Middlesbrough Vs Leicester City ends 1-1 as relegation-threatened Foxes hold Boro

The middlesbrough vs leicester city match finished 1-1 at the Riverside Stadium as Caleb Okoli put Leicester ahead and Riley McGree levelled in first-half stoppage time, leaving promotion hopeful Middlesbrough to settle for a point and relegation-threatened Leicester still searching for a win.

Okoli's shock opener and how it came about

Caleb Okoli opened the scoring in the first half when he got in front of Boro defender Luke Ayling to head home Divine Mukasa's right-wing free-kick. The goal handed the visitors a surprise lead and came after a period of pressure from Leicester.

Middlesbrough Vs Leicester City: McGree levels in first-half stoppage time

Moments before the interval the defender who had scored, Okoli, gave the ball away in the build-up to Middlesbrough's equaliser. Boro sprang forward; Hayden Hackney played the ball to the left to Tommy Conway, who pulled it back for Riley McGree to tuck away what was his third goal in his past four matches, levelling the score in first-half stoppage time.

Second-half chances that went begging

Leicester had a great chance to regain the lead early in the second half when Ayling's botched attempt to head away a long ball left Patson Daka one-on-one with keeper Sol Brynn, but Daka headed wide. Abdul Fatawu later sent an effort narrowly wide of the far post.

At the other end, Callum Brittain's cross was nudged narrowly wide by David Strelec, Conway fired well over, and veteran keeper Asmir Begovic saved with his legs to deny McGree, but neither side found a winner and the game finished level.

Table picture, recent form and next fixtures

Promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough have now gone three Championship matches without a win, having previously won six in a row. A victory would have put second-placed Boro level on points with leaders Coventry City, who will go five points clear of them if they beat Sheffield United on Wednesday evening.

Kim Hellberg's side have dropped points against two teams battling against the drop, having played out a frustrating goalless draw against Oxford United at the weekend. They are six points clear of third-placed Ipswich and Hull in fourth, and will be keen to get back to winning ways in their next match, away to Birmingham on Monday.

Leicester's situation under Rowett and wider context

Leicester have drawn both their matches under new boss Gary Rowett and remain third from bottom, without a win in eight league matches. They are just a point behind West Bromwich Albion, the team immediately above them in the table, and are at home to Norwich on Saturday.

Rowett will be encouraged by Leicester's spirited performance in the draw, which kept them from leaving the Riverside empty-handed.

Pre-match predictions and contrasting expectations

A preview by Carter White on 24 Feb 2026 00: 20 included Middlesbrough's hosting of relegation-threatened Leicester City among Tuesday's Championship fixtures and noted that both ends of the table were affected by the tie. The preview first suggested it was hard to call, saying it expected both sides to get the better of their defences with the points ultimately being shared on the night, and elsewhere stated that, despite Boro's recent blip, "Boro should have enough quality to come through this encounter with maximum points. " The same preview mentioned other fixtures including Wrexham vs Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers vs Bristol City, Hull City vs Derby County, Swansea City vs Preston North End, Watford vs Ipswich Town, West Bromwich Albion vs Charlton Athletic and Southampton vs Queens Park Rangers, offering predictions for each match.

Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg reflected on his side's run, saying: "It makes it one loss in the last nine, but of course you want to win games. We weren't good enough to win today. From the last two games we created a lot of opportunities but for us now the ball is not going into the net to win it. "

The draw leaves both clubs picking over what might have been and focusing on clear next steps: Middlesbrough travel to Birmingham on Monday, while Leicester return home for Norwich on Saturday.