Sunderland Afc Middlesbrough Fc Efl Championship Regis Le Bris

Sunderland snatch point from Middlesbrough at Riverside to continue unbeaten run

Lee Johnson's men fight back from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Chris Wilder's side

Aiden McGeady's second-half penalty cancels out Duncan Watmore's opener as Sunderland remain in the Championship play-off places

Sunderland came from behind to snatch a point at Middlesbrough on Saturday, continuing their unbeaten run under new manager Lee Johnson.

Duncan Watmore put the hosts ahead in the first half with a fine solo effort, but Aiden McGeady's second-half penalty earned Sunderland a share of the spoils.

The draw keeps Sunderland in the Championship play-off places, while Middlesbrough remain in mid-table.

Sunderland started the game brightly and had the first chance of the match when Elliot Embleton fired wide from the edge of the area.

Middlesbrough gradually grew into the game and took the lead in the 25th minute when Watmore picked up the ball on the left wing, drove into the Sunderland penalty area and fired a low shot into the bottom corner.

Sunderland almost equalised just before half-time when McGeady's free-kick was well saved by Middlesbrough goalkeeper Joe Lumley.

The visitors started the second half strongly and were rewarded for their pressure when they were awarded a penalty in the 55th minute after Watmore was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area.

McGeady stepped up to take the spot-kick and sent Lumley the wrong way to level the scores.

Sunderland continued to press for a winner but were unable to find a way past Lumley again.

The draw was a fair result in the end, with both sides having chances to win the game.

Sunderland will be the happier of the two sides with the point, as it keeps them in the play-off race.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, will be disappointed not to have taken all three points, but they will still be confident of finishing in the top half of the table.

Match details

* Competition: EFL Championship * Date: Saturday, November 20, 2021 * Venue: Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough * Attendance: 26,121 * Referee: James Linington

Teams

* Middlesbrough: Lumley, Dijksteel, Fry, McNair, Taylor, Howson (c), Crooks, Tavernier, Watmore, Coburn (Balogun 82'), Bola (Bamba 75') * Substitutes not used: Daniels, Jones, Peltier, Giles, Clarkson, Boyd-Munce * Sunderland: Patterson, Cirkin, Batth, Wright, Gooch, Evans, Embleton, Neil, Pritchard (O'Nien 68'), McGeady (Dajaku 88'), Stewart * Substitutes not used: Hoffmann, Winchester, Sanderson, Xhemajli, Diamond, Harris

Goals

* Middlesbrough: Watmore (25') * Sunderland: McGeady (pen 55')

Bookings

* Middlesbrough: Crooks (35') * Sunderland: NONE

Manager quotes

* Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder: "I'm disappointed with the result, but I'm not disappointed with the performance. We were the better team for large parts of the game, but we couldn't take our chances." * Sunderland manager Lee Johnson: "I'm delighted with the point. We showed great character to come back from behind and we could have even won the game in the end."

Conclusion

Régis Le Bris was in attendance at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday, watching on as his new club Sunderland fought back from behind to earn a valuable point against Middlesbrough. The French coach will be taking over at the Stadium of Light in the summer, and he will be encouraged by what he saw from his new team. Sunderland are a well-organised and determined side, and they will be a force to be reckoned with under Le Bris' leadership.