'Weak defending' - Middlesbrough FC boss angry as points are thrown away
Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg was left to rue “weak defending” after seeing his side slump to a 2-1 defeat at Blackburn Rovers.
The visitors started strongly and took a deserved early lead as Jeremy Sarmiento marked his first league start since signing permanently with a well-taken goal following a flowing team move.
But after enduring a frustrating first half, which saw Ryoya Morishita’s effort cleared off the line, Blackburn turned the game on its head early in the second half with two quick goals which were a product of forcing the visitors into mistakes.
First, Andri Gudjohnsen netted his third goal in all competitions this season by heading home Harry Pickering’s corner before Todd Cantwell made the match-winning contribution, arriving with perfect timing to meet Ryan Alebiosu’s cross with a diving header.
He said: “I think the performance was a big step forward to be fair from the last game. I’m disappointed we’re 1-0 up in the first half and don’t get anything from here.
“I think the first half is OK. We should be happy to be 1-0 up even if I think it’s an even first half.
“Then there are 10 minutes of weak defending and bad positioning where they score their two goals. Blackburn do a lot with very few opportunities but when they get those opportunities they make a lot from it.
“The 10 minutes of defending is not close to being good enough. I’m frustrated but I can also understand we are not where we want to be.”