Goalless Draw Leave's Boro Crying Out For A Striker

Middlesbrough     0          Wigan     0

With the transfer window set to shut in two day’s time, Boro’s ongoing search for a goal scoring centre forward is beginning to reach a critical stage.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out where Boro’s weaknesses are when their four recognized strikers have only scored seven goals between them all season. That’s less than winger and current top scorer Albert Adomah alone who has already netted nine times this campaign.

Shay Given Boro makes it six clean sheet's in eight games  

Last night’s goalless draw at home to Wigan Athletic was another game Boro could and probably should have won, but just like their 2-0 defeat at top of the table Leicester on Saturday they lacked the required fire power upfront, passing up decent opportunities when they arose.

It was a match which nether side will have fond memories of, especially Boro centre back Rhys Williams who suffered an Achilles injury minutes before half time meaning he could miss the remainder of the season.

"The game was not a good one for us. It was difficult as Wigan are a good team”. Said Karanka after the match.

"We did not play with personality and we did not do enough to win the game. But when you cannot win a game it is important that you do not lose it."

The result and performance in general should prompt a return to the drawing board for Boro, after taking a remarkable 16 points out of 18 over the Christmas period, they have now taken just 1 from the last 6 leaving them seven points off the final playoff position.

Under Karanka, Boro’s defence has transformed into one of the best in the league, this was Boro’s fourth straight clean sheet at home for the first time in over a decade. However at the other end their lack of offence currently looks the difference between Boro and the top six.

Karanka made two changes from the side that started at Leicester, sticking with his traditional 4-2-3-1 formation. Lukas Jutkiewitz had since completed a loan move to Bolton until the end of the season so Curtis Main replaced him as the lone striker.

The other change saw Adomah, who had been carrying an ankle injury at the weekend, start on the bench making way for Marvin Emnes.

FA Cup holders Wigan are still in with a chance of defending that title this year, after a fourth round win over Crystal Palace. Their manager Uwe Rosler made four changes from that match, James McArthur, James McClean and Nicky Maynard all dropped to the bench while Callum McManaman missed out altogether. 

Their replacements were Stephen Crainey, Chris McCann, Marc-Antoine Fortune and Nick Powell.

It was a bright start from Boro, straight from the kickoff Main robbed the ball off Wigan defender Leon Barnett on the left. However the striker lacked support and his cross was easily cleared.

The hosts spent large parts of the first half boxed in their own half, as Wigan bolstered a healthy looking attack and weren’t afraid to venture forward when they had the chance. Their best opportunity of the half came from Ben Watson’s free kick, which fell at the feet of Chris McCann, however Williams was alert to block a goal bound shot.

Boro’s best chance to score appeared to be from a set piece, as they lacked bodies in the attacking third in open play. On seventeen minutes Ledesma’s dipping free kick forced the first save from Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi low to his left hand side.

It took until the twenty-seventh minute before the game finally sprung into life due to Mustapha Carayol who cut in from the left to curl a low shot inches wide of the near post. A minute later Carayol was the provider for Main, whose shot was on target but comfortably into the grasp of Al Habsi.

On thirty two minutes it looked like Boro had broken through when Ledesma’s in swinging corner was flicked goal bound by the head of Daniel Ayala, a few of the home fans thought it had found the net, only to be disappointed when it rebounded off the far post.

The misery began to pile on Boro when Williams when down near the centre circle, after a lengthy delay he was carried off on a stretcher with a reported long team Achilles injury.

After the break it was Carayol again who provided the spark, five minutes after the re-start his cross along the ground was towards Main in the box but he couldn’t beat the back tracking Wigan defender who turned it behind for a corner.

A double substitution on the hour mark saw Emnes make way for Adomah. For Wigan Watson and Marc-Antoine Fortune were replaced by MacArthur and ex-Sunderland winger McLean who received a chorus of boos.

It was Boro who continued to look the most likely to break the deadlock, Carayol again picked out Main, who this time had space in the area but blazed it over the cross bar.

Wigan could have stolen the game late on. Mclean was lively on the right and twice fired over the bar after promising runs.

The highlight of the match came with fifteen minutes remaining when Stephen Crainey’s shot from the edge of the Boro penalty area was deflected forcing Boro keeper Shay Given to change direction just tipping the ball over the cross bar. It wasn’t the first time the chant “there’s only one Shay Given!” resounded through the crowd.

