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- Silvera fires for Boro in thriller at West Brom
Silvera fires for Boro in thriller at West Brom
Australia international Sam Silvera bagged a goal and a vital assist as Middlesbrough blew a two-goal lead before winning 3-2 in a thriller at West Bromwich Albion in the EFL Championship.
With the Baggies welcoming new manager Eric Ramsay to The Hawthorns, the danger for second-placed Boro was a new manager bounce for the hosts.
But any thoughts of that soon disappeared for the former Minnesota United boss just minutes before the end of a cagey first half when Charlie Taylor deflected the ball into his own net after Alex Gilbert's crisp shot had bounced back off the post and into his path.
Silvera would double the lead just before the hour, with Boro taking full control of the proceedings as the hosts began to struggle with the pace.
The Socceroos man fired from the edge of the box with pinpoint accuracy to beat Josh Griffiths in the Baggies goal, his second in two league matches.
Silvera was lucky not to concede a penalty in the 73rd minute when he hauled Karlan Grant down right on the edge of the penalty area, but it didn't matter as Isaac Price blasted home the free-kick anyway to bring West Brom back to life.
The hosts were fully revived five minutes later when, after a sweeping move forward, a ball across the box was touched by a Boro defender perfectly into the path of on-rushing Baggies captain Jed Wallace, and he fired into the far corner with power to level the scores.
As both sides set about pushing for a winner, it was Boro that found the late breakthrough, and Silvera was in the thick of it again.
The English-born Australian delicately poked the ball through West Brom's defences to find Delano Burgzorg in the 90th minute, and he blasted his shot across Griffiths and into the net at the far post to win it for the visitors.
Boro's win took it to 49 points, narrowing the gap to the current league leader Coventry City to three points, with Frank Lampard's side hosting Leicester City later on Saturday (AEDT).
For West Brom, it was more disappointment as it stays in 18th place on 31 points, but the team perhaps showed the type of fight Ramsay will be able to work with as his tenure matures.
