’Boro bewildered as Babbel strikes late

Blackburn 2 Middlesbrough 2

Middlesbrough were left shaking their heads in disbelief at the end after coming from behind to move into the driving seat. Juninho’s two goals seemed to have secured the points but Babbel had the last word.

Blackburn manager Graeme Souness decided to ring the changes after losing at home to Aston Villa at the weekend. Martin Taylor, Garry Flitcroft and Nils-Eric Johansson were all drafted in at the expense of Andy Cole, Craig Short and Tugay.

Stewart Downing and Andrew Davies replaced Danny Mills and Massimo Maccarone in the Boro line-up.

Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren could not hide his disappointment after two points slipped away.

Boro had looked set for victory thanks to a brace from Juninho but Babbel, on loan from Liverpool, scored his second goal to secure a point for Rovers.

The result brought an end to the visitors’ proud seven-game record of Premiership clean sheets .

McClaren said: “It was a disappointment to lose two goals from set-pieces. We haven’t done that for about 15 games.

“After going a goal behind we played some great football and went 2-1 up.

“We controlled the game from then, kept the ball and were never under any real pressure.

“But games can last 93 minutes and you have to see them through. Today we didn’t and we got punished.

“Maybe I would have settled for a point before the game. But on this performance we deserved all three points and that would have taken us into the top half.

“However that’s 11 games unbeaten and we looked a good team today. We defended very well and weren’t really in any trouble.

“We played an attacking formation and that showed in some of our play. We could have had more goals.”

Blackburn were grateful to Babbel for saving them from a second successive home defeat inside a week.

Assistant manager Tony Parkes said: “I think we deserved a point as we played okay.

“We started well and scored a good goal. We were comfortable until they scored.

“Then we got a bit edgy but not a lot of damage has been done although we want to win our home games.

“Half the teams in the Premiership got a point today, although it was a close-run thing for us.”

BLACKBURN: Friedel, Babbel, Martin Taylor, Todd, Johansson (Mahon 45), Neill, Flitcroft (Tugay 56), Ferguson, Emerton, Yorke (Cole 45), Gallagher.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Davies, Cooper, Southgate, Queudrue, Mendieta, Boateng, Downing, Zenden, Juninho Paulista (Greening 73), Ricketts.

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).