Minutes later Given was on hand to make a more routine save from Nick Powell’s header. However the game remained goalless resulting in Boro’s first 0-0 of the season. It’s not a result they’ll want to experience that often especially at home.         

Player Ratings

Shay Given   7- Not much to do in the first half, came up with two vital saves after half time to keep Boro in the game

George Friend   6- Tried to join in with attacks when he could, struggled against Mclean in second half

Rhys Williams   6- Stretchered off before half time could miss rest of the season with a Achilles injury

Daniel Ayala   6.5 – Not a great deal to do at the back, came close to scoring with first half header,

Jozsef Varga   6- Made a few mistakes at right back as Boro sat deep

Dean Whitehead   6- Kept shape in midfield but made a few loose passes

Grant Leadbitter (C)   6.5- Core of the side in midfield, keeping team going    

Mustapha Carayol   7- Boro’s best weapon using his pace to get forward down the left

Emmanuel Ledesma   6- Set pieces looked dangerous, but dipped in and out of the game

Marvin Emnes   5- Had little impact on the game upfront  

Curtis Main   5.5- Worked hard but received little support and missed decent opportunities

Subs

 Ben Gibson   6.5- Replaced Williams before half time, solid at the back

Albert Adomah   6- Came on with 30 minutes to go as Boro searched for a winner

Kei Kamara- Came on with 10 minutes to go not enough time to give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of Match: Shay Given

Stan's The Man In Australia

Tennis has a new Grand Slam Champion, the first man to beat Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the same major, his name Stanislas Wawrinka.

Many will question the manor of his 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 final victory over a depleted Nadal, who sustained a back injury half way through the second set. However take nothing away from Wawrinka who played some stimulating tennis and controlled his emotions to claim his first Slam.

Wawrinka celebrates his first Grand Slam

Wawrinka, who earned his place in the final with victories over Djokovic and Tomas Berdych, outplayed the World number one and heavy favourite Nadal for a set and half firing winners from the back of the court.

It had the makings of a classic match and surely would have been if Nadal’s body didn’t give up on him, the Spaniard was nearly reduced to tears after a medical time out, as the thrilling contest that had been created slowly faded away.

Sheer adrenaline kept Nadal going as Wawrinka’s understandable nerves in his first Slam final presented Nadal the third set, and despite the Spaniard’s improving condition and tenacious fight back Wawrinka was able to close out by far the biggest moment of his career.

After living in the shadows of Swiss compatriot Roger Federer for most of his career, Wawrinka will now move up to Swiss number one for the first time, furthermore he will reach his highest ever ranking of number three in the world, a remarkable achievement in this golden era.

In twelve previous meetings Wawrinka had never beaten Nadal; he had never even taken a set off him. Many expected this to be the match where Nadal made history by equalling Pete Sampras on fourteen Slams and moving ever closer to Federer’s record seventeen.

However Wawrinka had other ideas. Not only did he settle in his first final at this level he dominated ripping winners from inside the baseline with nothing to lose.

The break came in the fourth game and was consolidated by Wawrinka’s immaculate serving to give him a 4-1 lead. He wasn’t afraid to come to the net, and despite going 0-40 when serving for the set he resisted the Nadal pressure saving the break points before finishing the set with an ace.

Anything left short by Nadal, Wawrinka was pouncing on it. The Swiss earned another break in the first game of the second set with some more sublime tennis as it was turning into an intriguing match.

But then came the moment that no one wanted to see, a Nadal grimace followed by a clutch at his back wasn’t a good sign. At the next changeover he called for a 3 minute medical time out which enabled him to leave the court, to the clear frustration of Wawrinka.

When the Spaniard returned it was clear something was wrong, his serve wasn’t even half its normal pace while his movement had also deserted him. Wawrinka broke again to lead 4-1 before Nadal received more treatment on his back in obvious pain.

Wawrinka closed out the set and at that point could have been forgiven in thinking the match was over as Nadal looked ready to throw in the towel. However the Spaniard kept on going and amazingly broke at the start of the third in staggering circumstances.

Spare a thought for Wawrinka who had gone from being on the brink of winning his first Slam to being hunted down by arguably the greatest player the game has ever seen.

