Isaiah Jones and Emmanuel Latte Lath struck second-half goals to earn Middlesbrough a third Sky Bet Championship triumph in a row and end Cardiff’s winning run.
The Bluebirds had won four in a row before this trip to Teesside but Jones’ first league goal of the season in the 56th minute did the damage before Latte Lath sealed a 2-0 victory with six minutes left.
It had been an otherwise largely uneventful evening at the Riverside Stadium with neither side really dominating proceedings in an attacking sense until those goals.
There was a very tentative start. Neither side wanted to press the other, which meant both defences spent a lot of the time knocking the ball around to each other.
That frustrated the fans initially, and the nearest a player came to threatening in the first 25 minutes was when Ollie Tanner was played into space down Boro’s left side.
Tanner, one of two Cardiff changes to the team that beat Rotherham, burst into the box before his low delivery was spilled in the six-yard box by goalkeeper Seny Dieng and Middlesbrough cleared.
Dieng was also in the right place to hold a routine Ryan Wintle header from 12 yards soon after.
When Sam Greenwood, one of four changes for the hosts from the side that won at Watford, was handed possession deep inside the Cardiff half, the crowd suddenly had something to shout about.
Greenwood, on loan from Leeds, attacked his marker at pace before firing a rasping drive at goal for Jak Alnwick to turn over for a corner after 26 minutes.
That did at least breathe life into the first half. Dieng did brilliantly to make a save from Karlan Grant when the Cardiff winger tried to slot past him after he had been put through.
Cardiff went close soon after the restart too. Tanner curled against the bar from an angle after turning one way and then the other inside the box.
But Middlesbrough went ahead when Lukas Engel, who has had a slow start since signing from Danish side Silkeborg in the summer, drilled a low cross inside the six-yard box for Jones to slide in and finish.
That prompted Cardiff to push on more. Striker Kion Etete was disappointed not to hit the target with a header from a corner.
But in the 84th minute Marcus Forss’ flick on halfway was perfect for Middlesbrough to counter.
Latte Lath’s speed got him away from his marker and even though Mahlon Romeo caught him, the Ivorian’s turn created the opening to apply the cool finish for his second league goal of the season.
After that Dael Fry and Forss went close to adding to Middlesbrough’s lead but Michael Carrick’s men had already done enough to seal the points.
Klopp laments late lapse as Liverpool fail to see out win
Jurgen Klopp was lamented his side's late mistake as Liverpool gave up a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Aston Villa in the Premier League on Monday.
The Reds were on top after a quick start as Emiliano Martinez gifted them an opener inside the first 61 seconds. Though Youri Tielemans equalised for Villa, Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah put Liverpool back in control.
Jhon Duran scored twice late on, netting in the 85th and 88th minutes to deny Klopp’s side three points.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the German admitted that though they could not see out the win, he was proud of his team’s performance.
He said: "It got away from us. We played really good football. We were really good, played a lot of good stuff and caused a lot of problems.
"Before we changed, we gave them too many chances. It was very intense for the boys. They created too much. They were too often in our box, and we made the changes. Then we made a mistake. It happens but in that moment, it opens the door.
"They scored an equaliser, and I don't even know how. The character from the boys tonight was outstanding in our situation. We wanted to win the game. In the moment, when we gave away the 3-2, that was really tricky. That's it, that's the story of the game."
It looked like Quansah’s goal would be the winner for much of the second half, with the young defender heading in his first goal for Liverpool.
"I've been waiting for that moment," he told the BBC. "I don't score too many goals, so when it goes in the back of the net you just saw the emotion come out I guess.
"I just tried to get the best contact on it as I could. I'm thankful it went in.
"The way the crowd celebrated was a surreal moment, definitely one I'll never forget."
Emery praises 'special' Duran in Villa comeback
Unai Emery has praised "special" Jhon Duran after his late brace secured Aston Villa a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League on Monday.
The Reds looked to be on their way to a 3-1 despite Youri Tielemans’ strike after Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah added to Emiliano Martinez’s early own goal.
However, Duran's 79th-minute introduction changed the game as the Colombian scored twice in three minutes to salvage a draw.
Villa needed a win to secure a Champions League spot, but a point keeps their fate in their own hands despite Tottenham having a game in hand against Manchester City on Tuesday.
Emery was full of praise for his forward, acknowledging how important his goals could be by Sunday.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "Jhon Duran is a special player. We have to try and help him. He is a good guy, and he needs a team behind him. He is getting our demands better. He was very clinical and today was important for him.
"Today we are celebrating with our supporters, we have to push it and keep working and be consistent. We were consistent all the season. The team was being mature and always consistent in our mind. Inch by inch we did it.
"We are very proud of the season. It is not enough at the moment to get fourth. Even after we scored the two goals, we had chances. We are celebrating the season here with our supporters in Villa Park.
"We are only thinking of us. We will prepare for our match on Sunday, everything is in our hands."
Villa were on a three-game losing run going into the Liverpool contest, and John McGinn highlighted the team’s strong mentality to avoid another defeat.
"It's a brilliant effort towards the end. We got a bit of luck. It's been a tough few weeks with lads coming back and playing through the pain barrier. This place got us going," he told Sky Sports after the game.
"There's some of us that have never been close to the Champions League in our life. The manager has a no-excuse mentality. People have written us off and we've floated under the radar. We'll have our Man City tops on tomorrow.
"Big Jhon [Duran] is a bit nuts and is a nightmare to have in your team, but he's got quality. We need to keep his feet on the ground over the next couple of days."
Barcelona 2-0 Real Sociedad: Blaugrana back to winning ways to reclaim second spot
Barcelona reclaimed second place in LaLiga with a 2-0 home win over Real Sociedad on Monday courtesy of a Lamine Yamal first-half strike and a late Raphinha penalty.
Yamal put Barcelona ahead in the 40th minute when he coolly slotted home from Ilkay Gundogan's pass after a quick breakaway for his fifth LaLiga goal this season.
Raphinha's penalty in stoppage time sealed victory for the hosts after a VAR review for handball, leaving the Basque side in seventh place with 54 points, one behind Real Betis in the last Europa League spot.
Xavi's side leapfrogged Girona to move on to 76 points, one clear of their Catalan rivals who dropped points in Friday's 2-2 draw at Alaves.
Real Madrid have already secured the league title, sitting on 90 points with three games left.
Data Debrief:
Gundogan got a vital assist for Barcelona's opener, and has been involved in 193 open-play shot-ending sequences in LaLiga this season, more than any other player in the competition.
Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in both games against Real Sociedad in LaLiga 2023-24 (W2), achieving this in a single season of the competition for the first time since 2006-07, when they also beat them twice.
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