Middlesbrough 0 Coventry City 1: Boro's play-off curse strikes again as Sky Blues progress to Wembley

In front of another sell-out audience, this occasion cut deep for home supporters by contrast.

The decisive moment in the tie arrived 57 minutes in. Gus Hamer, one of the Championship's undoubted class acts, reconfirmed it to secure a first-ever win for the Sky Blues at this particular venue by the Tees.

More importantly, they secured a priceless Wembley ticket.

Boro's abode has been previously graced by Brazilians, most Juninho and Emerson. Coventry's midfielder is an unwanted addition to the list.

After netting a clinical drive to finalise the Sky Blues' play-off participation ten days earlier, Hamer cut inside to deadly effect to dispatch a brilliant rising drive and notch the goal that the Midlanders had threatened.

A side who have scored goals for fun under Michael Carrick, Boro have suffered a bit of a drought at the worst possible juncture. They had scored in all 15 of Carrick's previous home games in charge, but unfortunately not in the most important one.

This loss also extended the club's run without a goal in play-off ties to five matches at a crippling juncture.

Boro could have few complaints in truth. They missed the leadership of Jonny Howson and the ingenuity of Aaron Ramsey in particular.

It was Coventry's night, rightly, but when the dust settles, it is important for the Teessiders to remember just how far they have travelled since some dark autumn days. They were applauded off the pitch by their fans.

Fireworks had interrupted sleeping Boro players in Warwickshire in the early hours of Sunday morning ahead of the first instalment.

Here, both sets of supporters were waiting to see which star striker would explode onto the scene - Chuba Akpom or Viktor Gyokeres.

The pair have plundered a combined total of 51 goals between them thus far in 2022-23 thus far. Ahead of this second leg, they were ravenous for more. Akpom had not scored in three matches, while Gyokeres had netted just once in his previous five games.

Both did not score again, but Gyokeres made up for that. He looked the part on the restart and provided the assist for Hamer's game-breaker.

A red sea of flags greeted the Boro players ahead of kick-off amid an intoxicating atmosphere on Teesside which evoked memories of the hosts’ promotion nail-biter with Brighton just over seven years earlier.

As with then, Boro fed off the crowd and went for an early opener. Their start was a role reversal from the league fixture ten days earlier when Coventry flew out of the blocks.

Yet in the event, an error from the hosts, which almost gifted the Sky Blues the lead, proved the most clear-cut opportunity in the opening 45 minutes.

A woeful Tommy Smith backpass sold Zack Steffen short, but the US international had the presence of mind to sense danger with Gyokeres lurking, racing out to block - a split second later and the Swede would have surely composed himself and slalomed around him.

Worrying scenes regarding Boro’s own attacking talisman in Akpom saw him go down in centre field following Ben Sheaf’s challenge. Thankfully, he shrugged it off.

The battle between Gyokeres and Paddy McNair carried on from the first leg and continued to be absorbing - although one notable key development saw the latter booked for a tug-back to leave him potentially on a tightrope.

Earlier in the half, Smith suffered the same fate after grabbing Gus Hamer’s shirt.

At the other end, Coventry’s defence got up close and personal with Akpom and Cameron Archer. Callum Doyle copped a caution and Kyle McFadzean might well have done. Hamer did after clobbering Marcus Forss.

It was intriguing, but tense and on a knife-edge at half-time, with the distinct impression being that tie could be settled by a moment of brilliance, or equally a mistake or concentration lapse or even a crafty substitution.

Boro had the tempo and sporadic threats out wide in Ryan Giles, Riley McGree and Forss. The Sky Blues always had Gyokeres - and Godden in reserve.

Boro, who saw Darragh Lenihan head straight at Wilson on the stroke of half-time, were waiting for that moment from Akpom.

It arrived in an unexpected way when he was dispossessed with Gyokeres and Sheaf combining to set up Jamie Allen, who skewed his shot with the goal gaping.

The hosts weren't so fortunate not too long after.

The Teessiders turned over the ball and Sheaf's ball over the top caught Boro square. Gyokeres touched the ball past the onrushing Steffen and Hamer picked up the loose ball and cut inside and rifled home a beauty.

Middlesbrough were ragged. They pushed in a frantic last quarter. McGree saw a shot blocked and Archer fired over. Substitute Matt Crooks netted late on and Archer hit the bar, but the offside flags were correctly raised on both occasion. Coventry's night.

Middlesbrough: Steffen; Smith (Dijksteel 66), McNair (Crooks 88), Lenihan, Giles; Hackney, Mowatt (Barlaser 66); Forss (Jones 66), Akpom, McGree; Archer. Substitutes unused: Roberts, Fry, Bola.

Coventry City: Wilson; McNally, McFadzean (Panzo 85), Doyle; Kelly; Norton-Cuffy (Dabo 79), Allen (Godden 80), Sheaf (Eccles 70), Bidwell; Hamer; Gyokeres. Substitutes unused: Moore, Wilson-Esbrand, Maguire.

Referee: D Coote (Notts).