Nadal’s situation had evidently improved, however Wawrinka had lost his rhythm in the dilemma of playing an injured opponent. The Swiss became too passive allowing Nadal to dictate the rallies and somehow claim the third set.

It was a time for Wawrinka to re-group and clear his head. Nadal was hanging on saving two break points in the fourth game before recovering from 4-2 down; however Wawrinka wouldn’t let his opportunity pass as he broke to lead 5-3 before serving for the title.  

He makes history by becoming the first man to beat the number one and two seeds in a major since Sergi Bruguera at the French Open in 1993. His breakthrough could be a sign of even greater things to come as the depth at the top of the men’s game appears stronger than ever.  

Vintage Federer Ends Murray Hopes

To See Roger Federer back at his vintage best can only be a good thing for men’s tennis, even if it does prevent Andy Murray from making his fifth successive Australian Open semi final.

Just to watch the 16 time Grand Slam champion should be a privilege in itself, but at the age of 32, to see him playing this well again is something simply to behold and appreciate while we still can.

Federer was back to his very best to conquer Murray

Murray didn’t play badly, far from it as he battled tirelessly in his first big match since his back operation last September; however a rejuvenated Federer, now coached by childhood hero and former world number one Stefan Edberg, was at times simply unplayable.

By the end Murray’s lack of match practise evidently took its toll, as Federer gradually ground him down to claim a 6-3 6-4 6-7(6) 6-3 victory in 3 hours 20 minutes.   

The Swiss certainly showed the Edberg side to his game; his tactics of coming to the net on every opportunity was a breath of fresh air and could be a sign of even greater things to come.

He ran away with the first two sets and could have done the same in the third if it wasn’t for Murray’s gutsy effort, which left him exhausted by the end.  

“Andy played well and put pressure on me so I’m happy to win” said the Swiss after the match.  “I probably miss more break points than other guys but I kept my composure and kept the poker face and tonight it worked."

Federer will now re-ignite his historic rivalry with Rafael Nadal in Friday’s semi final, after the Spaniard earlier defeated Grigor Dimitrov in four sets.

As for Murray he later admitted he “wasn’t expecting to win the event” so soon after his back operation “I was proud of the way I fought, it’s tough because I haven’t played at this level and Roger played at a very high level, my body held up fairly well, I didn’t expect to feel perfect”

After last year’s disappointment, where Federer failed to make the final of a major for the first time since 2002 many wondered if he could challenge for an unprecedented 17^th Grand Slam; the first two sets of this match suggested otherwise and were nothing short of a Federer master class.

The Swiss only missed two first serves in three service games while Murray struggled to form any sort of rhythm. Federer was willing to be the aggressive player from the start and took his only break point of the set in the fourth game to lead 3-1.

Murray did well to hang on however Federer showed no signs of loosening his grip. Even his, at times, unpredictable backhand was inflicting all sorts of damage as the Swiss began to run Murray ragged by approaching the net on nearly every point.

The Brit never really had the chance to break back, as Federer kept him guessing on serve and rounded off an almost perfect set by holding to love, taking it in just 32 minutes.

There was little option for Murray other than he had to try and play more aggressive himself. The Brit forced his first chance to break in game four at 15-30 however Federer calmly stubbed it out.

In the following game the Swiss pounced, he continued to take the ball early and move forward which piled the pressure on Murray, who made two loose forehands to surrender the break.

Murray had opportunities to strike back as Federer’s first serve began to drop, however the Swiss still didn’t hand him a break point and when he claimed a two set lead it was always going to be a huge task for Murray to come back.

The match came close to spiralling away from Murray completely, as he was forced to save three break points at the start of the third.

Federer on the other hand was still holding serve with ease, every time Murray came through a tough service game the Swiss would quick hold to re-apply the pressure. At 4-4 that pressure finally told as a mix of Federer’s brilliance and two errors from Murray meant the Swiss would serve for the match.

However on the home straight Federer blinked, having not faced a break point all match the Swiss suddenly found himself 15-40 down as Murray found a timely response. For the first time Federer looked valuable and despite saving the first break point he couldn’t prevent the second going Murray’s way as an uncharacteristic error threw the Brit a lifeline.

For the entertainment factor a tiebreak was the best outcome, out of their eight previous breakers Federer had won seven of them. He looked set to improve that record as claimed an early mini-break to set up a 6-4 lead and double match point.

