Match ends, Middlesbrough 2, Huddersfield Town 0.
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough2HuddersfieldHuddersfield Town0
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Middlesbrough extended their unbeaten home run to 10 games as Lee Tomlin's brace sealed victory over Huddersfield.
On-loan striker Patrick Bamford had the best of the chances for the home side in the first half when he headed wide after Grant Leadbitter's corner.
Tomlin then put Boro ahead early in the second half with a superb shot from outside the area.
Town pressed for an equaliser, but when keeper Alex Smithies came up for a corner, Tomlin broke to wrap it up.
Middlesbrough have now lost only one of their last 14 games in all competitions, while Huddersfield have not won any of their last eight away games.
Town's defence stood firm in the first half, with Smithies forcing Bamford wide as he looked to sneak in behind.
Huddersfield's strikeforce was dealt a blow when James Vaughan was forced off with a head injury.
But the breakthrough for the home team came on 61 minutes when Tomlin rifled home an unstoppable right-footed shot from distance.
Huddersfield went in search of a draw and they came closest through Nahki Wells, whose curled effort struck the woodwork, before Dimi Konstantopoulos turned another shot by the striker round the post.
But with Smithies forward for a corner, Tomlin shot from more than 40 yards following a fast break and made certain of the points for Boro.
The win kept them fourth in the Championship table, while Huddersfield slipped to 17th.
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka: "Dimi Konstantopoulos is the type of player I would have liked to have in my squad during my playing career. He's the kind of player who is always perfect. It's easy to say this now because he was brilliant.
"I'm very confident with my squad and with our strikers. We've scored two and I was very happy when we scored because I thought we would go on and score more. I am still very confident about my squad and about my strikers.
"Every single point is important. Every game is one game less to the end and the points we've lost now is difficult to make up. So three points is very important.
"If we keep playing the way we've been playing the last three or four games, we'll win most games."
Huddersfield manager Chris Powell: "It was the sort of away performance that I've been looking for. Once they got the first goal, we opened up and took the game to Middlesbrough. The response was excellent.
"We hit the post, their keeper made two very good saves, another was cleared off the line and on another day we could have had a penalty.
"The result was tough to take against a side with ambitions to go up. It's good that we know we can match teams in this league and can also play good football and create chances.
"We really need to get that away result. It would help us because our home form has been good, so it's about getting the two things together."
Line-ups
Middlesbrough
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 13Konstantopoulos
- 26Kalas
- 6GibsonBooked at 14mins
- 4Ayala
- 3FriendBooked at 86mins
- 7Leadbitter
- 8Clayton
- 10TomlinBooked at 90mins
- 23BamfordSubstituted forReachat 74'minutes
- 27Adomah
- 9KikeSubstituted forVossenat 84'minutes
Substitutes
- 11Ledesma
- 17Husband
- 18Whitehead
- 20Reach
- 21Vossen
- 22Omeruo
- 40Mejias
Huddersfield
Formation 4-3-3
- 1Smithies
- 27Smith
- 4Hudson
- 33Lynch
- 17RobinsonSubstituted forLolleyat 81'minutes
- 6HoggSubstituted forPeltierat 45'minutesBooked at 81mins
- 10Coady
- 8Butterfield
- 7Scannell
- 9VaughanSubstituted forGobernat 24'minutes
- 21Wells
Substitutes
- 3Dixon
- 18Lolley
- 28Gobern
- 29Billing
- 31Allinson
- 37Peltier
- 45Majewski
- Referee:
- Peter Bankes
- Attendance:
- 18,576
Match Stats
Home TeamMiddlesbroughAway TeamHuddersfield
- Possession
- Home59%
- Away41%
- Shots
- Home15
- Away13
- Shots on Target
- Home3
- Away3
- Corners
- Home4
- Away9
- Fouls
- Home10
- Away14
Live Text
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Full Time
Second Half ends, Middlesbrough 2, Huddersfield Town 0.
Goal!
Goal! Middlesbrough 2, Huddersfield Town 0. Lee Tomlin (Middlesbrough) right footed shot from more than 40 yards on the right wing to the bottom left corner following a fast break.
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Corner, Huddersfield Town. Conceded by Daniel Ayala.
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Attempt missed. Alex Smithies (Huddersfield Town) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Jacob Butterfield with a cross following a corner.
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Corner, Huddersfield Town. Conceded by Tomas Kalas.
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Foul by Adam Clayton (Middlesbrough).
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Alex Smithies (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt missed. Oscar Gobern (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.
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Attempt blocked. Nahki Wells (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Booking
Lee Tomlin (Middlesbrough) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by Lee Tomlin (Middlesbrough).
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Tommy Smith (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Attempt saved. Nahki Wells (Huddersfield Town) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
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Corner, Huddersfield Town. Conceded by Dimitrios Konstantopoulos.
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Attempt saved. Nahki Wells (Huddersfield Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Oscar Gobern.
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Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Tommy Smith (Huddersfield Town).
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Foul by Grant Leadbitter (Middlesbrough).
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Joe Lolley (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick on the right wing.
