Blackburn Rovers 1 Middlesbrough 1: Derbyshire ruins Boro's away day

Touchline tempers fray between Hughes and Southgate but Blackburn are happier to escape with a point

Middlesbrough will have come away disappointed with a draw after missing a series of second-half chances to win a full-blooded game that threatened to boil over on the touchline with managers Mark Hughes and Gareth Southgate close to squaring up. At the time, Boro were a goal up, had been desperately close to a second and paid the price when Matt Derbyshire equalised 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Jason Roberts' spectacular late winner at Bolton last weekend earned him a starting place in Blackburn's attack alongside Roque Santa Cruz, leaving Benni McCarthy brooding on the bench. Neither that pairing nor Middlesbrough's partnership, Tuncay and Jérémie Aliadière, got any worthwhile service in the early stages, as both sides struggled to come to terms with a two-paced pitch showing signs of its soaking during the week.

The first moment of quality came when David Dunn picked out David Bentley on the right wing and his whipped-in cross almost created a chance for Santa Cruz. After 13 minutes, however, in their first genuine attack, Boro went ahead. Stephen Warnock was penalised for a foot straying high in the tackle, Stewart Downing curled in a left-footed free-kick and David Wheater got away from Ryan Nelson to head past Brad Friedel.

Blackburn continued to threaten down the right and another Bentley cross deserved a better header from Santa Cruz. Bentley's free-kick could have caught Mark Schwarzer unawares, as could Dunn's long-range shot, had it been on target, but for their territorial domination Rovers were not creating clear-cut chances. The closest they came to beating Schwarzer was when Andre Ooijer's volley came back off the goalkeeper's body. Some lovely work from Santa Cruz gave Dunn a shooting opportunity, which he blazed high over the bar, and with equally neat touches, Julio Arca and Gary O'Neil threatened to create an opening at the other end.

Arca, the Middlesbrough captain, was playing more controlled constructive football than anyone and was a prime reason why they held their lead to half-time, despite a scare when Bentley cut in from the right to rasp a shot beyond the far post.

Injury forced Arca off at half-time, something which looked potentially damaging for Boro after his first-half contribution. The first substitution was closely followed by the first booking, for George Boateng's rugby tackle on Bentley, whose free-kick produced a half-chance for Santa Cruz, successfully blocked by the Boro defence.

The danger for Blackburn was a second goal on the break, which Aliadière might have claimed when he raced clear only to slice his effort across the goal. Middlesbrough should certainly have had a second when Arca's replacement, Fabio Rochemback, sent Aliadière clear, his low centre only needing a touch but Tuncay got his feet in a tangle and somehow steered it away from the open goal. It was a horrible miss.

Rochemback's free-kick got away from Friedel to give O'Neil an invitation to hook in a shot, which just happened to be straight at the relieved goalkeeper. Blackburn were living on their nerves and there was an angry confrontation between the managers when Hughes rolled a ball back into play and hit the prone figure of Aliadière with what Southgate clearly took to be with malice. It looked a good job that the fourth official, Mike Riley, was in between them.

Blackburn escaped again when Wheater headed against the bar from O'Neil's precise cross. By that time, Hughes had made two much-needed changes and one of them paid off when a free-kick arrived in Boro's territory after O'Neil had been penalised for a foul on Christopher Samba. Santa Cruz got his head to it, Roberts miskicked sideways and Derbyshire claimed the equaliser.

Even then, Boro should have won it had Ooijer not cleared off the line from Downing's header although Bentley was equally close with a swerving free-kick tipped away by Schwarzer.

Southgate said: "The manner of our performance was very, very good, but we missed gilt-edged chances to wrap it up. We should have had it dead and buried before their equaliser."