But Murray just would not lie down, swinging freely the Brit saved them both the first on his own serve the second on Federer’s, then with the momentum in his corner he seized his opportunity to take the set which was ended by another forehand error from Federer.

The question then was how much did Murray have left? In the first game of the forth he had a chance at 15-30 on the Federer serve but dragged a forehand passing shot agonisingly wide.

From then on Federer slowly but brutally increased his strangle hold, Murray fended off six break points in a marathon 20 minute just to level at 1-1, his grimacing expressions showed the pain he was now going through.

Murray continued to dig deep but eventually his resistance was broken, leading 4-3 Federer finally moved in for the kill allowing him the chance to serve for the match for the second time which he took with both hands finishing with an ace.  

If this Australian Open has taught us anything it’s that a 17^th Grand Slam for Federer isn’t out of the question, on this sort of form it’s almost within his reach. 

Boro's Run Goes On

Middlesbrough   1     Charlton   0

                                       Ledesma 16

January has traditionally been the month when Boro’s season begins to unravel, but not this time around, in fact it’s been quite the opposite.

Their almost faultless run since Christmas, of five wins and 1 draw, have drastically changed all expectations for this second half of the season, with Boro making the leap from relegation candidates to one of the many teams in with a shout of making the play-offs.

Ledesma's strike makes it five wins in six for Boro

Aitor Karanka has re-formed a team from the back; Boro’s victories have been built on solid defensive displays, an area which was something of a problem at the start of the season, however they have how kept five clean sheets in their last six games.

 Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Charlton was a prime example of grinding out a result on a day when Boro weren’t at their best.  As Karanka later said “it was the sort of game we would have lost in the past, today is a game when the referee blows his whistle you are happy.”    

Emmanuel Ledesma’s first half strike proved to be the difference in a match which provided few goal scoring opportunities and offered little spectacle, nevertheless the result was vital to keep Boro’s momentum going.

It’s a victory which moves Boro up to ninth place in the table, five points adrift from sixth place Reading. Furthermore nicely sets up next week’s clash at top of the table Leicester who have won their last six in the league.

Karanka made two changes from the side that won 2-0 at Blackpool a week ago. Mustapha Carayol scored both of those goals after coming off the bench, which clearly prompted his return to the starting line up as he replaced the injured Albert Adomah.

The other change saw Curtis Main replace Lukas Jutkiewitz as the lone striker. Karanka set out his usual 4-2-3-1 formation with Grant Leadbitter and Dean Whitehead occupying the holding midfield spots behind Marvin Emnes and Ledesma who joined Carayol further forward.

Jonathan Woodgate and Kei Kamara were both fit again and started on the bench, while there was no place at all for either Kenneth Omeruo or Nathaniel Chalobah who have both signed on loan from Chelsea in the last fortnight.

Charlton made three changes from the side that drew their FA Cup tie with Oxford in mid-week, goalkeeper Yohann Thuram-Ulien, on loan from Standard Liege, made his debut while Dale Stephens and Callum Harriott also came in.

After the recent run of results Boro fans expected nothing less than a victory against a Charlton twam who haven’t won since Boxing Day. It was visitors though who passed up the first opportunity as a mistake on the edge of the Boro penalty area allowed Yann Kermorgant the chance to shoot from range, however he could only clear the cross bar.    

With seven minutes played Boro carved out their first chance and should have made it count, Main’s attempted pass to Carayol hit Charlton defender Michael Morrison and fell kindly back into the striker’s path, however with a clear sight of goal Main could only drag his shot wide of the far post.

Boro went close again when Emnes blasted the ball into the side netting from a tight angle on thirteen minutes, but it was moments later that the breakthrough was made.

Ledesma received the ball mid way inside the Charlton half on the right, with space to shoot he cut onto his favoured left foot before curling his effort low into the bottom right corner beating Thuram-Ulien his near post.

The Charlton keeper probably should have done better with that one and he again looked unconvincing moments later, this time it was Carayol who cut in from the left to fire his shot on target, the ball was heading down the middle of the goal however Thuram-Ulien elected to use his foot to block it away.

Overall Boro probably deserved their advantage at half time, however after the break it took them a while to get going again. Charlton had rarely threatened Shay Given’s goal before the interval, they could have drawn level five minutes after the re-start but Richard Wood’s shot was off target.

