There was nothing to separate Coventry City and Middlesbrough as the two sides played out a goalless draw in the first leg of their Championship playoff semi-final at Coventry Building Society Arena.
Coventry, who finished the regular season in fifth and are looking to return to Premier League for the first time since they were relegated in 2000/01, registered 11 shots, but none of those attempts were on target.
Boro, seeking a top-flight return after six seasons in the second tier, enjoyed the greater share of possession and created the clearer chances, going closest when former Arsenal forward Chuba Akpom hit the woodwork in the first half.
The two teams, who also drew on the final day of the regular season, will now turn their focus to the second leg at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night.
In the other playoff semi-final, Sunderland take a slender 2-1 advantage to Luton Town for Tuesday night's second leg.
The winners of the two semi-finals will face each other in the playoff final at Wembley on 27 May as they look to join Burnley and Sheffield United, who have already confirmed their places in the 2023/24 Premier League.
Going the other way are Southampton, whose relegation was confirmed on Saturday. It is still all to play for to decide the remaining two teams who will go down at the end of 2022/23.
Championship promotion playoff fixtures/results
Semi-finals first legs
13 May Sunderland 2-1 Luton
14 May Coventry 0-0 Middlesbrough
Semi-finals second legs
16 May 20:00 Luton v Sunderland
17 May 20:00 Middlesbrough v Coventry
Final
27 May 16:45 TBC
*all times BST