Boro Back On Track After Nervy Win

Middlesbrough    1        Bolton    0

                                             Adomah  32

As the cliché goes there are no easy games in the Championship, not even against a Bolton Wanderers team who have the second worst away record in the whole division.



Albert Adomah tucks the ball under Ben Amos for the games only goal

On Saturday Middlesbrough were knocked off their perch at the top of the table after a surprising but not unprecedented defeat to Leeds, last night’s clash with Neil Lennon’s Bolton was therefore a win at all costs sort of game in the race for promotion and they delivered. Just.



Albert Adomah’s first half finish was the difference in this 1-0 victory which prevented Boro from slipping into the clutches of the chasing promotion pack. That was far from the full story as a late Wanderers onslaught threatened to burst Boro’s charmed bubble and throw them off course.

The hosts were comfortable, almost too comfortable, for the good part of an hour and had chances to put the game well beyond the reach of a Bolton team, hampered by injuries and rather blunt upfront.

Nevertheless after Patrick Bamford, back in the side after coming off the bench against Leeds, squandered two guilt edged opportunities the result remained in doubt and was only confirmed following four minutes injury time and a couple of goal mouth scrambles.

"Four days ago, I was saying we had played one of our best games and lost (against Leeds). Today, we have played one of our worst games since I have been here, but we have won” said Boro manager Aitor Karanka after the match.

"We have fixed one part of our mistakes, and that is the defensive errors. But now we have to fix the attacking mistakes as well because it is not possible to finish the games with a win when we have problems like this." He added.

Those “attacking mistakes” will of course be a minor concern; however with just 13 league games left to play, a positive result was all that mattered for Karanka here, especially when leaders Derby maintained a two point gap over Boro at the top of the table and fellow promotion hunters Ipswich, Norwich, Watford and Brentford all won.

There is no doubt Karanka will be urging his side to kill similar teams off next time, as two points could quite easily have slipped through their fingers. Boro let the game become a battle, an unnecessary one at that, and with half an hour to go they had dig their heels in, just to claim a result they deserved for a dominant first half display.

Karanka made four changes from the side which started against Leeds at the weekend. First choice keeper Dimi Konstatopulos was back from suspension so replaced Tomas Mejias in goal. Further forward Ryan Fredericks returned at right back and replaced Emilo Nsue. Upfront Bamford was reinstated as the lone striker with Lee Tomlin just behind, with Kike dropping to the bench and Jelle Vossen out injured.

After being trounced 4-1 by Nottingham Forest at on Saturday Lennon made six changes to his team which included a recalls for ex-Boro defender David Wheater and experienced strikers Emile Heskey and Eidur Gudjohnsen.  

The opening exchanges were a little scrappy and it took until the 18^th minute for the first real chance to arise. Boro winger Adam Reach charged down the left before cutting the ball back to Bamford who blazed his first time shot over the bar.

Moments later the Boro striker was presented another opportunity when Grant Leadbitter threaded a neat ball through the Bolton backline, from a tight angle Bamford did well to hit the target but was denied by a strong one handed save from keeper Ben Amos.  The visitor’s best chance came when defender Dorian Devite headed an out swinging corner over the bar and they fell behind soon after.

Lee Tomlin had found some good pockets of space between Bolton’s defence and midfield and if anyone, he appeared the player who would create an opening. On 32 minutes he did. One mesmerising pass from the edge of the centre circle was enough to slice open the entire Bolton team and send Albert Adomah through on goal, from there the Ghanaian winger made no mistake by tucking the ball under Amos and into the net.

Bolton briefly threatened when Saidy Janko dispossessed Clayton before firing a low shot at goal which Konstantopulos held. Nevertheless there was a far better chance for Boro to double their lead before half time. After a good move into the Bolton penalty area the ball fell to Adomah whose shot was saved by Amos and on the rebound Bamford failed to capitalise firing over the bar from close range.

There was another chance for the often prolific Bamford minutes after half time, however on this cold February evening it was clear the Boro forward had left his shooting boots at home. On 53 minutes a ricochet off a Bolton defender sent the ball into the path of George Friend who drove in to the area before squaring the ball back to Bamford, but with the goal at his mercy and the net ready to nestle he side-footed wide.  

That’s where the dominance ended for Boro, as Lennon’s side attempted to spoil the party. On 61 minutes Janko’s cross had to be headed out by Fredericks with a number of Bolton players ready to pounce.

