'Middlesbrough 1-0 Crystal Palace: Match Review'

A stunning first-half stoppage-time strike from Lewis Wing helped Boro overcome the Premier League side in a tightly contested game at the Riverside Stadium.

Middlesbrough made their way to the last eight of Carabao Cup on Wednesday thanks to a stunning first half strike from Lewis Wing.

Wing broke the deadlock in the stoppage time of first half, with this goal also being the first one that the 23-year-old has scored for Boro.

Crystal Palace, to their credit, came back in the 2nd half with a point to prove, but Tony Pulis’ side managed to hold on to book their place in the last 8 of this year’s competition.

Before the match started, a one-minute silence was observed as both the players and the fans paid their respects to those who lost their lives in the helicopter crash that took place outside the King Power Stadium on the weekend.

Both teams came into this game having made eight changes each from their weekend teams, hence the reason the match took quite some time to get going.

Middlesbrough suffered an injury scare in the opening stages as defender Sam McQueen, who is on loan from Southampton, sustained a serious-looking knee injury. The defender was immediately taken out of the field.

For a match that failed to get going, Lewis Wing was undoubtedly the most impressive performer for the home side, and it was him who broke the deadlock in first half’s stoppage time.

When he collected a pass from Marcus Tavernier 25-yards out of goal, Wing had few options to pass. He took the aim at the goal with a strike that thrust into the top right-hand corner, giving the keeper no chance to stop it.

That goal wasn’t without any controversy, though, with Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson suggesting to the referee that there was a handball by Martin Braithwaite in the process. The referee, however, was not interested and allowed the goal to stand.

As expected, Crystal Palace dominated the game in the 2nd half but failed to create clear-cut chances. The best chance they had was a 25-yard shot from Andros Townsend which was superbly pushed away by Boro goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopoulos.

Wednesday’s victory means Boro will now face Burton Albion in the quarter finals of Carabao Cup, which will take place in the week commencing December 17th.

Next for Boro is a trip to the bet365 Stadium as they face Stoke City in the Saturday 17:30 kick off.