Goals:
1-0: Grimes (34, penalty awarded after Ryan Shotton brought down Daniel James).
2-0 Routledge (38, low shot driven into the corner after Bersant Celina had carved open Boro’s defence).
3-0 Roberts (71, left unmarked to hammer far post volley from Celna’s clever chip).
3-1 Saville (81, chested down Stewart Downing’s corner kick, then volleyed into the roof of the net).
Bookings: Grimes (21, foul), Howson (90, foul).
Referee: Andy Woolmer (Northampton) – May have awarded Boro a penalty for handball, but the decision was not clear or influential on the outcome. 6
Attendance: 18, 171.
Entertainment: 4/5
SWANSEA (4-2-3-1): Nordfeldt 7; Roberts 7, Van der Hoorn 8 (Rodon 79, 5), Carter-Vickers 7, Naughton 6; Byers 6, Celina 8, Grimes 8; Dyer 7, Routledge 7 (Asoro 68,), James 7 (Narsingh 68, 5). Subs (not used): Benda, Rodon, Fulton, McKay, McBurnie
MIDDLESBROUGH (5-4-1)
6 Randolph: Cannot be blamed for the weaknesses in front of him, but could have done better to prevent Swansea’s third goal;
5 Fry: Burned by the pace of Daniel James, but did try to make inroads going forward when others did not
5 Flint: Confronted by pace, rather than size he was found wanting. Went close with a first-half header
4 Ayala: Another bamboozled by Swansea’s pace and crisp passing, spent much of the day following where the ball had been
4 Friend: Just as well he limped off early as there were plenty of signs he was in for a painful day chasing shadows
6 Saville: Tried to get forward but made only fitful impact until he showed good skill in volleying home his goal late on
6 Howson: Little impact until Boro finally roused themselves late on, he at least had more energy than most.
5 Clayton: Bypassed for most of the game by Swansea’s crisp passing and failed to impose himself
5 Obi Mikel: Rarely an influence, he drifted through the game and could easily have been substituted
6 Downing: At least his occasional contributions showed he cared, although he lacked sustained impact
4 Hugill: Not a day to be left alone up front, but looked like a striker who last scored in mid-January
Subs:
Shotton (for Friend, 31): Came on, gave away a penalty when skinned by the pace of Daniel James and never recovered. 4
Assombalonga (for Hugill, 54): Provided a bit more energy and fizz, but his threat was still only occasional 6
Fletcher (for Clayton, 54): Should have started as appeared to have the hunger and intent that others lacked 6
(not used): Konstantopoulos, McNair, Tavernier, Besic.
Man of the match: BERSANT CELINA: Looked good enough to be what he is, a recent member of Manchester City’s set-up. Fluent and creative.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here