Following Middlesbrough’s high-scoring draw against Norwich City, manager Michael Carrick wanted to turn the conversation away from that missed penalty, emphasizing that the team’s overall performance was commendable despite the final scoreline being 3-3.
In an electrifying encounter at Carrow Road, Conway shone with a first-half brace, taking his season tally to two goals, as Boro took a 3-1 lead thanks to contributions from Finn Azaz. However, as the match progressed, the opportunity arose for Conway to extend the advantage from the penalty spot, with just over 20 minutes remaining on the clock. The striker, however, saw his poorly taken penalty saved by goalkeeper George Long, and soon after watched from the bench as Boro’s advantage was erased in just ten minutes.
Although the missed penalty undoubtedly shifted the momentum of the game in favor of the away team, Carrick was unequivocal in stating that the fault should not rest on Conway’s shoulders. Asked if the penalty could be considered the decisive moment, Carrick replied candidly: “I don’t necessarily see it that way. We had chances before that to secure the next goal. You could feel the atmosphere change in the stadium In my opinion, the real turning point was our second goal.”
He continued: “He hit it beautifully into the top corner, swinging the momentum. At that stage I still believed we might find the net again, but that didn’t materialise. missed penalty had no significant impact on our performance Norwich are a strong team with quality players who can exploit you if given the chance. This reflects how well we managed to muzzle them during the major. part of the match.”
“When the opponent gains a bit of momentum it can be difficult to stop them. However, I remained optimistic that we would score another goal – it just wasn’t meant to be. We are understandably disappointed by the result However, we played two games this week against strong teams and showed our abilities as a dominant team. It is discouraging not to have come away with six points, but as we move forward this season,. This demonstrates our potential.”
It is notable that Conway’s missed penalty marked the first error on his record, having previously converted nine of his nine attempts during his time at Bristol City, where he often took penalty responsibilities and had excelled under pressure earlier in the season, saving a point against Portsmouth.
However, despite failing to seal the deal this time around, Carrick remained positive about Conway’s performance. “This moment should not overshadow all the positives from my point of view,” Carrick said firmly. “There are many instances in Football that shape results. He will surely feel the disappointment, but overall he played very well today, as did the rest of the team.”
“We won’t dwell on a single event to cloud the perception of the whole match or the week. Penalties can go either way. They scored two superb strikes from distance. Football can be unforgiving, but it’s is simply the nature of the game.”
