either side. It was all square at the break.
The second-half was crying out for Boro to start quickly, but it was almost a mirror image of the start to the game. Sheffield United enjoyed a lot of the ball with Rak-Sakyi lively, if not threatening.
When the hosts did threaten, it was through their bright spark Doak. Just before the hour mark he cut in from the left and found Azaz in space on the penalty spot, but the Boro No.20 couldn't dig the ball out from under his feet.
When he was able to, he rolled it out to McGree on the left-hand side of the box who forced Cooper into a save from a tight angle. As has been the case for the majority of the campaign, Carrick will have been left scratching his head as to how his side hadn't broke the deadlock.
The Teessiders worked a throw-in well down the right, found Azaz with a chipped ball in behind. His cutback found Conway with the goal at his mercy but Blades defender Alfie Gilchrist produced a brilliant block to deny a certain goal.
Boro grew into the half, like they did in the first, but they had to wait until Carrick's late change for that moment of quality. The Boro boss introduced Latte Lath from the bench with 15 minutes of the game to play and it proved to be a masterstroke.
Azaz, who had found pockets of space well all game, picked the ball up behind the Blades midfield line, moved into the right-hand channel and curled a brilliant ball in behind United's centre-half pairing. Boro's Ivorian striker had a yard on the Blades defenders and powered a header past Cooper from just inside the area.
The win over the Blades means Boro maintain their impressive record against Sheffield United on home soil, inflicting just their second defeat of the campaign season.