Kim Hellberg enjoyed a dream start to life in the Middlesbrough dugout as his side mounted a stirring late comeback to beat in-form Derby County 2-1 at the Riverside. Trailing to Patrick Agyemang's second-minute strike and outplayed for much of the first half, Boro struck twice in the final quarter of an hour through Matt Targett and Morgan Whittaker to transform the mood on Teesside and reclaim a place in the Championship's automatic promotion spots.
The result lifted Middlesbrough, who began the day third, back up to second in the table, two points clear of Millwall and with clear water between themselves and the congested play-off race. For Derby, who arrived having won six of their previous seven league games, it was a painful second defeat in eight and saw John Eustace's side slip to 10th, three points adrift of the top six despite an impressive first-half display.
Rams' lightning start silences the Riverside
Hellberg's first competitive act as Middlesbrough manager was to watch his new team fall behind inside 90 seconds. A Sol Brynn goal-kick was headed back towards the Boro half by Dion Sanderson and cleverly flicked on by Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, sending United States international Patrick Agyemang racing in behind Alfie Jones down the right channel. The £7.3m summer signing from Charlotte FC steadied himself and slid a precise low finish into the far corner from the right side of the area for the third goal of his Derby career.