Middlesbrough and Millwall produced a seven-goal afternoon that swung repeatedly before the home side eventually prevailed 4-3, with the result still uncertain deep into stoppage time.
Millwall made the sharper start. Riley McGree and Jake Cooper were both cautioned inside the opening quarter of an hour, a sign of the physical contest developing at the Riverside. Dael Fry's dismissal at 26 minutes left Middlesbrough facing a difficult task, and for a period Millwall pressed their numerical advantage without converting it into goals.
The game turned after the interval. Josh Coburn opened the scoring on 58 minutes, and Barry Bannan added a second six minutes later to give Middlesbrough genuine control despite their reduced numbers. Alex Bangura pulled one back for Millwall on 78 minutes, and Macaulay Langstaff levelled at 85 to set up a frantic finish.
Coburn restored the lead almost immediately, scoring his second of the afternoon on 86 minutes. Jeremy Sarmiento extended the advantage to 4-2 three minutes later, which appeared to settle the matter. Danny McNamara's red card in the 90th minute complicated things further, and Luke Cundle scored a late consolation to make it 4-3, but Middlesbrough held on.
Coburn's brace was the defining contribution. Millwall showed enough in the closing stages to suggest Middlesbrough will have been relieved to hear the final whistle, but the three points were ultimately deserved.
Recap generated from the event timeline. Editorial team review by request. How we use AI.
