Middlesbrough recorded a very important victory in The Premier League against the last team in the standings – Sunderland. The Boro won 1-0 and kept their chance to avoid relegation, as they are now 6 points down from the 17th-placed Hull City. In addition, Middlesbrough have a better goal difference, which can be valuable at the end of the season.
On the other hand, Sunderland left 12 points behind the 17th position with 5 games to go, which means that The Black Cats have almost been relegated. No wonders Sunderland are the last team in the standings, as the last time they won a game in the league was on 4th February (4-0 against Crystal Palace).
The Boro were on a run of 16 Premier League games without a victory. So, that was their first league win for 2017. It’s interesting that Middlesbrough are the lowest scoring team in the top 10 English divisions this campaign. The Steve Agnew’s players have only found the net on 24 occasions this campaign. However, they have performed better in defence. They have conceded 43 goals in 34 matches, keeping a clean sheet on 10 occasions.
So, nothing unusual about the final score of 1-0 in favour of Middlesbrough. The only goal of the match was scored in the 8th minute. The midfielder Adam Clayton played a long ball to Marten de Roon and the Dutchman put the ball behind Jordan Pickford to open the score. 10 minutes later Stewart Downing found himself one on one with the keeper, but his shot was saved by Pickford.
In the 34th minute Didier Ndong made a good attempt from a long distance, but Brad Guzan parried the ball away. 2 minutes after the break Wahbi Khazri tried his luck from a free-kick, but the American goalkeeper again made a good save.
At both ends, Sunderland will surely relegate to The Championship, while Middlesbrough are still in the battle. However, The Boro have a very tough schedule. They will play Manchester City, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool in the remaining 4 matches, which means that their chance is very little.