Hull continue their Championship promotion push with victory at Middlesbrough

Darko Gyabi’s clinical first-half strike enabled Hull to turn the tables with a 1-0 Sky Bet Championship win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

Less than a month ago, Boro were four goals ahead at half-time at Hull’s MKM Stadium, eventually going on to win 4-1.

The return game on Teesside could hardly have been more different, with Gyabi firing home after some excellent approach play from Kyle Joseph inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour before spending the rest of the game repelling Middlesbrough with some fine defensive work.

Ivor Pandur made a sharp second-half save from Delano Burgzorg, but the visiting goalkeeper was rarely tested despite Boro dominating possession, such was the quality of the defensive work carried out in front of him.

Hull suffered an early blow when former Middlesbrough full-back Ryan Giles was forced off inside the opening five minutes with a muscular injury, but the visitors still claimed a 12th-minute lead.

Joseph spun away from Matt Targett, and while he was forced wide as he rounded goalkeeper Sol Brynn, he pulled the ball back for Gyabi to slot home.

The hosts had hit a post at that stage, although the assistant’s offside flag would have ruled out Hayden Hackney’s effort anyway, even though replays suggested the midfielder was onside as he stabbed Callum Brittain’s cross against the upright.

The home side spent the rest of the first half trying to get back on level terms, but their final ball into the 18-yard box tended to be cut out by Hull’s well-drilled five-man defence.

Targett fired a free-kick from a promising position into the wall, while at the other end, Joseph glanced a header well wide from a cross from the right.

Middlesbrough were dominating possession, but they did not muster an effort at goal until first-half stoppage time, and even then, Tommy Conway’s tame shot was easily saved by Pandur.

Pandur also saved from Hackney at the start of the second period, with the Boro skipper curling towards goal after he was teed up by Kaly Sene.

The fact that Kim Hellberg felt the need to make a triple change before the hour mark underlined the extent to which the home side were struggling to make any kind of an impact in the final third.

One of the substitutes, Burgzorg, almost made a game-changing impact with 19 minutes remaining, but while he swivelled sharply in the box to swoop on a loose ball, he could not get hold of his shot properly and Pandur got down to his left to make a save.