No Mido To Bank On This Time!

Att: 25,164

Mido came off the bench to help sluggish Middlesbrough claim a share of the points from their Barclays Premier League clash with West Ham.

The visitors had dominated large periods of the game with some enterprising play and had taken a deserved lead in the 21st minute when Hayden Mullins volleyed home.

But second-half substitute Mido, a replacement for the lacklustre Afonso Alves, smashed a 83rd-minute free-kick past Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green.

Boro manager Gareth Southgate named an unchanged team for the third consecutive match while West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola made four changes from the side which lost 2-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Captain Lucas Neill was restored after he overcame a recent virus and Zola also gave Jack Collison a midfield berth while Luis Boa Morte and Freddie Sears were included.

Middlesbrough started positively and Stewart Downing delivered a high ball into the area in the fifth minute but Neill was able to clear the danger.

The lively Sears robbed Boro defender Andrew Taylor of the possession in the ninth minute and ran towards goal, but he could only screw his shot wide from a good position.

Zola's side looked dangerous on the counter-attack and two minutes later Julien Faubert broke down the right flank and slid a low ball into the box, but Chris Riggott read the situation and intercepted before Sears could get a touch.

West Ham took a warranted lead in the 21st minute after Boa Morte broke down the left and fed the ball to Mullins who miss-hit his first attempt at goal.

But the ball sat up and he made no mistake with his second effort to smash a volley past Boro goalkeeper Ross Turnbull and into the top-right corner of the net from 10 yards out.

Riggott was booked for a handball in the 33rd minute and Craig Bellamy whipped the ball into the penalty area from the resulting free-kick but Wheater was able to head the ball clear.

The Hammers continued to look dangerous on the break with the pace of Sears and Bellamy always looking a threat.

Mullins almost added a second in the 40th minute when he lashed a long-range shot at goal which Turnbull watched fly just over the bar.

West Ham goalkeeper Green was forced to make his first real save moments before the interval when he tipped over a cross-shot from Downing.

Southgate replaced Wheater with Justin Hoyte after the half-time break to try to deal with the pace of the impressive Boa Morte.

A tremendous piece of play in the 52nd minute almost saw Zola's side double their advantage.

After neat build-up play, Bellamy was picked out by a deep cross to the right edge of the penalty area and his cushioned header dropped into the path of Collison.

The 20-year-old midfielder drove into the box but could only strike his shot from near the penalty spot at Turnbull who had rushed off his line.

Downing had been the home side's most effective player and his run in the 63rd minute culminated in a superb cross-field pass with the outside of his boot to set up a good chance for Gary O'Neil.

Green, though, was equal to O'Neil's shot and parried the ball to safety before Southgate made his third change of the afternoon when he brought on Mido for Alves.

A sluggish Boro finally came to life with 20 minutes left and had the ball in the net in the 79th minute through Hoyte.

Taylor delivered the ball into the penalty area and Hoyte sprinted into the six-yard box to head the ball past Green but the assistant referee raised his flag to rule it out for offside.

Boro equalised in the 83rd minute when James Collins tugged Mido on the edge of the penalty area as he attempted to win a header.

The Egyptian took the resulting free-kick and drilled a low shot past the wall and into the bottom-right corner of the net.

Mido then broke down the left edge of the box three minutes later and forced Green to make a smart save with a snap shot.

Turnbull made a superb, close-range double save in injury-time from Collison and Lee Bowyer.

BORO v HAMMERS - PREMIERSHIP RECORD ...

2008/2009 Sat 14 Feb West Ham Utd. 1 - 1 Middlesbrough F.A. Cup
Sat 01 Nov Middlesbrough 1 - 1 West Ham Utd. Premier League
2007/2008 Sat 22 Dec Middlesbrough 1 - 2 West Ham Utd. Premier League
Sat 15 Sep West Ham Utd. 3 - 0 Middlesbrough Premier League
2006/2007 Sat 31 Mar West Ham Utd. 2 - 0 Middlesbrough Premiership
Sat 11 Nov Middlesbrough 1 - 0 West Ham Utd. Premiership
2005/2006 Sun 23 Apr Middlesbrough 0 - 1 West Ham Utd. F.A. Cup
played at Aston Villa
Mon 17 Apr Middlesbrough 2 - 0 West Ham Utd. Premiership
Sun 23 Oct West Ham Utd. 2 - 1 Middlesbrough Premiership
2002/2003 Mon 21 Apr West Ham Utd. 1 - 0 Middlesbrough Premiership
Sat 07 Dec Middlesbrough 2 - 2 West Ham Utd. Premiership
2001/2002 Sat 23 Feb West Ham Utd. 1 - 0 Middlesbrough Premiership
Sat 15 Sep Middlesbrough 2 - 0 West Ham Utd. Premiership
2000/2001 Sat 19 May Middlesbrough 2 - 1 West Ham Utd. Premiership
Sat 02 Dec West Ham Utd. 1 - 0 Middlesbrough Premiership
1999/2000 Sat 29 Apr West Ham Utd. 0 - 1 Middlesbrough Premiership
Sun 17 Oct Middlesbrough 2 - 0 West Ham Utd. Premiership
1998/1999 Sun 16 May West Ham Utd. 4 - 0 Middlesbrough Premiership
Sat 12 Dec Middlesbrough 1 - 0 West Ham Utd. Premiership
1996/1997 Wed 09 Apr West Ham Utd. 0 - 0 Middlesbrough Premiership
Wed 04 Sep Middlesbrough 4 - 1 West Ham Utd. Premiership
1995/1996 Sat 09 Mar West Ham Utd. 2 - 0 Middlesbrough Premiership
Sat 23 Dec Middlesbrough 4 - 2 West Ham Utd. Premiership