Tommy Conway showed immense confidence and composure as he fired a stoppage time penalty to seal victory for Middlesbrough to keep their season alive.
Without the 93rd minute spot kick, Boro would have ended the day five points off the top six with just three games remaining. Instead, adding to Finn Azaz’s early opener, Conway stayed calm under immense pressure and fired Boro to three huge points that keeps their season and play-off aspirations alive.
Michael Carrick made one change to the side that lost at Millwall last weekend. Marcus Forss started ahead of Delano Burgzorg on the right, which meant Morgan Whittaker continued at ten, with Azaz from the left as they both lined up against their former sides. While George Edmundson returned to the bench after injury, Riley McGree was once again absent after picking up a knock in training.
Boro got off to a great start. They quickly established control in the game and were ahead in just the 12th minute. Anfernee Dijksteel split the defence with a lovely ball in behind for Tommy Conway, who beat the offside trap really well. He was unlucky as his chip bounced out of the post, but Azaz was on hand to fire home the rebound.
Boro were looking good at that point at Plymouth - the league’s worst travelling side - were on the ropes. As Boro have done far too often this season, they gifted their opponents a way back into the game. Under pressure while playing out from the back, Jonny Howson put Aidan Morris under pressure and when the American couldn’t get rid quick enough, Mustapha Bundu took possession and ran through one on one before producing a superb finish. It was only Plymouth’s ninth away goal all season.
Boro responded well to the setback and didn’t let it halt their control of the game as far as possession is concerned. What it did, however, was offer Plymouth something to protect again. With ten men behind the ball and operating the low-block, Boro were struggling for another view at goal.
As is so often the case with Carrick’s side, they struggled to move the ball quick enough and didn’t have the ideas to find a way through the compact, deep defensive Plymouth line. In fact, despite all the possession, it was actually the visitors who twice came close to taking the lead before the break as they caught Boro on the counter.
The first came as Azaz’s attempt to break down the left was thwarted by Joe Edwards. Azaz wanted handball, but with nothing given, the Pilgrims broke. Darko Gyabi evaded a couple of challenges to get a sight of goal from the edge. Mark Travers stood up well and made a solid save.
Not long after, it was a far more important save from the Bournemouth loan star. Far too easy, one huge Plymouth clearance saw Ryan Hardie run off Jonny Howson and through on goal, with the Boro skipper unable to keep up. One-on-one, Travers stood tall and applied a big block with his chest.
It was a typical Boro script at the interval, with Carrick’s side the makers of their own downfall and then struggling for ideas in attack to break down the low-block defence. With time running out in Boro’s season, they had to find a way to rewrite their destiny.
They started the second half well, with a much better speed to their attacking play. On 54 minutes, Whittaker came so close to emulating Azaz with a goal against his former side. A trademark step inside with the left from the right and then strike was bending top corner without the excellent save of Conor Hazard to deny him.
But Plymouth continued to carry a counter-attacking threat and could have quite easily gone 2-1 up just before the hour mark. Gyabi again with the strong run as Boro struggled to halt his progress. He cut back from the byline with Hardie arriving unmarked only to fire high and wide.
Though Boro increasingly found space hard to come by in the final third and started to lose their early tempo, they continued to dominate the ball and search for the winner. Moments after Kelechi Iheanacho was introduced, Conway had an opening after peeling slightly wider. He was thwarted by an excellent low save from Hazard.
With time running out, Boro felt like they should have had a penalty ten minutes from time. Clever feet from Whittaker got him into the box, and he then moved it quickly as Julio Pleguezuelo rashly dove in. Boro’s appeals were strong, but Whittaker’s fall looked theatrical as referee Anthony Blackhouse waved play on.
Time looked to be running out for Boro. The announcement of seven minutes added time brought one last ray of hope, and the dramatic ending that they so desperately needed. A lovely Iheanacho half volley sent Conway in behind, and just as he went to pull the trigger, an Edwards foul.
Penalty for Boro, the Plymouth skipper saw red. Under the immense pressure of Boro’s season hanging in his hands, Conway stepped up and showed immense confidence and composure. Sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, he fired Boro into the lead in the third minute of stoppage time.
With Bristol City and Coventry City both winning, the importance cannot be understated. Within a moment’s breath, Boro’s season looked as good as over, with a five-point gap and just three games remaining. Instead, they’re alive and kicking with the gap remaining at three points.
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