By Lillibet M
February 26 2007

As Tony Mowbray returned to Boro on the back of Albion’s seven victories in eight, sentiment was put aside after the initial welcome. Boro entered their fifth tie of the tournament with penalty hero Adam Johnson starting and high hopes for progression to victory in the domestic cup. Rochemback was substituted from the bench by Euell after taking a knock to the shin in the warm up. Woodgate and Arca returned to the full-strength squad

Schwarzer, Woodgate, Pogatetz, Xavier, Taylor, Arca, Boateng, Johnson, Downing, Yakubu.Viduka
Jones(GK), Euell, Christie, Davies, Morrison,

Boro started in the sunshine with a 4 4 2 formation and the Riverside almost at capacity and two free kicks were conceded almost immediately by Yakubu. The first three minutes saw some nervous play from the visitors, with a lot of running around from both sides.

Downing was the first to create a break on five, and Woodgate was alert when the ball was played straight back to the other end. It was Downing again who set off at speed down the left hand side, went for glory and did not play to Viduka who was standing on the edge of the 6 yard box. His shot went wide and the first chance of the match missed. Viduka then managed an attempt of his own and executed a trademark terrific turn which was sadly denied.

Ten minutes in Albion had kept up the pace and Yakubu’s free kick concessions had reached four. The first sign of real danger from Albion came from Phillips, Koren and Kamara as defensive errors allowed attempts on goal which were off target.

This was shaping up to be a classic cup tie as Adam Johnson put some good crosses in and Woodgate and Xavier were on the watch for Kamara’s dangerous diagonal crosses.

A corner kick by Downing to Xavier resulted in the ball being headed to Yakubu who could not find the finishing touch. Boro kept the pressure up and another corner was followed by continued possession in the Albion half. Boateng did not take advantage of a potential shot at goal, looking like confidence was lost at the last minute.

An Albion free kick from Phillips found the back of the net on the bounce, but the offside flag was up. Defending set pieces is still the Achilles Heel of Boro. There was still plenty of action and pace and a goal looked imminent. This came for Boro as Julio Arca scored his third of the season with a classy header from a quality Downing cross. This was from the right hand side, a wonderful provider, getting the Albion defence off balance and beautifully placed for Arca to send the ball into the high centre of the goal.

Middlesbrough 1 WBA 0 (Arca 28)

As play re-started both sides meant business. Concentration looked to be a possible issue for Boro as Boateng peeled out a pearler of a ball from the right but both Yakuba and Viduka were caught flat footed and did not move – a totally wasted chance as balls do not come much better than that.

As possession remained roughly equal Baggie confidence was raised as they got the feel of the match with Kamara even starting a bit of showboating. He was getting no joy from Woodgate or Xavier however, as they managed to contain him well on most occasions.Until on forty he managed to get the ball straight under Schwarzer’s body after more defensive errors to level the scores

Middlesbrough 1 WBA 1 (Kamara 40) Bad defending from Albion and a foul on Yakubu provided Davies with a booking and Boro with a penalty. Yakubu stepped up as Boro fans all closed their eyes trying to forget the two misses from last Tuesday night. The ball was on the spot and this time he made it count, the ball going to the right as the Kiely went to the left..

Middlesbrough 2 WBA 1 (Yakubu 44)

Woodgate then received a yellow card after a bad tackle and a rush of blood to the head. One minute was added on and the half finished evenly balanced in play with no chance of any relaxation in the second half.

THE SECOND HALF

No changes were made at the start of the second half. Five minutes in and this half seemed yet to start as a series of interruptions with free kicks and interrupted passes created no flow for either side. Pogatetz was looking particularly solid and Johnson was holding up well.

Greening once more provided some danger as Albion pushed to level the scores once more but Woodgate responded well. It was Boro’s right side that was looking slightly weak now, as Koumas attempted a shot from 35 yards that went over the bar and there was activity on the bench as this looked to be remedied.

By fifty-three this tie still looked like it could go either way as both sides battled for supremacy and tempo. Anxiety was palpable all round and there was little evidence of pushing from the home side. It was Kevin Phillips’s shot that went beyond the reach of Schwarzer and wrong-footed him after taking advantage of Boro playing too deep, the ball landing in the net by way of a deflection from Taylor .

Middlesbrough 2 WBA 2 (Phillips 58)

This was answered straight away by a break which gave Boro a corner, Xavier reached it and sent it along to Boateng, who placed it straight into the gloves of Kiely. The ball started to richochet now as the pace of the first half was re-discovered and the visitors kept up the pressure that was now starting to be matched by Boro who were paying for the slow start.

The first change for Boro came when Johnson made way for Morrison with twenty minutes still to play. Albion started to look progressively more dangerous and Boro needed to keep cool heads as the on-form Baggies continued to block their way back into the game. A long-awaited break came as Morrison switched play from right to left, found Arca, but it was McShane for the Baggies who diffused any danger. A brief flurry saw another surge forward but it was lack of concentration once more from Yakuba which kept the scoreline level still. He was then taken off as he made way for Christie. Scorer Phillips also made way for the former Wigan striker Ellington as late drama was sought by both sides.

