Middlesbrough’s Neil Warnock sees red, but Norwich City player does not

Teemu Pukki was introduced as a half-time substitute and he grabbed his fifth goal of the season from the penalty spot with 18 minutes to go to lift the Canaries top of the Championship.

The Finn showed Marcus Tavernier exactly how it should be done by scoring his own effort from 12 yards, having watched the Middlesbrough midfielder slip and double touch the ball early in the second half.

But with Boro looking for an equaliser, Warnock felt Sorensen should have been sent off for a second caution when he bodychecked league debutant Sam Folarin with five minutes of normal time remaining.

“That is how it goes, if you slip (like Tavernier did),” said Warnock. “We have had a few lads slip today. We will have to blame the groundsman. It was a game of two penalties.

“You need a bit of luck. When Sam goes past that kid on the far side with 10 (minutes) to go, and he doesn’t send him off for a second booking, it was worse than the first. He didn’t even book him.

“For him to say to me after the game he didn’t think Sam was going to catch the ball, and the ball was only going to go 10 yards maximum when you look at it back, 15 at most, and Sam will be through.

“Why is he telling me that, because he knows he is completely wrong? The officials all know he should have got sent off.”

Middlesbrough: Bettinelli, Dijksteel, Fry, McNair, Bola, Howson; Saville, Spence (Folarin 66), Tavernier (Roberts 81); Johnson (Coulson 66), Akpom (Assombalonga 73). Unused substitutes: Hall, Wing, Wood-Gordon, Watmore, Stojanovic.

Norwich City: Krul, Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Sorensen (Vrancic 90), Rupp; Skipp, Emi (McLean 81), Stiepermann (Tettey 90); Placheta (Zimmermann 90), Hugill (Pukki 46). Unused substitutes: Martin, McGovern, McAlear, Barden.

Referee: T Harrington (Cleveland).

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