Middlesbrough's top six hopes damaged by Huddersfield

Huddersfield took another big step towards securing their place in the Championship play-offs, and damaged Middlesbrough's hopes in the process, with a 2-0 win at the Riverside Stadium.

There was drama midway through the first half when Boro goalkeeper Luke Daniels caught Sol Bamba's backpass, but though the Terriers could not capitalise from the indirect free-kick, they took the lead when Naby Sarr headed in their 20th set-piece goal of the season (41).

Boro offered an increased threat after the break, but saw their fate sealed with an hour gone, when Jordan Rhodes rounded off a sweeping counter-attack and plundered the second.

The result sees Middlesbrough drop to eighth, two points off the top six ahead of the remainder of Easter Monday's fixtures, with Huddersfield staying third and moving to within a point of second-placed Bournemouth, albeit having played three games more.

As the high-stakes clash got under way, Middlesbrough's primary threat came from Isaiah Jones, who gave Harry Toffolo a hard time on the right flank, but it was Huddersfield who looked the more likely to draw first blood throughout much of the first half-hour.

From nowhere, they nearly did when Bamba flicked the ball back to goalkeeper Daniels; he caught the ball when it looked destined for the net, leading to Terriers players calling for him to be sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity.

Yet the laws of the game state the offence is punishable only by an indirect free-kick, and from the resulting set-piece Daniels made a smart save to deny Rhodes.

Four minutes before the break, though, the visitors did strike. Though carrying a knock after an earlier collision with Marc Bola, Sorba Thomas floated a wonderful free-kick to the far post,