How did the players fare in Middlesbrough's 3-1 defeat at Swansea City?
SWANSEA CITY (4-2-3-1):
Woodman 6; Roberts 6, Cabango 6, van der Hoorn 7, Bidwell 6; Grimes 7, Byers 6 (Fulton 59, 6); AYEW 9, Dhanda 5 (McKay 67, 5), Celina 6 (John 71, 6); Surridge 7.
Subs (not used): Nordfelt (gk), Borja, Kalulu, Naughton.
MIDDLESBROUGH (4-2-3-1):
6 Pears: Made two excellent saves to deny Surridge and Byers, but spilled Ayew’s shot that led to opening penalty - left exposed late on
6 Howson: Blazed an early chance over the bar as he strived to get forward, but did little wrong defensively up against the nippy Celina
6 Ayala: Organised the threads of Boro’s nine-man defence effectively and made some timely interceptions against Ayew
5 Fry: Gave away a dubious penalty with an unnecessary challenge as Ayew was going away from goal – solid enough thereafter
6 Coulson: Encouraging, lively performance when driving forward, but was caught out of position a few times when Boro were stretched
5 Clayton: Was at least providing some ballast and calm in from of the defence, so it was a surprise to see him hooked so early
4 Saville: Had one glorious chance to equalise just before half-time, but failed to connect in the six-yard box - subdued afterwards
5 Johnson: Some good early creative work when it was 0-0, but faded and was part of a largely bypassed midfield
4 McNair: Spoilt his early industry with a stupid red card after his elbow connected with the head of Grimes - crude and dumb
7 TAVERNIER: Worked hard and showed a classy finish for his goal that matched the excellence of his initial through ball
6 Fletcher: Isolated but worked hard and combined well with Tavernier for the goal - deserved more than seeing the numbers thin around him
Subs:
3 Browne (for Clayton, 50): Fair play – not many can pack in a booking for diving, a surging run, and a straight red for a reckless lunge into a 12-minute cameo
Gestede (for Saville, 75)
Wing (for Johnson 81)
(not used): Mejias (gk), Spence, Walker, Liddle.
Man Of The Match: ANDRE AYEW - always working hard and looking dangerous, he took his two goals well and was a constant problem for Boro - exemplifies the value of experience.
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