Although the visitors struggled to maintain the pressure, Boro were beginning to see less and less of the ball. A second goal would have killed things off; Carayol forced another save from Thuram-Ulienm as the hosts couldn’t prevent a nervy finish.

Karanka introduced Jutkiewitz who replaced Emnes with half an hour remaining, as Boro fell into the habit of sitting back. Charlton did have the ball in the net with twenty minutes remaining however it was chalked off when substitute Simon Church fouled Given while the Boro keeper had the ball in both hands.

As the match reached its climax both sides became guilty of some late tackles, first Whitehead and Ledesma were shown the yellow card, but it was the visitors who rode their luck when Rhoys Wiggins was given a straight red with six minutes to go.

Boro should have been home and dry but couldn’t land the killer blow, first Jutkiewitz was denied from a tight angle by Thuram-Ulienm before a goal mouth scramble saw more opportunities go begging.

After five minutes of injury time Charlton had a golden chance to draw level. A late cross into the Boro box had to be punched away by Given, the ball fell to Stephens who smashed a full blooded shot on target however the Irish keeper was once again on hand to make a world class save giving Boro all three points.

The full time whistle was welcomed with the chants of “there’s only one Shay Given” whose late contribution mean Boro have now taken 16 points out of a possible 18.

Player Ratings

Shay Given   7.5- Didn’t have much to do but came up with two vital saves at the end

George Friend   7.5- Defended well, joining in with attacks when he could

Rhys Williams   7.5- Looks settled once again at centre half,  started moves from the back 

Daniel Ayala   7.5- Solid performance, as the Charlton forwards had a quiet afternoon 

Jozsef Varga   7- Made a early error but recovered, overall another solid game at right back

Dean Whitehead   7-Won majority of tackles providing protection for the defence

Grant Leadbitter (C)   7- Kept the team ticking in midfield

Mustapha Carayol   6- Dipped in and out of the game, occasionally testing the keeper

Emmanuel Ledesma   7- Produced the moment of quality to win the match, but went off the boil slightly in the second half 

Marvin Emnes   5- Struggled to get on the ball and really have an impact on the game

Curtis Main   5.5- Passed up good opportunity in the first half, worked hard with little reward

Subs

Lukas Jutkiewitz   5.5- Came on with 30 minutes to go but didn’t have a huge impact

Not enough time to give players fair rating

Richard Smallwood – Came with 10 minutes remaining steadied the midfield

Kei Kamara – Came off the bench to make first appearance since December 

My Boro Man Of The Match Rhys Williams

               

  

Murray Through To Week Two

Could it merely be a coincidence or something more that the last time Andy Murray beat Feliciano Lopez it was on the way to claiming his first Grand Slam at the US Open back in 2012.

Back then the Brit finally came through that 3^rd round encounter after four gruelling sets which included three tie breaks, thankfully for Murray today’s clash at the Australian Open was a rather more straight forward one.

Murray Once Again Reaches The Second Week In Australia

After a sluggish start Murray simply got better and better to come through his toughest test of the first week, eventually racing to a 7-6(2) 6-4 6-2 victory in 2 hours 15 minutes on the Hisense Area.

There were plenty signs that Murray is a contender ,along with  favourites Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, to claim the first major of the year a week tomorrow.

Murray was almost faultless in set’s two and three as he soundly dispatched world number 26 Lopez to set up a somewhat favourable last 16 match with Frenchman Stephane Robert, the first man ever to make the fourth round after qualifying as a “lucky loser”.

Victory in that match would set up the potential prospect of having to beat Federer, Nadal then Djokovic back to back to claim the title down under, however Murray more than most will know there’s still more than a long way to go.

I’ve made a good start, today was beautiful conditions to play in and we get to play in front of a full crowd when it’s like this” said Murray after the match “ever since I was 18 I’ve had a lot of support here and I’ll need it if I want to go further”    

The Brit’s victory over Lopez means he is now on a 13 match winning streak against left-handed players, a statistic he gives great credit to his brother Jamie for.

“I grew up playing with my brother who is a lefty so I had a lot of practise returning lefty serves when I was younger which helps”

A cagey start saw the first two games go against serve, as Murray recovered from an early break against him to level the match at 1-1.

