Boro wobble late on but secure victory

The home side looked in complete control for large spells and comfortably led after a scrambled opener from Seb Hines and then Merouane Zemmama’s free-kick early in the second half.

But Palace grabbed a lifeline as Jermaine Easter was hauled down and then rammed home the resulting penalty on 55 minutes, and nervous Boro were left to dig in through a frantic final spell.

“It was a bit uncomfortable in the final 15 and we made hard work of it,” admitted Mowbray. “But any three points is a good three points.

“For an hour I felt we were in complete control and we peppered their goal in the first half and we were disappointed to only go in one up at half-time. We had chances in the second half too.

“But then we gifted them a goal with the penalty and that let them back in it. That changed the psychology of both sides. They pushed on a bit more and we retreated a bit.

“We were left hanging on but ultimately it doesn’t matter. We got the points and did well with a young team that is only going to get stronger.”

Boro should have gone ahead early on as Justin Hoyte crossed to the near post and Faris Haroun put a close-range header against a post.

Teenager Adam Reach had shots from 25 and 30 yards well blocked by Julian Speroni before Boro went ahead from a corner which Ishmael Miller glanced against a defender before Hines bundled home.

Boro got a second on 52 minutes as Zemmama squeezed a low 20-yard free-kick around the edge of the wall and inside the near post.

But on 55 minutes Josh McEachran brought down Easter who lashed home the penalty.

Jason Steele did well to deny first Kwesi Appiah and then Andre Morit before easily saving Wilfried Zaha’s weak last-minute effort.

Middlesbrough: Steele, Friend, Hines, Rhys Williams, Hoyte, Reach, McEachran (Smallwood 78), Leadbitter, Zemmama, Haroun (Main 78), Miller (Luke Williams 67). Unused substitutes: Leutwiler, McManus, Ledesma, Arca.

Crystal Palace: Speroni, Ramage, Martin, Blake, Parr, Dikgacoi (Moritz 60), Garvan, Jedinak, Kossoko (Moxey 79), Zaha, Easter (Appiah 63). Unused substitutes: Price, Ward, Wilbraham, O’Keefe.

Referee: D Coote (Nottinghamshire).