Mowbray’s delight as Boro keep hopes alive

Boro put Southampton’s Premier League return on ice as they stormed from behind to win at the Riverside.

Southampton – backed by 3,000 travelling fans – needed a victory to all but seal a second successive promotion and it looked certain when Billy Sharp drilled in the opener early on.

But battling Boro clawed back into the game and levelled in first-half stoppage time as Nicky Bailey fired in through a crowded area and the Teessiders grabbed a winner late on with a sizzling free-kick from Merouane Zemmama.

Reading had drawn 2-2 at home to Crystal Palace earlier in the day but Southampton’s defeat secured the title for the Berkshire side.

“That win keeps it alive for us, it keeps it bubbling,” said delighted Boro chief Tony Mowbray.

“We know now we have to go to Watford and win. Yes, we would still need someone else to do us a favour – Cardiff have a tough game at Crystal Palace – but we are still in there and fighting. And, to be fair, the lads deserve it after that performance. To come from a goal down so early showed great character. But they knew they had to. They knew that only three points would do and they played in a very positive manner.”

Middlesbrough: Steele, Hoyte (Bennett 40), McManus, Hines, McMahon, Zemmama, Haroun, Bailey, Robson (Rhys Williams 59), Jutkiewicz, McDonald (Main 59). Unused substitutes: Hammill, Ogbeche.

Southampton: Davis, Butterfield (Schneiderlin 84), Fonte, Hooiveld, Fox, Chaplow (Do Prado 61), Hammond, Cork, Lallana, Lambert, Sharp. Unused substitutes: Bialkowski, Harding, Martin.

Referee: A Bates (Staffordshire).

Man of the match: Nicky Bailey.