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Morgan Whittaker repaid Rob Edwards’ faith as his first Middlesbrough goal helped send them back to the top of the Championship after a chaotic 2-1 win over Ipswich.
Edwards publicly backed Whittaker after his substitution was cheered by fans against Preston in September, and he was proven right in emphatic fashion.
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Morgan Whittaker scores his first goal for Middlesbrough against Ipswich!
Boro had Cedric Kipre to thank for the lead prior to Whittaker’s strike after he turned the ball into his own net less than two minutes after his team-mate George Hirst was denied from the penalty spot.
The hosts went into the contest looking for their first win in four games and, after a slow start, they were left scratching their heads as to how they managed to go until first-half stoppage time before taking the lead.
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Alex Palmer made a series of saves to keep Middlesbrough at bay
Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer produced four incredible saves in the space of five minutes to keep parity, and he looked set to be rewarded for his heroics when Leif Davis went down the other end and won a penalty following a clumsy challenge from Callum Brittain.
Jeers and sirens rang around the Riverside Stadium as Hirst stepped up and, not to be outdone by Palmer, Sol Brynn leaped to his right to save the spot-kick to prevent the visitors from taking the lead.
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Take a look at Sol Brynn’s brilliant penalty save against Ipswich’s George Hirst
Before the Riverside had stopped celebrating, Kipre’s moment of disaster compounded Ipswich’s woes and gave home fans even more to celebrate, as he was unable to untangle his legs when Delano Burgzorg fired in a low ball across the six-yard box.
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Ipswich’s Cedric Kipre bundles a cross into the back of his own net to give Middlesbrough the lead!
Middlesbrough did not slow down after the break and Whittaker started and finished the move for their second goal in the 55th minute. The 24-year-old found David Strelec, who may have just been offside, before continuing his run into the penalty area and firing home after Palmer had pushed out Strelec’s cross.
Dara O’Shea did pop up with a goal for Ipswich with a quarter of an hour remaining, just the second Middlesbrough have conceded at home this term. But it was not enough to spark a comeback as Boro remained stern despite late pressure to hold on.
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Dara O’Shea headed home his first Ipswich goal to pull a goal back for the Tractor Boys
The result means Middlesbrough snap their three-game winless run and, at least until Coventry take on Blackburn on Saturday, sees them move back to the summit of the Championship.
Ipswich, meanwhile, were unable to capitalise on a chance to climb into the play-off spots, and now find themselves at risk of dropping back into the bottom half of the table come the end of the weekend’s fixtures.
Whittaker: Goal a weight off my shoulders after lonely time
Middlesbrough’s Morgan Whittaker speaking with Sky Sports:
“It’s such a relief. First off I want to thank the gaffer for believing in me. And secondly, my close circle around me. They’ve been a massive help this period of time and I just want to thank them.
Whittaker’s goal was his first for Middlesbrough
“To get my first goal is such a weight off my shoulders. Hopefully I can take that into the next game.
“It’s been very, very tough. Very lonely and very tough. That’s why I wanted to thank the people I’ve thanked because they’ve helped massively and I just want to kick on from now.”
The managers
Middlesbrough’s Rob Edwards:
To follow…
Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna:
To follow…
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