Middlesbrough sink Sheffield United and climb to Championship summit

Middlesbrough took over at the top of the Championship after an impressive first-half display secured a 2-1 victory at Sheffield United. Tommy Conway and Riley McGree scored in the opening 45 minutes, moving Boro two points clear of Coventry and marking a sixth successive win.

The Blades threatened early when Gus Hamer’s curling effort was pushed away by goalkeeper Sol Brynn, but Middlesbrough began to exert control and produced incisive attacking moves. Hayden Hackney slipped a good ball through to Conway, who initially blazed his shot wide, while Adilson Malanda’s header was saved by Michael Cooper and Morgan Whittaker twice troubled the goalkeeper before Conway opened the scoring in the 19th minute after a neat combination with Luke Ayling, Whittaker and McGree.

Brynn later kept out another Hamer strike and Cooper denied Whittaker, yet Boro doubled their lead in the final minute of the half when Hackney’s drive struck Cooper’s right-hand post and McGree reacted quickest to head the loose ball into the unguarded net.

middlesbrough, sheffield united, championship, tommy conway, riley mcgree, sol brynn, michael cooper, hayden hackney, morgan whittaker, gus hamer