It was Morrison that provided this with a wonderfully placed and accurate shot that Kiely saved very well. Galvanised Boro sprung into action and the fans were out of their seat as a Downing corner nearly found Christie and there was more action around the Albion goal leading to a third corner in succession. The under pressure and frustrated home side desperately battled to avoid one more replay.

It was all Boro for the next few minutes as the consistent Arca, Woodgate and Pogatetz kept the ball heading in the right direction. As the second half ticked away Viduka was held back by Davies who received his second yellow card, the Baggies were captainless for the last few minutes and could Boro take advantage in injury time?

A final change for Albion came as Kamara was taken off and all visitors were put back defensively to try to deny Boro a moment of magic and force another battle on home territory. Sub Christie’s fresh legs looked promising as Boro piled on the pressure and threw everything they had into settling the match, but it was not to be and the tie would continue at The Hawthorns. Albion had provided a great afternoon of entertainment and a classic cup tie, and true to form, Boro refused to make this easy.

A GUARANTEED PROFIT ON WEST BROM v MIDDLESBROUGH

A home quarter-final with Manchester United or Reading awaits the winner of Tuesday night's replay at The Hawthorns and we can guarantee you a profit on the match, whatever the result.

We must point out that if you want to take this bet, you should do it now - don't delay! - because we expect the odds to change before kick-off which means the figures here will be invalidated. If they have changed, let us know and we will rework the bet for you.

You won't be able to do this if you already have accounts with one or more of the bookies we are using for this bet but if that is the case, mail us and let us know which accounts you have and we'll send you an alternative bet.

We're going to lay out a total of £124.80 on the West Brom v Middlesbrough match and we will collect £153.49 plus £50.00 in free bets if the game is a draw at ninety minutes. If either team wins in ninety minutes we will get all of our money back plus £50.00 in free bets.

Here's how it's done. Just follow these simple instructions.

1. Open accounts with Unibet and Premier Bet and Victor Chandler. This shouldn't take you any longer than ten minutes.

2. Make the following deposits into your new accounts. Deposit £32.80 into your new Unibet account. Deposit £42.00 into your new Premier Bet account. Deposit £50.00 into your new Victor Chandler account.

3. Now make the following bets.

Place £32.80 on the draw in ninety minutes at 3.30 (16/7) with Unibet

Unibet pay a bonus on your first deposit, 100% matched up to £20.00 so when you make your £32.80 deposit, you will automatically receive another £20.00 in your account. Place the £20.00 bonus on the draw at 16/7 as well. You now have £52.80 staked on the draw.

Place £42.00 on Middlesbrough to win in ninety minutes at 2.70 (12/7) with Premier Bet.

Place £50.00 on West Brom to win in ninety minutes at 6/4 with Victor Chandler.

You have temporarily laid out a total of £124.80. I stress, temporarily... Now sit back, crack a beer open and enjoy the match.

4. Here's what happens at the end of the game.

If it's a draw after ninety minutes, you will collect £153.49 from Unibet. The breakdown of the £153.49 is as follows:

£74.97 winnings plus £45.72 winnings from the bet you placed with your deposit bonus plus your £32.80 stake back which equals £153.49.

If Boro win after ninety minutes, you will collect £124.80 from Premier Bet.

Premier Bet pay a bonus on your first bet if it's a winner, tiered according to the odds - 15% in this case - so if Boro win after ninety minutes, you collect the following:

£72.00 winnings plus a 15% bonus of £10.80 plus your £42.00 stake back which equals £124.80.

If West Brom win in ninety minutes win you will collect £125.00 from Victor Chandler.

Victor Chandler will then credit your new account with £50.00 in free bets, whatever the result of the match.

5. This means that the worst case scenario on the West Brom v Middlesbrough match is no draw in ninety minutes and you gain £50.00 in free bets. But if it is a draw in ninety minutes, you will make £28.49 profit plus £50.00 in free bets.

6. It is absolutely vital that you click on the links on this page to open the accounts with the three bookies or you may not qualify for the bonuses.

Also, before you place your bets, you should check that the odds haven't changed. If they have, let us know and we will rework the bet for you.

Also, please note that the bonuses and free bets and bonuses from Victor Chandler and Premier Bet are not always paid immediately and you may have to wait until Wednesday before they hit your accounts.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions at all about this bet and we will come straight back to you.

Please note that the free bets and bonuses are valid for new customers only so if you already have an account with one or more of the bookies we are using, you won't be able to do this. If that is the case, contact us and we'll mail you an alternative bet using different bookies.

This method of betting was used very successfully during the World Cup and you can read all about how it was done right here.

We guarantee this bet

It's understandable that some people will not believe that it is possible to do this. "What's the catch?" I hear you asking. My answer to that question is that we have been publishing arbitrage bets for three seasons now and literally hundreds of people have profited from following the advice on these pages.

Only once has our refund guarantee been triggered and that was when we did all the figures wrong and sent refunds out to those who had followed our advice and made a small loss.

Our refund guarantee works like this. If this bet doesn't work like we say it will and you end up out of pocket, we will refund your losses. Simple as that.

That means that you simply cannot lose on this, whatever happens and even if we messed up the numbers.

The only stipulation here is that you must click on the links on this page to be eligible for the refund guarantee, not that you'll be needing to claim anyway. Just enjoy the profit and stay posted for many more of these throughout the season.