With 10 minutes to go substitute Zach Clough ran rings around the Boro defence before cutting the ball back into the box where Konstantopulos intervened. Barry Bannen’s teasing cross was then headed over by Liam Feeney, before Boro defender Tomas Kalas just did enough to force substitute Adam Le Fondre to shoot wide as Boro hung on. By the skin of their teeth.

Player Ratings

Dimi Konstantoplos   7- Didn’t have a lot to do but was reliable when needed late on

Ryan Fredericks   7.5- Came out on top of a good tussle with Feeney

Tomas Kalas   7- Mopped up the danger well, a few signs he is still getting to grips with his new team mates

Ben Gibson   7- Looked back to his solid best

George Friend   7- Rarely troubled defensively and got forward when he could

Adam Clayton   7- Robust in midfield making some important tackles

Grant Leadbitter   8- Never stopped working held the team together

Albert Adomah   7.5- Took goal well, put in a decent shift on the right

Adam Reach   6.5- Was quite lively in the first half   

Lee Tomlin   8- Possessed the real quality which made a difference

Patrick Bamford   6- Missed a couple of good chances

Subs

Adam Forshaw – Only on for 14 minutes, not long enough to give a fair rating  

Kike – Only on for 14 minutes, not long enough to give a fair rating 

My Boro Man Of The Match: Lee Tomlin

 

  

 

 

A Chance Missed For Boro

Middlesbrough    0        Leeds    1

                                                                          Mowatt  3

 

 

To those who were beginning to pre-empt Middlesbrough’s return to the Premier League after six years away, this was a reminder that in the Championship there are no guarantees.
 

Boro battered Leeds in the day’s early kick off; having 27 shots to the visitors 8, 64% possession and 18 corners to a measly 3. Yet all those stats will count for nothing when the season is done after they lost the game 1-0 and missed the chance to move four points clear at the top of the table.



Goal scorer Alex Mowatt competes for the ball with Emilo Nsue 

Credit where it’s due, Leeds knew they weren’t going to come to the Riverside and out pass a Boro team who hadn’t lost at the home since August. Instead they defended resiliently following Alex Mowatt's goal inside three minutes, even so if Boro’s finishing had been sharper than your average butter knife this would have been a very different story.

Leeds keeper Marco Silvestri was rightfully given the SkyBet man of the man after the giant Italian made an array of important saves to keep out Boro’s frustrated frontline, which didn’t include top scorer Patrick Bamford or Lee Tomlin until midway through the second half.

“The players who played in those positions were fresh and Patrick and Tommo had played on Wednesday against Birmingham,” said Karanka after the match. “I don’t think with them on the pitch we would have won the game because we created a lot of chances but we just didn’t finish them”

It was a decision which left many Boro fans scratching their heads before kick-off, as Karanka opted to make six changes from the side which started at Birmingham, goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopulos was sent off in that game and therefore suspended so Tomas Mejias received another opportunity.

At the back Ryan Fredericks was missing while Kenneth Omeruo dropped to the bench meaning Emilo Nsue was shifted to right back with Tomas Kalas coming in at centre half. Further forward Adam Clayton, Adam Reach, Albert Adomah and Kike were all recalled, as Adam Forshaw joined Bamford and Tomlin on the bench.  

Leeds manager Neil Redfearn selected the same eleven players which started their 1-0 victory over Millwall last Saturday and once again it proved a winning combination as the visitors took the lead inside three minutes.   

Mejias rolled the ball out to Leadbitter who was quickly closed down before conceding possession, Leeds midfielder Lee Cook led the charge and laid the ball off to Mowatt whose shot took a deflection but still nestled into the bottom corner of the net.

Nevertheless if Boro’s response suggested anything it was that goals were on the agenda, in contrast it proved to be an afternoon of missed chances, what ifs and if onlys. 

With 10 minutes gone Kike was the orchestrator of a purposeful Boro attack however he hesitated before his shot was blocked and scrambled to safety. It was a running theme. Next Leadbitter set up Vossen but the Belgium forward miscued his shot; he made a sweeter connection with Nsue’s cross moments later but Silvestri retaliated with an impressive save.

After half an hour a list of opportunities had quickly formed, on 20 minutes Reach squared the ball back to Vossen who squeezed the ball under the keeper only for Leeds captain Sol Bamba to clear off the line. Leadbitter was next to try but dragged a left foot shot wide, moments later Kike produced a clever turn before trying his luck from range, but Boro simply didn’t have the winning ticket as Silvestri tipped over the bar.

