Match Report
Middlesbrough, 5th with 80 points, sat 25 points above Portsmouth (18th, 55). Portsmouth's recent output outran their position: 5th on form over five rounds, 18th in the table. Against a league average of 1.3 goals per team per game, Middlesbrough ran at 1.57 scored and 1.02 conceded, Portsmouth at 1.07 and 1.39.
A win had eluded Middlesbrough for 5 matches. Portsmouth's winless run stood at 8.
The sides have met 11 times in the GioScore results database: 1 win for Middlesbrough, 6 draws and 4 for Portsmouth, at 2.82 goals per meeting. History gives the home side just 36% of the wins in this matchup. Three-plus goals is the norm here, arriving in 64% of the meetings, and both sides scored in 73%.
Riverside Stadium staged the fixture, a ground that holds 34,988. It was 0-0 at the break, and the second half added 1 goal for the 0-1 full-time score.
Goal scorers
Portsmouth: Conor Chaplin (90')
Key stats
Possession: Middlesbrough 72% · Portsmouth 28% · Total shots: 20-3 · On target: 8-1 · Corners: 14-2