The verdict as Middlesbrough beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 at the Riverside
Morgan Whittaker of Middlesbrough celebrates scoring his team’s first goal(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Middlesbrough ended a seven-game winless run but were far from convincing in their 1-0 victory over bottom-of-the-league Sheffield Wednesday at the Riverside.
Morgan Whittaker scored just 11 minutes into his return from injury after a gift from the visitors. But in a far from convincing performance, Boro struggled to find their usual levels as they laboured back to winning ways.
Kim Hellberg made just the one change to the side that were unlucky to only draw at Ipswich Town on Sunday. Whittaker returned to the starting 11, replacing Alex Gilbert who dropped out altogether. Leo Castledine was the new man on the bench, as he made his return from injury.
The Boro boss had warned against taking Sheffield Wednesday lightly, after a torrid season for Henrik Pedersen’s side. But Boro’s struggles throughout were more about their own lethargic performance, as opposed to anything the visitors did to make life difficult.
In fact, the goal which earned them their three points was a gift. After a sloppy and scrappy start to the game, Whittaker read the attempted backpass of Gabriel Otegbayo well. He nipped in ahead of goalkeeper Murphy Cooper, rounded him in getting their first, to therefore have an empty goal to put the ball into.
With goal difference potentially still a big factor this season, any hope the opening goal would kickstart Boro into life was short-lived. They enjoyed a ten-minute period of sustained pressure without creating anything too meaningful.
While not looking in any kind of danger or under any kind of pressure at the other end, on the ball, it all just felt a little laboured and lethargic from Boro in the first 45 minutes.
With that in mind, the Sheffield Wednesday supporters, who sold out their section at the Riverside, were the story of the first half. In such difficult circumstances, their humorous chanting and defiance earned more than a few applauses of appreciation from Boro supporters.
There were no personnel changes at the interval, but there was a tactical tweak. After starting Adilson Malanda as a midfielder, Hellberg reverted to a back three for the second half, with the Frenchman trying to step out at the right times, like Sunday, after a far from convincing first-half display which encapsulated Boro’s sloppiness in possession.
It didn’t do anything to inspire much better from a lethargic looking Boro, who struggled to find any kind of quality or flow to their play. They never looked under threat from their visitors, but it was hard to even make a case that the Owls made life difficult for Boro.
Boro were just struggling to find their usual levels in possession and it meant only having the slender one-goal lead to take into the final 15 minutes, where Boro have dropped so many points of late.
There was a warning for Boro too, as the visitors grew in confidence. A cross from Boro’s left found sub Will Grainger arriving onto it. He swept a first-time effort on goal, with Boro needing Sol Brynn to be alert to make his first save of the evening.
You could feel the tension rising the more the visitors pushed for that late equaliser. In truth, a better side might have punished Boro. In the end, they got over the line and got that long-awaited win.
It’s hard to imagine a victory of this manner does much to build the confidence, however. Though top-two hopes were kept alive, play-offs look increasingly likely for Boro, and they’ll have to find far better form than they showed here by the time they reach the, There’s two to play before that.
With such a superior goal difference to Wrexham and Hull City below them, the three points all but guaranteed Boro will finish in the top six.
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