Middlesbrough beat Norwich City 3-1 in the Championship on Wednesday night, picking up an important win after a dip in form.
Middlesbrough welcomed Norwich City to The Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night, in a big Championship game.
Michael Carrick‘s side were looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats to Plymouth Argyle and Stoke City in their last two outings.
However, things started badly for ‘Boro. Ashley Barnes put the visitors ahead inside the opening quarter of the hour, firing home at the second attempt after missing his kick first time round.
The game first half would then swing on the half-hour mark. That came when Norwich City were reduced to ten men with the sending off of Borja Sainz.
After a challenge with Jonny Howson, the Canaries’ winger was adjudged to have kicked out at his opposite number. That saw the visitors reduced to ten men.
Middlesbrough were lifted by that and managed to turn the scoreline around by half time. Two deliveries from the left-hand side were not cleared by Norwich City.
That allowed first Marcus Forss and then Emmanuel Latte Lath to fire in from close range to give the hosts a 2-1 lead at half time.
Lukas Engel’s excellent back post volley on the hour-mark then made it 3-1 to ‘Boro. In the end, that would prove to be enough for Middlesbrough, with victory moving them nine points clear of the relegation zone.
For Engel in particular, his goal provided him with a moment to remember.
Lukas Engel wins praise for key goal
For Middlesbrough, that goal from Engel proved vital in giving them the breathing space they needed to see out the win.
From a personal perspective, this was a big moment for the left-back, as his first goal on home soil for the club.
The way he took that chance was particularly impressive as well, as noted by Craig Johns.
Reporting on that goal from Engel, the Teeside Gazette reporter wrote on X:
“First Riverside goal for Engel. Ayling cross from the right and Engel arrives at the back post and hits a first-time volley across goal and into the bottom corner. Looked like he would smash it but just controlled his volley so well. Great finish and comfort for Boro.”
Next up for Middlesbrough and Engel is a trip to Loftus Road to face QPR on Saturday afternoon.
Middlesbrough must keep Lukas Engel in starting XI
In the wake of this performance, Engel ought to keep his place in the starting lineup for the trip to QPR.
The Dane had dropped to the bench for Middlesbrough’s last two games, with Leicester City loanee Luke Thomas taking his place in the side.
However, Thomas has struggled at times, which may have contributed to Engel’s return to the starting XI.
Having been given that opportunity, Engel certainly did not let anybody down at The Riverside Stadium.
Not only did he get that all important third goal for Middlesbrough, he also made contributions to other aspects of the game.
According to SofaScore, the 25-year-old also recored a 79% pass success, was involved in seven duels, and completed three out of six crosses. Those deliveries also contributed to the opening goal scored by ‘Boro, which proved vital to the course of the game.
As a result, Engel made an impressive return to the starting XI for Middlesbrough tonight. With that in mind, he surely deserves to keep that role in the squad for Saturday’s game.