Both players struggled to find their first serve, with the match there for taking. There were a few worrying signs as Murray didn’t look comfortable and began to reach for his back as if there was a problem, however Lopez couldn’t take advantage.

 At 3-2 Murray sensed an opportunity but was helpless as four break points passed him by, each time the Spaniard came up with the goods on serve to bail himself out of trouble.

Both then held with relative ease before Murray again upped the ante at 6-5 forcing Lopez to fend set point on two separate occasions; however in the unpredictability of the tie break Murray showed no signs of a easing off playing his best tennis of the match to take it 7-2.

With momentum on his side Murray carried it into the second set where claimed a decisive break in the opening game. In some ways Lopez was his own worst enemy going abruptly off the boil as his game began to leak errors.

From that point on the Spaniard did his best to hang in but Murray was dominant, finding a perfect rhythm on serve. As Murray came to serve for the set at 5-4 Lopez had a sniff of breaking back at 15 -30 however the Brit quickly slammed the door to double his set advantage.     

The third set followed a similar pattern as Murray broke once again in the first game, with Lopez quickly running out of ideas. There was no let up from Murray who won 92% of points behind his first serve in the final set, giving Lopez little chance to break back.

In the fifth game Murray landed the killer blow, breaking the Lopez serve to love which he was now reading with little difficulty. Three aces in the following game from Murray made it 5-1 before Lopez made him serve out the match, where the Brit booked his place in the second week.  

So is it a coincidence that pair met when Murray won his first Slam? Yes it probably is. However if the Brit is triumphant in the upcoming week, he won’t mind seeing Lopez again in other majors to come.    

Murray Off The Mark Down-Under

It can’t be easy making the transition from Wimbledon champion to having a back surgery which keeps you out of the sport for over three months.

It seems unfair to expect the same sort of performances from Andy Murray that he produced so immaculately at The All England Club last year, however after today’s superior showing those expectations may have just gone back up a notch.

Murray made light work of Soeda in round one

Even Murray himself admitted he didn’t know how his back would react coming into this year’s Australian Open, especially after the Brit had looked a little rusty in his comeback tournament at the Qatar Open two weeks ago where he was beaten by German Florian Mayer.

However that performance was a mere shadow of the one in Melbourne today, Murray was ruthless in sweeping aside Japan’s Go Soeda 6-1 6-1 6-3 in what was a strong contender for performance of the first round on the Hisence Arena lasting just 87 minutes.

Murray looked sharp in all aspects of his game; he was rock solid from the base line and produced a dominant serving display landing 12 aces and a 69% first serve percentage.

The Brit also made light work of the sweltering heat in Melbourne which exceeded 40c. Many players were troubled and complained that the extreme temperatures “were unsafe”, Caroline Wozniacki’s water bottle melted, Jelena Jankovic burnt her backside on an uncovered seat and Frank Dancevic required medical attention after fainting, however Murray suffered no such drama.

After the match the British number one added “the conditions were very, very tough” however he, more than most, appears better equipped than anyone, he’s prepared the same way for this tournament that he does every year at his training camp in the heat of Miami and it could become a defining factor over the next fortnight.

He can now take advantage of what looks a favourable early draw and will face French qualifier Vincent Millot in round two.  After John Isner’s retirement against Slovak Martin Kilzan, Murray is guaranteed not to meet a fellow top 20 player until at least the quarter final.

 “I was taking nothing for granted when you haven’t played for a while you’re pretty stressed out and nervous to see how your back going to respond” said Murray.“I’ve played a lot of great matches and played some of my best tennis here so hopefully it’s good enough  this year”  

Before his surgery Murray revealed he had played in pain for over a year and was looking forward to playing “pain free”. His lack of match practise may have been a concern to some however any doubts about his ability were quickly put to rest.

Soeda, ranked 112 in the world, made a solid hold in his opening service game but unfortunately it didn’t get any better for him from that point on.

 Murray was merciless in reeling off a run of six games in a row as he commanded the baseline rallies, he was moving freely and striking winners like it was a practise session while breaking Soeda three times as he secured the first set in only 23 minutes.

The second set was equally as convincing, Murray held serve in the opening game and before long had increased his six game streak to nine as another break took him to a 3-0 lead.  

