Middlesbrough missed out on the chance to climb to the top of the Sky Bet Championship despite coming from behind to earn a 2-2 draw with Millwall. The Lions deservedly led by two goals at the break after capitalising on Boro's unconvincing start. Strike duo Tairyk Arconte and Lyndon Dykes put Millwall in the driving seat after finding the net in the 11th and 36th minutes respectively.
But Middlesbrough, who controlled possession for most of the game, recovered to claim a point after head coach Kim Hellberg made three changes at half-time. The excellent Amario Cozier-Duberry scored his second goal since arriving on loan from Brighton in the 50th minute, before striker Will Lankshear headed in his eighth of the season to equalise just after the hour. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player That result lifted Middlesbrough to third place, despite breaking their 100 per cent home record.
Millwall took the early lead when Arconte, signed from French Ligue 2 side Rodez in the summer, darted past Luke Ayling before cutting back and striking low in off Radek Vitek's near post. The 22-year-old's third goal of the season seemed the perfect response to Millwall's recent away slump, which had seen them concede eight goals on their last two trips. Hellberg's side controlled most of the play after that opener, forcing Millwall to defend strongly.
Middlesbrough's closest chance in the opening half-hour was when Max Crocombe turned Lankshear's scrappy back-post volley over the bar. But Middlesbrough looked threatened by the presence of Arconte and Dykes. After conceding a corner just before half-time, the home side found themselves two goals down after failing to clear the ball into the box.
Jenson Metcalfe's delivery was met by Derek Mazou-Sacko's downward header, which Caleb Taylor flicked back across goal for Dykes, left out of new coach Sebastien Pocognoli's first Scotland squad, to turn in. Hellberg disliked what he saw and introduced substitutes Kyle Joseph, Max Arfsten and Jeremy Sarmiento for the second half. Within minutes Crocombe had to dive to his right to save a curling effort from Cozier-Duberry that energised the home fans.
Cozier-Duberry did not wait long for a goal. After Millwall failed to deal with a corner effectively, the London-born trickster's deflected effort hit the net. Middlesbrough had lift-off.
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