How did the players fare in Middlesbrough's 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa?
ASTON VILLA (4-3-3):
Steer 6; Elmohamady 6, Hause 7, Mings 6, Taylor 6; McGinn 8, Whelan 7, Grealish 8; Green 6 (Adomah 65, 6), Abraham 8 (Kodjia 72), EL GHAZI 8 (Davis 72).
Subs (not used): Kalinic (gk), Carroll, Jedinak, Bjarnason.
MIDDLESBROUGH (5-4-1):
4 Randolph: Will be extremely disappointed with the late fumble that enabled Adomah to stab home Villa’s third
3 Shotton: Couldn’t get close to El Ghazi in the opening half-hour and was hauled off in a tactical change after just 32 minutes
5 Ayala: Started after winning his red card appeal, but didn’t look comfortable against the pace and movement of the Villa attack
5 Flint: Another player who struggled to cope with the fluidity of Villa’s play – won some headers but struggled on the ground
5 Fry: Never really got to grips with Abraham and looked flustered on a number of occasions with the ball at his feet
4 Friend: His error was a major factor in Villa’s opening goal and his distribution was regularly found wanting
5 Wing: Tried to get forward to support Hugill, but found himself forced backwards on a regular basis as Villa poured forward
6 Howson: The pick of the Boro midfield, although that was not saying a great deal – might find himself back at wing-back after the break
4 Mikel: His form has dipped markedly in the last two or three games, and his missed tackle on Grealish was a factor in the second goal
4 Saville: Anonymous from first minute to last – didn’t really seem sure whether to stay sitting deep or try to push on
5 Hugill: Offered nothing, but that was hardly his fault – for much of the first half, there was no one within 40 yards of him
Subs:
7 DOWNING (for Shotton, 32): The only Boro player to show even a modicum of composure – Pulis must be livid that he is unable to start
4 Assombalonga (for Wing, 49): Wasted the best chance of the game as he failed to find the target with a second-half header
5 Fletcher (for Hugill, 62): Was unfortunate to be dropped after his recent scoring run, but was unable to change things after he came on
(not used): Konstantopoulos (gk), McNair, Clayton, Besic.
Man Of The Match: ANWAR EL GHAZI – Four or five Villa players were in with a shout, but El Ghazi’s dominance of the right-hand side of the Boro defence was the start of the visitors’ downfall.
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