At that point the Murray of a few years ago may have took his foot off the gas and been vulnerable to a comeback. However those old habits are long in the past, and the Brit showed no signs of a let up barely giving Soeda a sniff to break back.

Soeda dug in and did well to make the third set a little more competitive, though Murray was never really in trouble. It was clear the final set didn’t quite have the same intensity as the first two however Murray was on hand to make the decisive break at 3-3 before charging to victory.

Murray will now have a day’s rest before taking on Millot on Thursday, and after today’s routine victory many will now see him as a contender for the title, considering the circumstances that would be something special.    

Rafa's Ready For Melboune

He finished last year the world number one and it’s going to take something special from someone special to stop Rafael Nadal doing the same in 2014.

It may only be the first week of the year but Nadal, who clocked up a total of ten titles last year, has already claimed his maiden title of the new season winning the Qatar Exxon Mobil Open in Doha. 

Nadal claims his first titale in Doha

His route through the draw wasn’t totally straight forward, along the way the tenacious Spaniard dropped sets to Tobias Kamke and Peter Gojowczyk before seeing off Gael Monfils 6-1 6-7(5) 6-2 in an entertaining final on Saturday.

With the first Grand Slam of the year in Australia just six days away Nadal appears a strong favourite, after missing the tournament in Melbourne due to a lengthy injury last year.

Out of the world’s top seven players Nadal was the only one to claim a title in the first week of the year. Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer all suffered early exits in Doha while Roger Federer was beaten by Lleyton Hewitt in the Brisbane final. Reigning Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic elected not to play before this year’s event.

Nadal’s victory over Monfils will be even more satisfying as it was the first time he lifted the trophy in Doha after six appearances, on two occasions he was beaten by the Frenchman however he made sure that didn’t become three.  

Monfils, currently ranked 26^th in the world, hadn’t dropped a set on his way to the final; however it was the Spaniard who made light work of the first set.

The Frenchman may have made a slow start but it was to Nadal’s credit that the opening set was barely a contest, as he showed the sort of form which at times seems impossible to match.

23 minutes was all it took for the ruthless Spaniard to race into a set lead as he imposed his game from the off, moving Monfils from pillar to post with his devastating forehand.

However no two sets are ever the same especially when playing Monfils. Recognised as one of the most unpredictable but entertaining players on the tour the Frenchman reverted to all out attack.

His booming serve and scorching groundstrokes suddenly began to pay off. The crowd had a match on their hands as the fired up Monfils stormed into a 3-0 then 4-1 set lead.

Nadal appeared to have regained control of the situation by batting back to 4-4 however Monfils refused to lie down, the best tennis of the match followed so it was only fitting it went to a tie break where the Frenchman pounced to draw level.

But getting Nadal down is one thing keeping him there is another. Monfils gave his all but like many other just couldn’t stick with the Spaniard whose performance sent the echoing statement that he’s ready for Australia.

   

It's The League From Here

Middlesbrough     0          Hull     2     

                                                                                                          McLean  9

                                                                                                          Prozwitchz  60

At times there is a fine line between the Premier League and Championship, especially when it comes to the FA cup. However for the 15,000 present at the Riverside yesterday afternoon that imaginary line between the two divisions will seem very thick indeed.

Boro finished 2013 with a flourish, picking up 10 points out of 12; a cup scalp of Premier League Hull City would have been the icing on the cake.

Nick Prozwitchz seals the game by adding Hull's second

But truth be told Boro never looked like flirting with the romance of a cup upset, they were not only given a firm reality check but a footballing lesson as they meekly bowed out of England’s biggest cup competition.

Hull were patient but thorough as they swept aside a rather bog-standard and disappointing Boro side who offered very little in the attacking third. City manager Steve Bruce appeared to get his tactic spot on, Hull’s five man midfield dominated the game leaving Boro totally overrun in the middle of the park.

The visitors didn’t create many chances but they didn’t need too, there may have been an element of fortune when Aaron McLean latched on to a loose ricochet to convert Hull’s opener after nine minutes, but there could be no complaints about the final result as Nick Prozwitchz added a second 30 minutes from time on an afternoon where Boro were totally outplayed.

Boro boss Aitor Karanka expressed that his side “could do much much better” but remained optimistic revealing that Boro had completed the loan signing of Kenneth Omeruo from Chelsea and that more could follow.  

