Middlesbrough Defeated Norwich City with a Ruthless Performance to Maintain Their Slim Chances of Automatic Promotion

Posted : 19 April 2023

Aaron Ramsey scored the opening goal against his previous team after Cameron Archer set him up, and Hayden Hackney's half-volley made it 2-0 10 minutes before halftime.

After putting the ball in the net in the third, Archer quickly put an end to the fleeting hope that Josh Sargent's goal had offered by punishing more shoddy defending with a strong finish.

After the interval, Chuba Akpom scored a fifth goal, and Archer, who had already contributed two goals, made a second assist to help Boro pass Luton and go into third place in the Championship on goal differential.

With four games left, a win would lift Michael Carrick's team into second place by five points, but they would still have played two more games and their prospects of returning to the Premier League now appeared to be tethered to the play-offs.

Norwich would have moved into the play-off spots with a draw, but they are currently ninth, one point outside the top six, and their campaign seems to be losing steam following a run of just one victory in seven.

The visitors started off strong with Sargent missing a fine early opportunity, but Boro punished them with their first attempt as superb interplay from Akpom and Archer split open the opposition for Ramsey's sixth goal in seven appearances.

When Zack Steffen shoved Sam McCallum's risky pass into Sargent's path, City should have equalized, but the prone Boro goalkeeper stopped his close-range attempt.

A minute after Darragh Lenihan's headed goal had been disallowed for offside, Hackney extended the advantage to determine the game in a tense first-half finale.

The Canaries protested the goal because they were angry that the hosts had continued to play and scored despite Sam McCallum being hurt, but they only had themselves to blame when Archer converted Alex Mowatt's ball with ease and made it 3-0.

When Paddy McNair was intercepted by Sargent, who continued running and executed a deft finish between Steffen's legs, Boro returned the favor.

However, a gaping hole in the Norwich defense allowed Ryan Giles' free kick to be pushed right to the unmarked Archer, ending the match.

Middlesbrough Defeated Norwich City with a Ruthless Performance to Maintain Their Slim Chances of Automatic Promotion

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