Middlesbrough's forgotten man Ashley Fletcher stars in narrow win at Blackburn
Few savour an away day quite like Tony Pulis, but if there was a familiar formula to Middlesbrough’s latest profitable road trip, victory still had an unlikely architect.
Only leaders Norwich have claimed more points on their travels while all of Middlesbrough’s league wins in 2019 have come away from the Riverside Stadium and featured a Britt Assombalonga goal.
Yet if he was a regular scorer in a typical result, Middlesbrough’s forgotten man was the catalyst. Ashley Fletcher is a £6 million signing who had only made four previous league starts and just one for Pulis.
If he only owed his place to defensive absentees, with Pulis forced to pick a more attacking team because centre-backs Aden Flint and Daniel Ayala were injured and suspended respectively, the forward justified his selection with his speed, skill and directness.
“He was smashing,” said Pulis, after Fletcher’s pace decided the game. He burst beyond the Blackburn defence to unleash a shot that was deflected off Charlie Mulgrew for Assombalonga to head in from two yards. Then, when Fletcher was closing in on goal, he was brought down by Derrick Williams. The left-back was the last man and was duly dismissed.
Middlesbrough ought to have capitalised further but, although Lewis Wing struck the bar with a dipping volley and David Raya made a terrific late save from Assombalonga, the lowest scorers in the top 14 have a meagre 36 goals.
“We played really well at times and controlled the game,” said Pulis. “John Obi Mikel was absolutely fantastic. But we had 27 shots on goal and only scored one. That has been our Achilles heel since I came in. We have got to be more ruthless in front of goal.” If he was pleased with the character his makeshift side showed, a former Middlesbrough manager and captain was altogether less happy.
“I couldn’t recognise my team in the first half,” said Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray. “I don’t know where that came from. We lacked fight and desire and energy. It was unacceptable.”
While Mowbray is on his worst run at Blackburn, he inspired a second-half fightback with a triple change as Rovers played better with 10 men than 11.
The excellent substitute left-back Amari’i Bell clipped the bar, the former Middlesbrough forward Danny Graham missed a golden chance and Darren Randolph reacted superbly to block Bradley Dack’s low volley and Pulis admitted: “They had two great chances.” But Middlesbrough took three points to condemn Blackburn to a fourth straight defeat.
Blackburn (4-2-3-1): Raya; Bennett, Rodwell (Nyambe 46), Mulgrew, Williams; Reed, Evans (Travis 46); Brereton (Bell 46), Dack, Armstrong; Graham.
Substitutes not used: Leutwiler (g), Smallwood, Nuttall, Conway.
Booked: Rodwell
Sent off: Williams
Middlesbrough (3-4-2-1): Randolph; Fry, Shotton, Friend (McNair 61); Howson, Mikel, Besic (Downing 73), Saville; Wing, Fletcher (Hugill 81); Assombalonga.
Substitutes not used: Konstantopoulos (g), Clayton, Tavernier, Van la Parra.
Booked: none
Sent off: none
Goal: Assombalonga (19)
Attendance: 13,249
Referee: Darren Bond (Lancashire)
