Preston North End 2-1 Middlesbrough
IRELAND YOUNGSTER FINN Azaz opened his Middlesbrough account with a stunning 20-yard strike as Michael Carrick’s side lost 2-1 to Preston in the Championship on Wednesday evening.
Azaz’s superb strike cancelled out Liam Millar’s first-half opener, but Emil Riis scored the winner in the 60th minute, securing a vital three points for Preston and leaving them outside the playoff places on goal difference alone.
It was completely against the run of play that Preston, sporting a special edition kit to mark the 10th anniversary of club legend Tom Finney, went in front in the 23rd minute.
Millar brought down Matt Clarke’s attempted clearance with his right foot and fired a left-footed shot past Tom Glover from just outside the box.
Shortly after the half-time interval, Azaz’s attempt deflected wide as Boro continued to push for the leveller.
And it arrived through the former Ireland U21 international in the 57th minute, opening his account for the club with a rocket of a shot into the top corner from 20 yards out.
Boro soon found themselves behind again, though, with Riis tapping home on the hour-mark – his sixth goal in as many games for Preston against Boro – after Will Keane’s shot fell very kindly to him.
Preston are now in ninth place on 48 points – level with sixth-placed Coventry, seventh-placed Norwich and eighth-placed Hull – while Boro are seven points back.
Millwall 0-4 Ipswich Town
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Ipswich moved to within three points of the automatic promotion places as they returned to winning ways by thrashing struggling Millwall 4-0.
Kieran McKenna’s early season challengers had won just one in nine league games but survived a slow start to run out deserved victors at The Den.
Nathan Broadhead scored one and made another in the first half while in-form Bournemouth loanee Kieffer Moore headed home and Ali Al-Hamadi converted a stoppage-time penalty as Ipswich eased to just a second league win of the calendar year.
Stoke City 1-0 Queen’s Park Rangers
Meanwhile, Stoke secured a first home win since October as they beat fellow strugglers QPR 1-0.
A Wouter Burger strike on the cusp of half time was enough to end a run of four straight league defeats.
The visiting Hoops, who could have moved out of the relegation zone with a victory, failed to extend their four-match unbeaten run.
It could be an important first home win for Potters’ boss Steven Schumacher, with his new side moving six points clear of the dreaded dotted line.
Huddersfield Town 1-0 Sunderland
At the John Smith’s Stadium, Matty Pearson’s first-half goal pulled Huddersfield five points clear of the Championship relegation places with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland.
Huddersfield were 5-3 beaten by promotion-chasing Southampton at the weekend and their confidence in front of goal showed when Pearson put them in front eight minutes before the break.
The Terriers have not lost on their own patch this year and were good value for a second successive home win – they could have had more than the solitary goal but for the woodwork and a goal-line clearance – but needed goalkeeper Lee Nicholls’ heroics to secure three points.
Plymouth Argyle 2-2 Coventry City
Coventry scored a last-gasp free-kick to earn an unlikely point in their 2-2 draw at Plymouth.
Liam Kitching’s set-piece from the left in the sixth and final minute cannoned off two defenders before finding the net to snatch the point which saw them climb into the top six of the table.
Top-scorer Morgan Whittaker had smashed in his 17th Championship goal of the season to fire Argyle ahead against high-flying City at a rain-soaked Home Park in the 54th minute.
Ellis Simms equalised 11 minutes later for the visitors, only for Mikel Miller to restore Plymouth’s lead in the 68th minute.
But Coventry earned a point thanks to Kitching’s late intervention.
