Late Goal Rescues Point for Middlesbrough Against Rotherham

Marcus Forss rescued a point for Middlesbrough with a late goal against bottom club Rotherham United at the Riverside Stadium.

The Finland international finished after a neat backheel from Morgan Rogers as lacklustre Boro laboured going into their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Chelsea on Tuesday.

Michael Carrick‘s side suffered an injury blow for that game, with Isaiah Jones forced off with what seemed to be a hamstring injury.

Cafu‘s counter-attacking goal seemed to have ended Rotherham’s dreadful run without an away win, but Forss ensured they have now equalled an unwanted club record of 27 games on their travels without a victory.

Carrick had warned his Boro side how difficult it might be to “shut off” thoughts of the trip to Stamford Bridge, and proved true as the Millers were dogged in defence and looked like they might complete a first league double over the Teessiders since the 1955-56 campaign.

They beat Boro 1-0 at New York Stadium on Boxing Day, despite facing 20 shots at goal in a one-sided contest, and this affair was equally frustrating for a Boro side who needed three points to close a three-point gap to sixth place.

The warnings were there from the start as Sam Clucas forced an error from the defence and Jordan Hugill curled a shot narrowly side for the away team early in the game, but it did not serve as a wake-up call.

Jones, who was man of the match in the first-leg win over Chelsea last week, tried to play on after feeling his hamstring – following a shove in the back by Hugill – but eventually limped off, to be replaced by Forss.

Boro tried to force the pace, Matt Clarke twice going close with headers from corners, Sam Greenwood seeing a shot parried by Rotherham goalkeeper Viktor Johansson and Finn Azaz having a goalbound shot superbly blocked by the ubiquitous Sean Morrison.

The hosts’ best chance of the opening goal was denied by referee Darren Bond’s failure to spot that Peter Kioso had tugged at the shirt of Greenwood as he burst into the area just before half-time.

A stubborn Rotherham rode their luck, and just before the hour mark silenced the home fans with a shock goal.

Hugill picked up the ball after some sloppy Boro football in the middle of the park and fed Cafu – who duly found the bottom corner – and they threatened to secure their first away win since they surprised promotion-bound Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in November 2022.

Boro finally awoke from their slumber and pushed hard for an equaliser, and it took a moment of magic from Aston Villa target Rogers to finally open up the defence.

The former Manchester City man had figured earlier in the attack, but his backheel gave Forss the opening he needed to drive his shot beyond Johansson.

Boro thought they had won it as the game went into added time, as Josh Coburn headed in a Hayden Hackney cross, but the assistant referee’s flag soon stifled the Riverside joy.

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick told BBC Radio Tees:

“To have only one point from the two games we’ve played [against Rotherham] is hard to take. They defended well in numbers. Came to frustrate us and make it difficult but in the first half we played some good football and looked penetrating, but the second half became dead and stop-start.

“The ball-in-play time must have been really low and there was no flow and rhythm to it, then their goal, which was offside from Hugill in the build-up, comes from nowhere and makes it difficult.

“We did great to get back into it with a goal from Marcus [Forss] and then in the last minute, looking back at it, it was a goal from Josh [Coburn]. [Matt] Crooks was in line and Josh was behind, so I don’t know.”

Rotherham manager Leam Richardson told BBC Radio Sheffield:

“Any point away from home at this level is golden. I thought the lads fought terrifically hard.

“It’s been a tough week – we’ve had to train in fits and starts at certain places because of the weather, but I thought for large parts of the game we were competitive.

“Every goal can be avoided but I certainly won’t deny the commitment and the output of the players.

“I think the game panned out they way we probably thought it would have done, it was just disappointing with the goal we conceded.”