SM
Newcastle vs. West Ham: 1 hr 9 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
WB
Premier League
Aug 28, 2016 at 1.30pm UK
 
ML

0-0

 
FT

Middlesbrough maintain unbeaten start with stalemate at West Bromwich Albion

:Headline: Result: Middlesbrough maintain unbeaten start with stalemate at West Bromwich Albion: ID:280092: from db_amp
Newly-promoted Middlesbrough maintain their unbeaten start to the season courtesy of a goalless draw against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.

Newly-promoted Middlesbrough have maintained their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a goalless draw against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns this afternoon.

Neither side ever really looked like breaking the deadlock in a dull stalemate as Middlesbrough made it five points from a possible nine this season, while the Baggies are just one point behind.

Both sides went into the match looking to bounce back from EFL Cup exits to lower-league opposition in midweek, but clear chances were few and far between in a tight and uneventful opening 45 minutes.

West Brom, now winless in six Premier League outings at The Hawthorns, looked most like scoring in the first half, but were forced to settle for half-chances mostly, the first of which saw Jonny Evans fail to properly connect with a volley from a corner.

The best chance of the half came in the 12th minute when James McClean got on the end of Darren Fletcher's clipped ball forward following a good team move, but Brad Guzan was quickly off his line to thwart the winger from a tight angle.

Salomon Rondon was the next to have a sight of goal when he got on the end of a cross from the left flank, but the ball arrived behind him and he could not steer his header on target.

Boro went into the match having conceded fewer league goals than any other side in the top four tiers of English football since the start of last season, and they rarely looked like being breached in the first half despite their lack of attacking intent at the other end of the field.

Brendan Galloway, making his Premier League debut for the club, drew a rare stop from Guzan towards the end of the half, but it was a routine save from the former Aston Villa keeper as he got down to keep out the low drive.

The Baggies stepped up the pressure in the closing stages of the half, but Rondon twice fell just short of connecting with crosses into the box, the latter coming after Guzan had completely missed an attempted punch from a corner.

Middlesbrough finally registered their first shot of the match shortly after the interval when Gaston Ramirez was played into a bit of space down the right channel, but he had no support and could only slice his effort wide of the near post.

The hosts came the closest to breaking the deadlock shortly after the hour mark when Craig Dawson rose to meet a Matty Phillips corner, only to steer his downward header narrowly past the post.

Boro knew that a goal could be enough to hand them back-to-back Premier League away wins for the first time in over a decade, when they also beat Sunderland and West Brom in succession, and they finally created their first real chance of the game with just over 15 minutes remaining when Antonio Barragan stormed forward before finding Ramirez, who could only place his finish straight at Ben Foster.

It was the visitors' first shot on target all afternoon, but they were back on the front foot 10 minutes later as Stewart Downing came forward before driving an effort past the far post.

In the end, though, neither side could break the deadlock as the two teams were forced to settle for a point apiece - a result that drew boos from the home fans upon the final whistle.

The Baggies are now unbeaten in their last seven league and cup meetings with Middlesbrough and have kept five clean sheets in a row against the North-East outfit.

amp_article__280092 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2016-08-31 08:23:00:
html db last update - 2016-08-31 08:23:00 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds1695228121632
2Sunderland1695226121432
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1610422191232
4Burnley168621961330
5Middlesbrough1683529191027
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom166821811726
7Watford168262524126
8Millwall166641914524
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City165742020022
11Derby CountyDerby165562020020
12Stoke CityStoke165561920-120
13Norwich CityNorwich164752524119
14Swansea CitySwansea165471414019
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds165471826-819
16Luton TownLuton165381826-818
17Coventry CityCoventry164572223-117
18Oxford UnitedOxford Utd164571924-517
19Plymouth ArgylePlymouth164571728-1117
20Preston North EndPreston163761624-816
21Cardiff CityCardiff164481524-916
22Hull City163671621-515
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR161871326-1311
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .