Middlesbrough 1-1 Bournemouth: Marcus Browne gives Boro a point

Bournemouth were denied a second win in two games as a header from Middlesbrough substitute Marcus Browne earned the hosts a point with 10 minutes remaining.

Former Liverpool striker Solanke came close to making it 2-0, but was denied when he faced goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli.

And the hosts leveled off soon after when Browne cleverly guided Paddy McNair’s magnificent center home, much to the delight of the 1,000 socially-estranged fans allowed into Riverside.

The limited number of spectators was allowed as one of seven government pilot events in the English Football League on Saturday, as football is targeting the return of more fans starting in October.

They witnessed relatively even play, although arguably the hosts had the best of the few chances.

Boro midfielder George Saville had the ball in the net, attacking a rebound from Britt Assombalonga’s free kick, only to have his effort nullified for offside.

Bournemouth, who won 3-2 at home to Blackburn Rovers in the opening weekend, remain unbeaten in all competitions since their relegation from the Premier League last season.

Boro’s first point of the season came after losing 1-0 to another relegated side, Watford, in the opening match of the Championship, before suffering a 2-0 loss to Barnsley in the second round of the Carabao Cup. on Tuesday.

Middlesbrough Assistant Manager Kevin Blackwell:

“With the technology now, he (Warnock) had a chat with the guys before warm-up and he had a chat with them at the end and he was proud of the performance.

“He barely called during the whole game because the performance was there.

“The players gave the fans the upper hand today, and the fans responded to the players. It’s a shame the performance was not seen by 25 or 30,000 Middlesbrough fans.”

Bournemouth manager Jason Tindall told BBC Radio Solent:

“It is disappointing to shoot all three points. We lost a good opportunity to make it 2-0 and his goalkeeper made a great save just after he died.

“There were a lot of restarts, a lot of free throws and it was a very slow game and difficult to handle.

“But overall I felt we had better chances and we are disappointed not to win, but more importantly we are happy not to lose.”