MIDDLESBROUGH broke their Hillsborough hoodoo in emphatic fashion as they claimed their second Championship win of the season courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
The Teessiders had only claimed one away success over the Owls in the previous 21 years, but their supremacy was never in doubt as they cruised to a comfortable win.
Adam Reach’s drilled low finish was a deserved reward for a dominant first-half display, and while Marco Matias’ deflected strike briefly hauled Wednesday level, Boro sealed their victory with two excellent counter-attacking goals.
The impressive Diego Fabbrini claimed the first, racing into the left-hand side of the area before slotting home, before substitute Cristhian Stuani galloped into the opposite side of the box to confirm victory with four minutes left.
With Daniel Ayala imperious at the heart of the back four, Boro fully merited their first league away win of the season, with the result having moved Aitor Karanka’s side back into the play-off positions.
Having shuffled his pack extensively for the midweek Capital One Cup win at Burton Albion, Karanka made a host of changes again for the trip to South Yorkshire.
With Kike spearheading the attack, Reach and Stewart Downing filled the wide midfield positions, with Fabbrini filling the ‘number ten’ role. All three of Boro’s attacking midfielders enjoyed an effective 45 minutes as the visitors completely dominated the first half.
The only surprise at the interval was that the Teessiders only had a one-goal advantage to show for their efforts, such was the extent of their superiority throughout the opening period.
Downing fired the opening opportunity of the game wide of the target in the 15th minute, and Wednesday goalkeeper Lewis Price made his first save moments later to deny Ayala.
Adam Clayton delivered a cross from the left, and while Ayala powered a header towards goal from eight yards, Price leapt acrobatically to tip the ball over the crossbar.
Wednesday’s only first-half effort of note came on the half-hour mark, with lone striker Lucas Joao scuffing a weak shot straight at Dimi Konstantopoulos.
Boro were significantly more threatening, and when Downing picked out Reach with a fine square ball from the right, Price was forced to produce a fine save with his legs to keep out the left winger’s low shot.
Reach was a threat whenever he cut in from the touchline, and he duly claimed his first goal of the season two minutes before the break.
The Wednesday defence failed to deal with Grant Leadbitter’s whipped corner from the left, and after the ball fell invitingly at the heart of the penalty area, Reach drilled home a powerful low strike.
He was almost in on goal again less than 60 seconds later, but while a dreadful mix up between Tom Lees and Price initially presented him with the ball inside the penalty area, Wednesday’s errant centre-half scrambled back to make a crucial interception.
Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal responded to his side’s poor first-half showing by bringing on Atdhe Nuhui, who had scored in both of last season’s meetings between the two sides.
The striker’s arrival appeared to spark the Owls into life, with Alex Lopez whistling a low strike narrowly wide of the upright within two minutes of the restart before firing in a 25-yard free-kick that Konstantopoulos did well to parry.
Lopez was a much more prominent figure in the second half, and his 54th-minute through ball looked to have sent Kieran Lee clean through, only for Ayala to produce an excellent sliding tackle to steal the ball away.
Boro’s first change saw David Nugent replace Kike shortly before the hour mark, but the alteration initially did little to stem the flow of Wednesday attacking and the hosts levelled in the 64th minute.
Ayala’s headed clearance fell to Matias, and after twisting past Leadbitter on the edge of the area, the midfielder fired in a shot that deflected off Ben Gibson and looped beyond Konstantopoulos.
Boro could have been rocked by the concession, but their credit, the visitors swept upfield and reclaimed the lead with their very next attack.
It was a classic counter-attacking goal, with Nugent releasing Fabbrini down the left-hand side, and the Italian, who is on loan from Watford, driving into the area before sliding a shot across Price and into the bottom right-hand corner.
Wednesday pushed for a second equaliser in the closing stages, but Leeds headed wide from a corner and Lee shot weakly at Konstantopoulos after Nuhui’s blocked shot broke kindly for him in the area.
Boro remained a threat on the break, however, and successfully wrapped up all three points with four minutes remaining.
Another lightning-fast break saw Nugent head the ball into the path of the onrushing Stuani, and the substitute galloped into the right-hand side of the area before slotting home a low finish.
Boro almost claimed a fourth goal in stoppage time, but Adam Forshaw’s close-range header came back off the left-hand post.
Sheff Wed (4-3-3): Price; Hunt, Sasso, Lees, Wiggins; Hutchinson (Semedo 21), Lee, Lopez (Sougou 75); Wallace (Nuhui 46), Joao, Matias.
Subs (not used): Wildsmith, Palmer, Turner, McGugan.
Middlesbrough (4-2-3-1): Konstantopoulos; Nsue, Gibson, Ayala, Friend; Leadbitter, Clayton; Downing (Stuani 68), Fabbrini (Forshaw 84), Reach; Kike (Nugent 58).
Subs (not used): Mejias (gk), Kalas, Stephens, Woodgate.
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