The Boro side showed six changes from the side that started the league game Bolton on New Year’s Day, two were enforced as Shay Given and Daniel Ayala, who are both on loan, were ineligible to play.

That meant a Boro debut in goal for Dimi Konstantopoulos, as Boro lined up 4-4-1-1 with Rhys Williams moving to centre back alongside Ben Gibson and Jozsef Varga coming in at right back. Grant Leadbitter kept his place in midfield but was joined by Dean Whitehead in the middle and Luke Williams and Emmanuel Ledesma on the wings, Marvin Emnes also returned as he tucked in behind Curtis Main upfront.

Bruce had the luxury of making nine changes from Hull’s trip to Liverpool, as only David Meyler and Maynor Figueroa kept their place while Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore didn’t even feature on the bench.      

There was an early buzz that can only be created by the excitement of a cup tie but, to Hull’s credit, it gradually faded as the visitors were quick to suck the life out of the occasion, playing on their own terms.

The opening goal was a result of a careless Boro start as the hosts lost possession inside their own half. In a matter of seconds the visitors had worked the ball to the feet of Meyler on the edge of the Boro penalty area, his shot deflected off Gibson into the path of McLean who reacted quickly to dink the ball over Konstantopoulos.

From that point Boro’s afternoon slowly unravelled, the visitors were astute with the ball and played with the fluency only a Premier League side can muster. Their passing was crisp as they dominated possession in midfield, every time Boro did threaten a counter attack they quickly ran out of options in the final third.

Neither side created a great deal in front of goal, it took until the 38^th minute for Boro to produce their first shot on target when Ledesma cut in from the right onto his favoured left foot however his tame shot bobbled nicely into the grasp of City keeper Steve Harper. Minutes later Main fired over the bar from a tight angle but it was clear something had to change.

To Karanka’s credit he didn’t sit back and brought on Lukas Jutkiewitz and Albert Adomah at half time as Ledesma and Luke Williams made way.

For a few minutes Boro’s attack looked a little more potent, George Friend fired wide, before Emnes managed to direct a low cross into the Hull penalty area, the ball was half cleared to Whitehead on the edge of the box however the midfielder could only spray his shot and the host’s best chance wide of the post.

Any hopes Boro may have had of at least salvaging a replay were significantly reduced 30 minutes from time; George Boyd did well to avoid a number of challenges to the left of the Boro box before dragging the ball back across the area for Proschwitz to smash home from close range off the underside of the bar.

City threatened to make things embarrassing; a long pass from Steven Quinn, who had dominated the midfield all afternoon, towards Proschwitz had to be intercepted by Williams to prevent a one on one opportunity for the striker.

In the dying minutes Konstantopoulos was called into action to make a comfortable save from George Boyd’s long range effort.

Boro threatened to create a grandstand finish five minutes from time, Adomah’s attempted cross was heading goal bound and had to be tipped over by Harper, Main’s header found the side netting before Leadbitter forced another save from the keeper, but it was too little too late, overall Boro will know that were well outplayed and can learn a lot from their Premier League opponents.

Match Ratings  

Dimi Konstantopoulos    5.5- Made a few comfortable saves, couldn’t do much about either goal

George Friend    6.5- Solid defensively added some attacking threat from full back    

Ben Gibson   6- No major mistakes unlucky his deflection led to first goal

Rhys Williams   6.5- Moved back to centre half where he made some important interceptions and tackles

Jozsef Varga    6- Back in at right back and had a solid game

Luke Williams   5- Looked lost on the left of midfield, replaced at half time

Dean Whitehead   5.5- Pinned back by the Hull midfielders as Boro were overran in the middle

Grant Leadbitter   6- Gave a usual hard working performance but came out second best to the Hull midfield

Emmanuel Ledesma   5- Offered little on right the right of midfield, replaced at half time

Marvin Emnes   5.5- Created Boro’s best chance in the second half but was quiet for most of the game

Curtis Main   5.5 – Given little support in the first half, even less effective on the left after half time

Subs

Albert Adomah   6- Added some threat on right of midfield but didn’t have a huge impact on the game

Lukas Jutkiewitz   5.5- Lacked support upfront after coming on at half time

Jacob Butterfield- came on with six minutes to go not enough time to give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match Rhys Williams