Why Riley McGree’s early injury proved so decisive in Middlesbrough’s Blackburn defeat

In contentious circumstances, Middlesbrough fell 1-0 to Blackburn Rovers at the Riverside on Wednesday night, ending their three-game winning streak.

When Todd Cantwell laid the ball on for Dom Hyam to tap in, it appeared that the game would end in a dull draw because neither team had any attacking ability. However, the linesman at the time failed to notice that the Rovers midfielder was in an offside position when he scored the goal.

Boro’s winning streak came to an end, and they now have to focus on their matchup with Hull City on Saturday, where they will try to recover swiftly. We examine the Blackburn loss, highlighting pivotal moments like Riley McGree’s game-changing play and more.

The moment that changed the game
After missing out at Oxford on Saturday, Seny Dieng, Hayden Hackney, and Aidan Morris were once again absent, leaving Boro without a number of important players for the match. As the Boro team suffers from illness, Finn Azaz and Delano Burgzorg were also added to the list.

Michael Carrick was bringing two very good players, Tommy Conway and Riley McGree, who should have provided Boro with more than enough quality on the pitch to win the game. That is precisely why the Boro manager did not want to use the absentees as an excuse for losing the game.

But make no mistake: they had an impact, particularly the absence of Finn Azaz. The game-changing event, however, occurred in the 19th minute, when Riley McGree fell down for the second time in rapid succession and was forced off with what Carrick later described as a dead leg.

Boro had started the game well. However, the physios saw more action in the first 20 minutes than the two goalkeepers saw in the entire 90. It meant that the game fought for flow, with Boro being the most affected because they were unable to establish any early rhythm or momentum.

And, with McGree out injured and Azaz unavailable, they lacked a link between midfield and attack. They were swarmed in the middle of the pitch and couldn’t get it through the lines quickly enough, with Conway ultimately failing to provide the same positivity he did earlier in the campaign as a number 10. They did not have somebody displaying deeper for the give and goes as Azaz does.

Boro’s top player.
It was one of those nights when too many players performed below par, resulting in Boro’s inability to replicate or even come close to their previous form. Boro’s defence held Blackburn to virtually nothing, with Sol Brynn making no spectacular saves prior to the undeserved goal.

In this regard, you may highlight the performance of either centre-back. Nitpicking, George Edmundson made one or two poor passes. So, if you had to pick one, Matt Clarke would be the choice for a strong performance. To say he didn’t face much competition that night would be an understatement.

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