Michael Carrick praises Chuba Akpom as Middlesbrough east past Blackpool

Posted Sunday, February 05, 2023 by PA

Michael Carrick believes Chuba Akpom’s brilliance got Middlesbrough firing at the Riverside to keep their promotion push on track by beating struggling Blackpool 3-0.

It was an impressive afternoon for the Sky Bet Championship’s leading scorer, with the former Arsenal striker putting Boro on course for another win under Carrick to keep hold of third spot and move to within 10 points of second-placed Sheffield United.

Akpom took his season tally to 17 goals, 16 in the league, with a goal in each half before Paddy McNair added a third with a back-post finish with 20 minutes remaining.

But it was Akpom’s eye for a goal that got Middlesbrough on course for the three points. His excellent right-footed finish, which curled inside the far post in the 32nd minute, was followed by his second just before the hour when he pounced on Riley McGree’s pass.

The 27-year-old sits top of the division’s scoring charts and Carrick wants him to keep going after watching a fifth home league win in a row.

Boro boss Carrick said: “It was a terrific goal from Chuba, a great individual goal and just what is needed sometimes in a game like that because it can nudge you ahead.

“I liked the second goal, the team goal, from goalkeeper Zack Steffen all the way through the pitch and then to finish it off with a great combination of Chuba and Riley (McGree).

“It is important (to win five in a row at home), when you have the support we have behind us. The boys are playing with confidence, the atmosphere that creates is special.

“We have to build on that as the season goes. It might not always go to plan, but we know the support is there for us. It is powerful there for the players to feel that energy in the stadium.

“I’m happy. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, the situation they are in, with a new manager, a good manager, we knew they’d be stubborn and hard to beat, good on the break.

“I liked the application, attitude, focus and the concentration levels. It’s easy to get impatient and lose sense of what we are trying to do in a game like that, but I thought the boys were terrific, looked dangerous and caused problems.”

Middlesbrough’s win piled on the misery for Blackpool. The Seasiders remain in the relegation zone and new boss Mick McCarthy could not prevent their winless Championship run extending to 11 matches in his first league game in charge.

Blackpool did have their moments and might have levelled through striker Jerry Yates before Akpom’s second goal. Instead, though, McCarthy is left knowing about the size of the task he faces.

The former Republic of Ireland manager said: “I learnt a lot about my players, they had a lot of possession without reality hurting us and we defended well first half and I thought we had our moments and could have done better with one or two breaks.

“We had a throw-in here not far in front of me, we threw it backwards and it ended up in our net. If we had thrown it the other direction the goal wouldn’t have come and that really p***** me off.

“We had a chance at 1-0, hit the crossbar and then gave another appalling goal away and, when they got the third because we didn’t mark at a corner, we looked all over the shop but I take responsibility for that one because I changed the shape to try and get back into it.”