Kim Hellberg got off to a winning start as Middlesbrough boss as the Championship promotion chasers struck twice late on to fight back from behind and beat in-form Derby 2-1 at the Riverside.
The Swedish boss was taking charge of his first game after leaving Hammarby to replace Rob Edwards at Boro and his side found themselves behind inside 90 seconds when Patrick Agyemang struck for the Rams.
But Boro were rewarded for their second-half pressure when Newcastle loanee Matt Targett levelled 15 minutes from time. Morgan Whittaker then struck the winner nine minutes later with his third goal in three games.
The win lifts Boro back into the automatic promotion places after Stoke lost to Hull at lunchtime. It is just a second defeat in eight games for John Eustace's Derby, who drop to 10th.
Derby had won six of their last seven and got off to the perfect start at the Riverside. A Sol Brynn goal-kick was headed back towards the Boro goal by Dion Sanderson and Lars-Jorgen Salvesen flicked it into the path of Agyemang, who raced behind home defender Alfie Jones and calmly slotted into the bottom corner.
Boro looked vulnerable defensively and Agyemang threatened again with a burst down the left but Jones came to Boro's rescue with a last-ditch sliding tackle.
Derby looked threatening every time they attacked and a Bobby Clark cross from the left evaded everyone and would have found the bottom corner had Brynn not got down to his left at full stretch and tipped the ball around the post.
After their nightmare opening, Boro found their feet and started to ask questions of the visitors. Alex Bangura, making his first Championship start since December 2023, was a threat down the left and his delivery found the advanced right-back Callum Brittain, who came agonisingly close to an equaliser when his strike hit the post and bar before bouncing down on the line and away to safety.
Boro were first to threaten in the second half when Hackney created a shooting opportunity for himself from the edge of the box but lifted his shot over the bar.
Derby were happy to defend their lead and rarely threatened the home side's box after the break.
Boro's pressure eventually paid off when Targett met Hackney's corner from the right with a thumping header.
It was another corner from the right that led to the winner. Hackney played it short to Whittaker, who got on to his stronger left foot and curled into the bottom corner from the right edge of the box.
Middlesbrough's Kim Hellberg:
"The whole day has been crazy It's a very proud moment. I'm happy. There's a lot of feelings and I'm very proud of the lads and how they performed. It's a big day. I will remember this for the rest of my life.
"At half-time I told the players, 'I think we're going to turn this one around. I did believe they would. You come in as a new manager and they want to do everything for you.
"I told them, 'Just take a breath. You will turn this around. You have so much good quality'.
"I believed if we could play freely through the structure, and keep those small changes we made to open up even more, and also learn from the first half, we could turn it around. Then of course you need top-quality things to do it. I think both goals are high-quality goals."
Derby's John Eustace:
"I'm ever so proud of the group. The way we went about our business was really good. We just ran out of legs in the second half.
"It's been a really difficult week for us so to come here against a really good team, fantastic squad of players, second in the league, new manager, it's obviously a big game for them.
"I thought we were excellent in the first half and just ran out of steam in the second half. We didn't look after the ball well enough.
"They had lots of possession but didn't really give Jacob [Zetterstrom, Derby keeper] any problems, so to concede from two set-pieces is really disappointing.
"The lads are gutted in there but it's all part of our journey and process. The way we went about our business is really pleasing for me. We're growing and we're in a good position."
