Middlesbrough 0 Brighton 1
Upson 86
As much as it will hurt Boro fans to say it, this season is
now a relegation dog fight rather than the push for promotion many anticipated
back in August.
The worrying thing is they are being undone by the same
mistakes every week, yesterday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Brighton was the same
old story of points that were there for the taking but lost in the dying minutes.
Not what you need when you are near the bottom of the table.
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| Aitor Karanka left frustrated by Boro's lapses in concentration |
It was another frustrating day for new manager Aitor Karanka
who didn’t hide his anger at Boro’s lapses in concentration which is costing
them dearly.
“We had a lot of
chances to score and at this moment I can’t believe the situation, it’s always
concentration mistakes” said the Spaniard “We can’t give these gifts to our
opponents”
In front of a crowd 13,635, 10,000 less than Karanka’s first
home game against Bolton, Boro slumped to their eighth league defeat of the of
the season which leaves them a nail biting three points off the relegation
zone.
It was a day where Boro’s lack of attacking options were
clear for all to see. The hosts created next to nothing before the break; time
after time they found themselves in promising positions but lacked numbers in
the opposition penalty area, as loose passing made for a scrappy affair.
Although it did improve after the break Boro’s inability to
convert their opportunities, was once again punished by the late sucker punch
this time in the form of Matthew Upson’s header four minutes from time.
On the balance of play the final outcome was probably harsh
on Boro, however their mistakes and leakage of goals are inexcusable. In their
last three games they have conceded with less than five minutes remaining, the
last two occasions those goals have been from set pieces, as a past defender
that will hurt Karanka even more and his anger in more than justified.
The Boro side showed three changes from the team which
started the drew 2-2 at Birmingham last weekend, as George Friend returned from
injury and was a straight swap for Ben Gibson at left back. Injuries to Kei
Kamara and Marvin Emnes gave chances to Jacob Butterfield and Lukas Jutkiewitz
while Shay Given kept his place in goal as Jason Steele had an ankle injury.
Jutkiewitz led the line with Albert Adomah and Mustapha
Carayol operating the flanks, as Butterfield, Grant Leadbitter and Dean
Whitehead made up the midfield in a 4-5-1 formation.
Brighton entered the match in good form, the week before
they had beaten, then top of the table Leicester. Their manager Oscar Garcia
was only forced to make one chance replacing Gordon Greer with Adam El-Abd in
defence.
The visitors spent most of the opening 20 minutes on the
front foot and were unlucky not to take the lead when striker Ashley Barnes
took advantage of some slack Boro defending however he could only header Craig
Conway’s in swinging corner onto Given’s near post.
As the home team Boro’s negativity was extremely frustrating
for the fans who were given little to shout about as Brighton continued to pin their
hosts back. On the left Conway was causing Rhys Williams plenty of problems,
but it was David Lopez who was presented with Brighton’s next chance, however
he could only scuff his low shot into Given’s thankful grasp.
Boro finally tested Brighton keeper Peter Brezovan on 25
minutes when Carayol charged down the left before cutting inside and forcing a
low fingertip save at the near post. The hosts calved out two more chances
before the interval, Butterfield’s shot was straight at Brezoven, then
Jutkiewitz failed to capitalise on Friend’s inviting cross as the striker
mistimed his jump steering his header off target.
The half time whistle was greeted with a mostly muted
reaction some fans applauded some attempted to boo but neither materialised.
Karanka was forced to make a chance before the second half
as Jonathan Woodgate made way for Ben Gibson. Whatever the manager said at half
time there was definitely a noticeable improvement as Boro advanced 10-15 yards
up the pitch and as a consequence seized authority.
Leadbitter tested his range from the edge of the box but
fired wide before Carayol spotted Friend’s overlapping run on the left; however
there were no red shirts in the opposition box and the full back’s low cross
came to nothing.
Jutkiewitz had lacked support all afternoon but was getting
closer; however he still couldn’t find the target as his header sailed over the
bar before a shot on the turn proved his last intervention when he was replaced
by Curtis Main.
Boro continued to ask questions of the Brighton defence
which had been well organised and astute all afternoon. But the fans sensed an
opening, Main made an immediate impact as he darted into the Brighton penalty
however he lacked support when he got there, then from Leadbitter’s teasing
free kick Ayala’s diving header was turned out for a corner.
Brighton had barely threatened after the break; however they
had dug in and claimed their reward four minutes from time when the same old
cracks appeared in Boro’s back line.
There was some dispute whether Brighton should have had a
corner in the first place nevertheless Boro should have dealt better with
Conway’s delivery from the right which was met by a Upson who cannoned his
diving header off the ground and into the roof of Given’s net.
Boro threw men forward in hope of salvaging a point but it
was too little too late, they can only hope their season doesn’t go the same
way.
Player Ratings
Shay Given 6.5- Not
a lot to do but commanded his area well when he had to
Rhys Williams 5- Was
given numerous problems by Conway in the first half
Jonathan Woodgate (C) 6-
Forced off at half time and replaced by Gibson
Danial Ayala 6.5-
Looked solid for most of the afternoon, as Brighton caused little problems
after half time
George Friend 6-
Struggled defensively in the first half, got forward to better effect after the
break
Albert Adomah 5.5- Quiet
afternoon, as he struggled to have an impact on the game
Grant Leadbitter 6-
Hard working performance but couldn’t take the game by the scruff of the neck
like he has done in the past
Dean Whitehead 6.5-
A bit too negative at times but broke up play and showed a good range of
passing
Jacob Butterfield
6.5- Most offensive of the 3 central midfielders and tried to make
something happen when he received the ball
Mustapha Carayol 6.5-
Showed flashes of what he could do on the left, but dipped in and out of the
game
Lukas Jutkiewitz 6-
Lack of support upfront which didn’t give him much chance to show his ability
Subs
Ben Gibson 6.5-
Slotted in for Woodgate after half time, wasn’t faced with much
Curtis Main 6.5-
added spark to Boro’s attack late on
Luke Williams- Came on with 2 minutes to go not enough time
to give a fair score
My Boro Man Of The
Match: Jacob Butterfield
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