Apart from the goal Leeds’ only other noteworthy first half chance came when Bamba headed wide from a corner on the stroke of half time and after the break the Boro bombardment continued.

Just a minute after the restart Kike’s curling shot from the edge of the area required a full stretch save from Silvestri to keep it out, four minutes later he tried again but the same outcome occurred.

There was a thriving atmosphere created by a crowd of 25,531, including 2,960 from Leeds. Midway through the second half the derby day tackles began to come quick and fast as the game threatened to run out of control.

Leeds didn’t help the situation and their attempts to run the clock down soon frustrated the home fans. The visitors nearly doubled their lead when Scott Wootton’s firm header rebounded off the bar. Still Boro dominated as Silvestri palmed away Albert Adomah’s cross.

After 56 minutes Karanka withdrew Reach to bring on Tomlin and ten minutes later Bamford replaced Nsue as the hosts switched to all-out attack. That added some extra movement in the final third but when Kike’s close range effort was stopped by a last ditch block from Bamba it had the feel of a match that was slipping away.

There was a worrying sign with 10 minutes to go when Vossen appeared to be knocked unconscious and after a lengthy delay left the field on a stretcher in a head brace to a respectful applause from both sets of fans. That resulted in nine added minutes but still there was no Boro breakthrough.

Luckily for Boro they only slip down to second in the table after similar defeats for Bournemouth and Ipswich,they have a chance to redeem themselves on Tuesday at home to Bolton.  

Player Ratings  

Tomas Mejias   6- Made a couple of decent saves but poor throw resulted in goal

Emilo Nsue   6- Looked vulnerable defensively early on

Ben Gibson   6- Decision making was a bit indecisive

Tomas Kalas   7.5- Won the ball well and started attacks

George Friend   6- Got into some good positions but deliveries were poor  

Grant Leadbitter   6- Failed to have his regular impact

Adam Clayton   7- Gave a batting workman like performance in midfield

Adam Reach   6- Rarely beat his full back

Albert Adomh   7.5- Was a constant threat and put some decent crosses in

Jelle Vossen   7- Found some good pockets of space in the first half

Kike   7.5- Made his own chances unlucky not to score

Subs

Lee Tomlin   6.5- Provided more creativity but couldn’t find a break through

Patrick Bamford   6.5- Came on with 25 minutes to go, clever movement nearly paid off

Adam Forshaw – Came on with 10 minutes to go unfair to give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match: Albert Adomah

 

 

 

A Step Too Far

Arsenal    2        Middlesbrough    0 

                          Giroud  27, 29

 

In his pre-match programme notes Arsene Wenger said that “the FA Cup is a long competition”, but in the space of three first half minutes yesterday afternoon his cup holding side had hurled one foot into the quarter final draw for the second year running.

Two goals from Olivier Giroud send Boro out

In a decisive 180 seconds the Arsenal manager watched in delight as striker Olivier Giroud scored twice to eliminate a plucky Middlesbrough side who had breached through Manchester City in the previous round and a sequel to that memorable upset never really looked on the cards.

Santi Cazorla ran the show in the midfield, never stopping, always probing for that killer pass to unlock the door. The Spanish magician was the major catalyst for Arsenal’s opener, a fluent move from the back on 27 minutes, in which all eleven red shirts touched the ball before Cazorla sipped the ball to Kieran Gibbs on the left and his first time cross was turned in by Giroud.

Before the visitors had time to draw breath in was two. Alexis Sanchez drifted in a low corner towards the near post where Giroud caught the Boro defence sleeping on the job stealing a march on them to turn his left foot volley home. 2-0. game over? As good as.

Middlesbrough didn’t have the same bite upfront like they did at City and once manager Aitor Karanka’s plan to contain the hosts had been blown out of the water there only looked like one outcome.

They battled hard just like a the Etihad, but with all due respect the likes of Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have a little bit more quality to unpick a defence than Fernando and Fernandiho of Manchester City.

For Karanka there are still bigger fish to fry in what is a persistent Championship schedule, he now takes his side to Birmingham on Wednesday before a home fixture with Leeds next Saturday. Maybe this was in the back of his mind when he withdrew key players Patrick Bamford and Lee Tomlin after 54 minutes.

As the cliché goes “it’s time to focus on the league” where Boro are unlikely to stumble upon the same quality Arsenal demonstrated here, nevertheless a promotion campaign requires its own challenges. It’s a similar situation for Wenger’s side who resume their assault to reach the top four away at Crystal Palace next weekend before a first leg Champions League encounter with Monaco.

