Middlesbrough Vs Leicester City: 1-1 draw at the Riverside leaves mixed messages for both sides

In middlesbrough vs leicester city at the Riverside Stadium, Caleb Okoli put Leicester ahead in the first half before Riley McGree levelled in first-half stoppage time and the match finished 1-1. The point preserves Middlesbrough's second-place position but leaves Leicester still third from bottom as they search for a first win under Gary Rowett.

Middlesbrough Vs Leicester City at the Riverside: Okoli's header gives visitors early lead

Caleb Okoli opened the scoring when he got in front of Luke Ayling to head home a right-wing free-kick from Divine Makasa, giving Leicester a shock lead in the first half. The centre back, described in coverage as having had a good game up to that point, helped his side take an unexpected advantage inside the opening 45 minutes.

Boro exploit mistake to draw level as McGree nets his third in four

The hosts hit back late in the first half after Okoli gave the ball away in the build-up to the equaliser. Middlesbrough sprang forward: Hayden Hackney played left to Tommy Conway, who pulled the ball back for Riley McGree to tuck away what was his third goal in his past four matches, levelling the score in stoppage time.

Second-half chances fall both ways as Daka and Fatawu miss opportunities

Early in the second half a poor attempted clearance by Luke Ayling left Patson Daka one-on-one with keeper Sol Brynn, but Daka headed wide. Leicester continued to threaten when Abdul Fatawu sent an effort narrowly wide of the far post. At the other end, Callum Brittain's cross was nudged narrowly wide by David Strelec, Tommy Conway fired well over, and veteran keeper Asmir Begovic made a leg save to deny Riley McGree.

What the draw means for the table, Coventry and Middlesbrough's form

Middlesbrough, described as promotion hopefuls, had to settle for a point and have now gone three Championship matches without a win after previously winning six in a row. A victory would have put second-placed Boro level on points with leaders Coventry City; Coventry will go five points clear of Middlesbrough if they beat Sheffield United on Wednesday evening. After a recent defeat by Coventry that saw the Sky Blues regain top spot from Boro, 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. Coventry sit six points clear of third-placed Ipswich, with 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 Gary Rowett and squad updates

Leicester have drawn both their matches under new boss Gary Rowett and their spirited performance at the Riverside will be encouraging for him. The club remain third from bottom and are without a win in eight league matches, but sit just a point behind West Bromwich Albion, the team immediately above them. It has been described as an excellent start by Rowett: the midfield pivot of Oliver Skipp and Harry Winks supported the defence well and were quick to move forward, while Divine Makasa was singled out for another strong contribution, adding to his assist tally.

Squad changes for this fixture included Bobby De Cordova-Reid returning after a three-match suspension, replacing Jeremy Monga in one of two changes from the side that took the field at the bet 365 Stadium, and Abdul Fatawu was fit enough to take a place on the bench. The point at the Riverside was called a hugely creditable result for the Foxes: under normal circumstances a point away at the second-placed side would be encouraging, and recent defeats for Blackburn and Portsmouth plus West Brom's draw were noted as improving the mood among the Blue Army. Observers also noted that Leicester did not look like a relegation-threatened side on the day, though it was also recorded that they have now gone 28 games without a clean sheet.

Manager reaction and lingering questions

Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg reflected on the result, 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. " He added: "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. " For Leicester, the draw continued a period of incremental improvement under Rowett, but questions remain about how the club reached its current position; some commentary noted that Rowett has made a big impact but suggested the club may have taken too long to appoint him.

• Additional context: a planned EFL highlights blog covering the round, headlined "Middlesbrough stumble; Wrexham, Ipswich win & Southampton thrash QPR, " was unavailable at the time.
• Recent match notes: a failure to beat Stoke on Saturday was highlighted as a prelude to Leicester's fragile situation; Middlesbrough had won ten of their 16 home games at the Riverside this season, losing only two, while of their 17 away matches City have won only four.