Blackpool 3 Middlesbrough 0: Boro miss chance to depose leaders Saints

With leaders Southampton losing, a win at Bloomfield Road would have put Boro top.

Matt Phillips, who went out on loan to Sheffield United in October, bagged a hat-trick on Boxing Day and notched the opener in the 50th minute.

Lomana LuaLua doubled the lead after poking in the rebound from Alex Baptiste’s shot seven minutes later before the scoring was completed with 20 minutes to go when Seb Hines put through his own net.

After keeping Blackpool goalless until half-time and then hitting the post through Barry Robson, Boro had no answer to the Seasiders’ firepower in the second half and slipped to fourth in the Championship table with Mowbray admitting the better side won.

“I don’t have any complaints to be honest. Their front three gave them some individuality and when we conceded just after hitting the post it made things very difficult for us,” he said.

“Their front three gave us problems with their pace and movement and it was difficult to counteract that after the first goal.

“I don’t think the result was flattering towards them at all.

“Three days ago they were sitting on the back of a 3-0 defeat and that would have hurt them an awful lot.”

Blackpool: Howard, Baptiste, Cathcart, Evatt, Crainey, Angel (Eardley 72), Basham, Sylvestre (McManaman 78), Matt Phillips, LuaLua (Kevin Phillips 78), Ince. Unused substitutes: Taylor-Fletcher,Wilson.

Middlesbrough: Steele, McMahon (Emnes 61), Bates, Rhys Williams, Hoyte, Bennett, Haroun (Reach 68), Smallwood (Hines 68), Robson, Ogbeche, McDonald. Unused substitutes: Coyne,Main.

Referee: S Mathieson (Cheshire).