Mowbray sees Boro fall victim to visiting Leicester’s change of luck

Mowbray felt Leicester’s equalising goal scored by Jamie Vardy should have been ruled out for offside and does not believe there was a foul in the lead-up to Lloyd Dyer’s match-winning strike in the 89th minute.

Mowbray, whose side had taken the lead through Nicky Bailey’s stunning 30-yard drive in the 50th minute, said: “It was very, very disappointing to lose goals like that.

“They are a good side and it was always going to be tight so once we got our noses in front we hoped we could hold on.

“I’ve watched it back and for me the first one was offside and I can’t see a foul for the free-kick that they got the winner from. But it is not going to change anything now. There’s no point moaning.

“It was a close game but they all are in this division. We have won tight games at home like that. We haven’t beaten teams four or five.

“We know that in games like that you need the second goal.”

Leicester manager Nigel Pearson was delighted with his side’s first away win of the season, but conceded that his side had got a lucky break.

“Yes, I think maybe we got lucky,” he said.

“But given the way things have gone against us so far this season maybe we deserved to get a bit of a lucky break.

“Tony (Mowbray) has pointed out that he thought the first one was offside and maybe he has a case, and for the second one, yes, maybe there was some question marks over the free-kick for the second. But as I say, we have deserved to get the rub of the green, and to be fair, we did create a lot of chances. We did help make our own luck.”

Former Leeds United defender Jonathan Woodgate, whose career has been dogged by injuries, was forced off in the 37th minute with what looked to be a recurrence of a niggling hamstring problem.

Boro took the lead early in the second half when Bailey picked the ball up 30 yards from goal and let fly with a stunning shot into the top corner.

Vardy steered in his fourth goal of the season to equalise and Leicester grabbed the winner their second-half pressure had deserved when Anthony Knockaert passed the ball wide to Dyer and his shot took a wicked deflection and looped over Jason Steele.

Middlesbrough: Steele, Friend, Woodgate (Hines 37), Bikey, Hoyte, McEachran, Bailey, Thomson (Ledesma 69), Leadbitter, Jutkiewicz, Zemmama (Luke Williams 63). Unused substitutes: Leutwiler, Arca, Smallwood, Haroun.

Leicester City: Schmeichel, De Laet (Moore 28), Konchesky, St Ledger, Morgan, Knockaert, Drinkwater, James (King 57), Marshall (Dyer 62), Vardy, Nugent. Unused substitutes: Logan, Whitbread, Waghorn, Futacs.

Referee: A Madley (West Yorkshire).