Cardiff and Middlesbrough share the spoils as Liverpool loanee stars

Neil Warnock picked up a point on his return to the Cardiff City Stadium as the Boro manager.

George Saville opened the scoring for Warnock’s men, but Liverpool loanee Sheyi Ojo equalised in the second half to give the hosts a point.

Cardiff made four changes from the midweek draw with relegated Bournemouth, with Jordan Osei-Tutu, Joe Ralls, Kieffer Moore and Josh Murphy drafted in to the starting 11.

Boro, as expected, were without talisman skipper Britt Assombalonga – but he did make the bench for the visitors.

Both sides began cagily in the initial stages, with long-balls exchanged between both sets of defences. Cardiff had the first real chance of the game as Harry Wilson controlled and dragged his shot wide.

They would continue to press and create chances via Sheyi Ojo and in particular target-man Kieffer Moore, but it would be Warnock and the visitors who would take the lead.

George Saville, who netted midweek as the Teessiders won at Ashton Gate, flicked a near-post header into Alex Smithies far corner.

The Bluebirds created the bulk of the chances in the remaining minutes of the first half, with Wilson and Moore finding the side and top netting.

The away side came out firing in the second half, with Marcus Tavernier coming closest directly from a corner. He forced Smithies to tip over the bar.

It was set-pieces that would be Boro’s downfall though – as a deep corner was headed across by Moore, who was a handful all game, to Sheyi Ojo to tap home past Marcus Bettinelli.

Ojo caused the visitors all sorts of problems throughout the match before being replaced by Junior Hoilett with five minutes to go.

The result sees Cardiff drop to 15th, and Boro to 13th. It’s the first time Cardiff have gone winless in their opening four home matches since 2007/08.

Cardiff: Smithies; Osei-Tutu, Morrison, Nelson, Bagan; Vaulks, Ralls; Wilson, Murphy, Ojo; Moore

Subs: Phillips, Bamba, Pack, Bacuna, Whyte, Hoilett, Glatzel

Middlesbrough: Bettinelli; Tavernier, Dijksteel, Fry, McNair, Bola; Morsy, Saville, Howson; Johnson, Akpom

Subs: Stojanovic, Spence, Coulson, Wing, Browne, Roberts, Assombalonga

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