‘Clear red card’ - Ex-ref stunned after Middlesbrough star avoids sending-off vs Blackburn

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Credit: Getty Images and ITV Football Sat 27 December 2025 12:03, UK Middlesbrough’s promotion hopes took a hit on Boxing Day in an uninspiring 0-0 draw against Blackburn Rovers.Kim Hellberg has had a magnificent start at the Riverside Stadium since replacing Rob Edwards earlier this season.The Swede has overseen four wins in his first six matches, with Middlesbrough now comfortably inside the top two in the Championship.However, Boxing Day’s result was a return to reality, as Boro struggled to break down a side that has only won one of their past eight matches.Yet, it could have been a lot worse for Hellberg, with Hayden Hackney lucky not to pick up a red card in the draw.A point apiece at the Riverside ⏹️ pic.twitter.com/9340PGBB8I— Middlesbrough FC (@Boro) December 26, 2025 Keith Hackett: Hayden Hackney should have seen red vs BlackburnIt was no doubt a frustrating afternoon for Middlesbrough, who were looking to further cement their place in the promotion places.However, Boro simply did not recover from their 2-0 defeat to Bristol City, with the visitors arguably having the better chances throughout the game. MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES Yet, Middlesbrough were perhaps lucky in the end as Hackney avoided a red card for a clear lash out on Taylor Gardner-HickmanThe midfielder needlessly kicked the Blackburn player to the floor after losing the ball.

However, the referee only deemed the incident worthy of a yellow card.Head loss moment from Hayden HACKney 😬Was the Middlesbrough midfielder lucky to avoid a red card for lashing out here? pic.twitter.com/iYz2FUqx5l— ITV Football (@itvfootball) December 26, 2025 Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Keith Hackett was appalled by the decision and was quick to call out referee James Bell.He said: “The Referee must have been sleeping on the job. This act is a clear red card offence.“I hope that the FA will look to take retrospective action if the four officials have failed to see the incident.“This is a clear red card offence, and the player should not be allowed to get away with such a violent act.”What did Kim Hellberg say on Middlesbrough’s draw with Blackburn?As disappointing as the result was, few teams in the promotion race actually gained points on Middlesbrough.Every team between second and fifth drew on Boxing Day, meaning Boro have maintained their five-point gap on third-place.However, Hellburg remained dissatisfied with the display and was quick to criticise the performance.The manager told BBC Radio Tees on 26 December: “I think as a game in total, it’s very disappointing.

“We talked about this after the game of handling the expectations of sometimes not having your best day and to try and handle those things when it’s not going your way.“I think there’s so much determination and much willingness to do good, to do right, to do everything for your teammates, the fans, and I think today that became a little bit of a problem because we started to force things because we wanted it so bad.“That opened us up for counters and that opened up a lot of technical errors. I’m a bit disappointed with myself in handling that part of the game, in helping the players live up to expectations when we don’t have the best of days.