That will be a tie they are expected to come through, but even the most optimistic Arsenal fan would quickly run out of reasons to argue that Wenger’s side will win the Champions League altogether.

The FA Cup is a different story though and with Chelsea and City already gone, the Gunners will be favourites to regain their title. Wenger’s team selection yesterday certainly gave all the signs that they were in it to win it, with ten of his eleven starters having played at International level.

The hosts threatened from the off, their passing was slick, at times their movement was mesmerising. Boro had keeper Tomas Mejias to thank as he made two splendid saves the first to deny Cazorla the second to keep out Giroud.

Boro had defended well until Giroud’s quick double, they threatened briefly before recording their first shot on target but Albert Adomah’s shot was comfortably saved by Wojciech Szczęsny.

Arsenal could have had more in the second half if it wasn’t for Mejias who kept out Ozil’s shot before making impressive interventions to stop Sanchez’s header and Theo Walcott went one on one.

Boro’s first genuine effort didn’t come until the final few minutes when Kike’s header hit the post, as it proved a step too far for the Teessiders.     

 

Boro Keep On Winning

Middlesbrough    3        Charlton    1

                         Bamford  5  Vossen  47                                         Guðmundsson  37

                                 Tomlin  87

 

 

If there’s ever a way to justify being named Championship player of the month, then Lee Tomlin’s performance earlier today certainly did it.

Jelle Vossen celebrates Boro's second goal

The tricky Middlesbrough playmaker took the game by the scruff of the neck to help his side beat Charlton by three goals to one at the Riverside Stadium, by scoring and providing an assist for Jelle Vossen to add his impressive recent tally.

Both came after Patrick Bamford’s first half header was cancelled out by Charlton midfielder Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson’s fine strike, it’s a win which keeps Boro a single point behind the league leaders Derby and Bournemouth who were both also victorious in the 3 o’clock kick-offs.

On paper 3-1 may look like a convincing victory against a Charlton side who were 18^th before kick-off and hadn’t won since November. But Tomlin’s goal, an audacious vivid volley from the edge of the box, didn’t come until the 87^th minute when the game was finally put to bed.

“I told players at half-time the worst thing that could’ve happened was scoring the first goal,” said Karanka after the game. “That meant we thought it was going to be easy and it wasn't – it was difficult.

“The worst thing was to score and the best thing was to concede because we needed to wake up and play the way we can and we did that in the end.

“Everyone has been speaking about what a good team we are after winning the Manager of the Month and the Player of the Month awards and then we scored within five minutes, when we play the way we did in the second half it’s difficult to beat us.”

The Boro manager named an unchanged side from the one which beat Brentford by a goal to nil the previous Saturday. Daniel Ayala was forced to serve the second of his two match suspension for picking up 10 yellow cards, that meant Ben Gibson and Kenneth Omeruo were once again selected as the central defensive pairing.     

In contrast Charlton manager Guy Luzon made four alterations from the visitor’s last game. One of those included Ex- Boro defender Andre Bikey who dropped to the bench and was replaced by Oguchi Onyewu who joined former Boro loanee Milos Veljkovic in the starting line-up.

Like Karanka said a lot of people had been talking about Boro after he and Tomlin landed the manager and player of the month awards, inside five minutes the hosts had quickly stormed ahead.

From Leadbitter’s in swinging corner Bamford broke free from any sort of defensive marking before flicking a near post header across goal and past Charlton keeper  Marko Dmitrović.

From there the script was written for Boro to sail into the distance and run out worthy winners. That wasn’t the case and although the better chances did fall to the hosts, Boro didn’t exactly look like putting a side low in confidence firmly to the sword.

With 12 minutes played Leadbitter’s shot deflect wide, five minutes later Tomlin’s clever flick presented Bamford a sight at goal but Dmitrović saved. The Charlton keeper looked less convincing when dealing with Vossen’s long range effort which he couldn’t hold and beat away with his fists.

Around the half hour mark the game had to be stopped when Veljkovic picked up a shoulder injury and had to make way for substitute Johnnie Jackson. That summed up the dreary nature of the game, in which Boro had been unable to enforce their usual slick and tidy passing game.

On 37 minutes their lapse in urgency came back to bite them.  Tony Watt cut inside from the left and teed up Guðmundsson, who was some distance from goal, however his left foot shot was accurately placed into the top left corner and gave Boro keeper Dimi Konstatopulos little chance.

