Middlesbrough came back from a goal down to produce one of the comprehensive football results of the weekend in the Championship. According to reports, former Manchester United midfielder Carrick has agreed to terms and will soon be named the next manager of Boro. The game picked up after the first 30 minutes when Will Keane headed Wigan in front. A minute before halftime, Isaiah Jones scored a close-range goal to tie the game. Middlesbrough then came out firing in the second half, scoring three more goals—through Duncan Watmore, Hayden Hackney, and a Chuba Akpom penalty—to earn their first road victory of the year.
Middlesbrough had much of the early possession, and their first meaningful opportunity to score nearly came from them. Jones was given the ball after a botched Wigan clearance, but Ben Amos, the goalie, parried his strong close-range shot. After 34 minutes, Tendayi Darikwa nearly scored a sensational goal, but Zack Steffen, on loan from Manchester City, saved his shot from 20 yards by tipping it into the crossbar and out for a corner. James McClean’s cross found Keane at the front post, where he flicked the ball home to give Latics the lead.
When Watmore took advantage of some careless passing to be one-on-one with Amos in the 51st minute, Boro turned the game around. He caressed a tidy finish inside the far post to make it 2-1. Thelo Aasgard’s first-time strike from inside the box after Max Power’s cross bounced behind for a corner prevented Wigan from responding right away. Six minutes later, Middlesbrough increased their advantage when Watmore set up Hackney, who fired a shot that was too strong for Amos to save, giving him his first senior goal for the team. When Akpom scored from the penalty spot after Graeme Shinnie pulled down Jones within the box, the Teessiders secured the three points.
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