Sheffield United 1-3 Middlesbrough: Boro clinch key win in Championship promotion race

Cameron Archer's second-half treble gave Middlesbrough their 12th triumph successful 15 Championship games

Middlesbrough kept their hopes of a top-two decorativeness successful the Championship live with a comeback triumph against promotion rivals Sheffield United.

But Boro's victory, secured with Cameron Archer's second-half treble aft Chuba Akpom had cancelled retired Oli McBurnie's aboriginal opener for second-placed Sheffield United, volition springiness them renewed anticipation that they tin adjacent the spread successful the last weeks of the campaign.

United brag Paul Heckingbottom was sent disconnected for his protests aft Boro's 3rd goal, which came aft referee Andre Marriner played connected contempt appeals for a foul connected James McAtee and the Blades aboriginal surrendered possession, from which Archer finished a swift counter-attack.

• Relive Wednesday's EFL enactment arsenic it happened

The result could person been truthful antithetic had the hosts built connected the fifth-minute pb they earned erstwhile McBurnie headed successful Jack Robinson's agelong propulsion from 10 yards.

Boro goalkeeper Zack Steffen prevented further aboriginal damage, redeeming from McAtee and Iliman Ndiaye aft they had precocious connected extremity from the Blades' left.

The visitors rapidly improved aft their dilatory commencement and levelled done Akpom, the Championship's apical scorer, who collected a walk from Marcus Forss and changeable powerfully into the acold country for his 17th extremity of the season.

Forss, Akpom and Riley McGree besides went adjacent earlier the interruption for Boro, who needed little than 3 minutes of the 2nd play to spell successful front.

A Sheffield United effort astatine a tackle to thwart a visiting onslaught landed astatine the feet of Archer and the on-loan Aston Villa striker thundered a changeable into the extortion of the net.

And Archer calmly netted his 3rd extremity successful 2 games to marque it 3-1 connected a memorable nighttime for the visitors.

Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"We missed our chances. We weren't astatine our champion but if you look astatine the stats and our chances, we'll person had much than capable to triumph it.

"If we're astatine our champion we usually win, and someone's going to person to beryllium other peculiar to bushed us. Boro mightiness accidental they've played great, but we cognize what went against america today, which was america not taking our chances.

"I've got nary complaints, you get what you deserve, we didn't instrumentality our chances and that's wherefore we got beaten today."

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick told BBC Tees:

"It was a terrific crippled and I was enjoying watching it for galore reasons.

"I'm truthful arrogant of the lads, to travel to a spot similar this against a squad successful truly bully form.

"I support talking astir the tone and the togetherness successful the radical and it's easier erstwhile you've won games, but contiguous was a existent trial for the boys and however overmuch content they truly had successful each other. That conscionable shone through, they've jumped levels contiguous and I'm truthful arrogant of their performance."

Boro striker Cameron Archer told BBC Tees:

"The manager told maine the goals would come. I privation to beryllium a subordinate who not lone brings goals but brings a antithetic magnitude to the team.

"The experienced lads said if we went a extremity down, don't bash thing anserine and conscionable support doing what we were expected to do. It was a bully reaction."