Nevertheless in the halftime interval, Karanka managed to strike some tempo back into his promotion chasing side. Within two minutes of the restart they were back in front when Tomlin’s deception and skill allowed him to cut through the Charlton defence and into the penalty area where he squared the ball to Vossen who converted from close range.

That was the cue for Boro to stamp their authority on the match, however on 52 minutes they had to rely on Gibson’s vital interception which prevented Watt a clear sight at goal.

Boro had more control of proceedings in the second half and their passing generally had more of a zest to it. On 57 minutes Albert Adomah’s cross was turned behind and from the resulting corner Clayton’s low effort was held by Dmitrović.

Just after the hour mark Tomlin set up Bamford inside the Charlton box where the Boro forward was tackled and appealed for a penalty but referee Trevor Kettle waved play on. Vossen also had chances to add to his earlier goal, however his close range volley hit the side netting before a later effort was deflected over the cross bar. With 18 minutes to go there was a home debut for Adam Forshaw who replaced Bamford.

But the game was sealed three minutes from time when Leadbitter’s corner picked out the unmarked Tomlin on the edge of the area who connected sweetly with a first time volley which perfectly zipped through the air and in to the bottom corner of the net.

Another job done. Another Boro win. Another step closer to promotion.

 

Player Ratings

Dimi Konstantopulos   7- Could do little about the goal, apart from that had little to do

Ryan Fredericks   8- Crossing was accurate, provided attacking threat from right back

Kenneth Omeruo   6- Still looks a little rusty after a run out of the side

Ben Gibson   7- Consistent performer week after week

George Friend   6.5- Got forward on occasions but not as much as usual

Adam Clayton   6.5- Hard midfield work often goes unnoticed

Grant Leadbitter   7- Was the commanding presence in midfield

Patrick Bamford   7- Opening goals adds to impressive run

Albert Adomah   5.5- Was on the fringes for most of the game

Lee Tomlin   9- Took the game by the scruff of the neck and provided quality to win it

Jelle Vossen   7- Got in a good position to score and worked hard upfront

Subs

Adam Forshaw   6- Made home debut coming on with 18 minutes to go

My Boro Man Of The Match: Lee Tomlin

                                                                                                                                                                              

 

Djokovic Outlasts Murray To Take Title

When it comes down to survival of the fittest there are few better than Andy Murray. Novak Djokovic is one of those few.

He has now denied the talented Brit in three Australian Open finals and has shown no mercy in doing so, as he continues to redefine the boundaries and laws in the men’s game.

Djokovic won the battle of endurance in Australia

Victory over Murray in today’s final earned Djokovic his fifth title in Australia, his eighth Grand Slam overall, that’s the same amount as Agassi, Connors and Lendl. In this sort of form a ninth major won’t be too far away.

In a nutshell this was one of those déjà vu moments for Murray and for those of you who remember the final here two years ago or the pair’s meeting at the US Open back in September the storylines were pretty much identical.    

For two and a half hours the tennis was outstanding, but ultimately for Murray exhausting. Sets one and two were decided by tie breaks, one going either way. By the third Murray was fading, by the fourth totally spent as Djokovic’s battle-hardened body prevailed 7-6(5) 6-7(2) 6-3 6-0.

As a tournament of course this is progress for Murray, who was competing in his first slam final since his memorable Wimbledon triumph in 2013. However the way he collapsed when leading 2-0 in the third must be a cause for concern.

Like in his opening rounds Murray was aggressive from the off, attacking with his forehand, stepping up on the baseline whenever possible.

As often is the case when these two meet breaks of serve were a regular occurrence. Djokovic broke the Murray serve twice in the opening set which he served for at 5-3 however he couldn’t close it out and required a tie break to finally move ahead.

That could easily have been different; Murray led 4-2 in the breaker and missed a makeable volley at 5-5 but let Djokovic off the hook. First blood to the Serb.  

The second set began in better fashion for the British number one as he capitalised on an early opportunity to take a 2-0 lead. That was quickly taken away from him. In another turn of events Djokovic broke twice to lead 4-2, yet still there was time for the plot to thicken as back came Murray to level the match at a set apiece.

However, in two and a half hours the points had been physical, brutal, draining even for the spectators and Murray’s body repelled first.

The Brit made an early move to take a 2-0 lead in the third but from there it was one way traffic, with Djokovic winning 12 of the last 13 games to take the title in something of an anti-climax.

Over the majority of this fortnight Murray has been the predator in his route to the final, however when it came down to the final two the predator quickly became the prey. In survival of the fittest Djokovic is as fit as they come.