Afonso Alves got his first goals in English football when Middlesbrough held Premier League leaders Manchester United to a 2-2 draw at the Riverside.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney were on target for the Reds in a genuinely even match that could have gone either way. United almost gifted their hosts goals on several occasions with poor defending and goalkeeping, but also challenged for a winner.
United started brightly, taking a 10th-minute lead when Emmanuel Pogatetz failed to clear a Ryan Giggs corner, allowing Michael Carrick to pick out Ronaldo for his 27th Premier League goal of the season.
Soon afterwards, Ronaldo combined with Rooney before sending a delightful flick wide to Giggs who could only shoot into the side-netting. United were threatening to overrun Boro; Rooney saw a shot blocked by Luke Young and Ronaldo fired wide after a mesmerising run down the left wing.
Ronaldo’s Goal:
Alfonso Alves Goals:
Wayne Rooney Goal:
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That was an excellent game to watch and a brilliant performance from Gareth Southgate’s men.
Middlesborough really played to United’s weakness in defense and Gareth must be wondering why the hell Middlesborough didn’t perform like this in the FA Cup recently as there performance there was poor in relation.
If only more games were this entertaining!
Joe
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