When Bryan Robson returned to Teesside recently for a Riverside reunion he described the match as his best night as Boro boss.
It’s not difficult to see why.
Brilliant Boro burst out of the blocks to stun Liverpool and book yet another trip to Wembley on this day in 1998.
The second leg of the Coca Cola Cup semi-final with the Premier League giants will live long in the memory.
Ask any Riverside regular to name their top five games on home turf and this enthralling clash won’t be far from the top of the pile.
It had everything. A tie perfectly poised with just one goal in it after the Scousers edged the first leg at Anfield 2-1, the Riverside absolutely packed to the rafters, Boro on the verge of a THIRD trip to Wembley in a year.
But if they were going to stun the firm favourites, they had to make their intentions clear from the off.
Two goals in four minutes - almost sucked into the net by the incredible noise generated by the Boro faithful - wasn’t a bad way of doing it.
At a time when flag days seemed to be almost a weekly occurrence, the sold-out Riverside was a sight to behold before kick-off.
It certainly inspired Boro’s starting XI. Just 90 seconds had passed when Mikkel Beck burst into the box. Clumsy Carragher, making only his second start for Liverpool, clipped the striker.
All eyes on the referee who put his whistle to his mouth and pointed to the spot.
And while the roar that greeted Paul Merson’s spot-kick still rumbled around the Riverside, the magic man weighted a perfect through ball into the feet of Marco Branca, splitting the Liverpool defence in two.
Making his Boro debut, you could count the number of touches Branca had made in English football in one hand but that didn’t prevent the Italian from coolly slotting the ball underneath David James.
In just four minutes Boro had turned this thrilling tie on its head. And that’s how it stayed.
Shellshocked Liverpool couldn’t even lift themselves for a rousing finish after trying to recover from the early body-blow.
Bryan Robson had spent the opening stages of the game in the stands but soon joined his coaching team and players pitchside as the celebrations got underway.
Next stop Wembley. Again!
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