Ipswich 0 Middlesbrough 2
Stuani 54 Nugent 74
Middlesbrough did something that they hadn’t done for 23
years on Friday and beat Ipswich at Portman Road.
The last time the Boro won in Suffolk both sides were in the
Premier League, according to Town boss Mick McCarthy the Teessiders have the
quality to return there this season and his side were on the receiving end.
Christian Stuani’s header and David Nugent’s neat finish
proved the difference between the two sides in the second half. It was a result
which moved Aitor Karanka’s side top of the table for a brief period of time
before Brighton reclaimed it less than a day later.
Town remain a point off the play-off places but slip down to
ninth after a six game unbeaten run.
1. Boro can win
anywhere
The Teessiders hadn’t won at Portman Road for 23 years and
were comprehensively beaten when the sides met in this fixture last season. It
was a similar story when Boro visited Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday
earlier in the campaign, yet they ended those hoodoos in emphatic fashion.
Karanka’s men are making a habit of winning at their so called ‘boggy grounds’
this season which bodes well for the rest of the campaign.
2. Stuani can be a
threat from the right
Despite missing a month through injury Stuani is still
Boro’s top scorer this season with eight goals in all competitions. In his
absence fellow striker David Nugent has asserted himself as Karanka’s first
choice centre forward, but as he showed on Friday the Uruguayan forward can
cause plenty of damage cutting in from the right. Stuani’s attacking instincts
means he regularly drifts in field and adds an extra body in the opposition’s
box. Against Ipswich he arrived in the penalty area unmarked and was able to
head home Boro’s opening goal.
3. Nsue Keeps His
Place
At the start of the season Boro fans were delighted to see
Tomas Kalas return to the club on a season long loan from Chelsea. It was
assumed that the Czech international would simply slot back into the right back
position where he performed so admirably last campaign. However the emergence of
Emilio Nsue has been key to Boro’s success this season and with Kalas out
injured, the versatile wide man from Equatorial Guinea has made the right back
position his own. He regularly gets
forward and provides a good outlet when Boro are attacking and his crossing is usually
accurate, if not always exploited.
4. Defensive Duo Remain
Tight
Boro have lost just twice since the start of last season
when Daniel Ayala and Ben Gibson have played together in the heart of defence,
and one of those came in the play-off final. In this fixture last season Gibson
was left on the bench, as Kenneth Omeruo took his place and struggled
throughout the game. On Friday night Ayala and Gibson gave Boro the platform to
go and win the match as they kept the in-form Daryl Murphy on the fringes. If
the pair both stay fit for the rest of the season Boro should have a great chance
of achieving promotion.
5. Others Can Slip Up
Overall it was a fantastic weekend for Boro, not only win at
a ground were they have struggled in recent times, they also watched many of
their fellow promotion rivals slip up. Hull lost away at Leeds, Burnley were
beaten at Preston while Derby were held to a goalless draw with Sheffield
Wednesday. For a while it looked like Karanka’s side could finish the weekend
at the top of the table when Brighton trailed Charlton by two goals to nil,
however the Seagulls managed to turn it around and win 3-2 to remain the only
unbeaten side in England’s top four divisions.
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| Boro's Stewart Downing (Picture from i3.gazettelive.co.uk) |
Boro’s Best
Stewart Downing (Man
Of The Match)
In recent weeks Boro have relied on their defence and
solidity at the back to grind out results, but on Friday it was their forward
players who stepped up to the mark. Albert Adomah looked back to his best and
gave full back Luke Chambers a torrid time, Christian Stuani added an offensive
boost while David Nugent scored his fifth goal of the campaign. But the star of
the show went to Stewart Downing who excelled in the number 10 role behind the striker.
His direct runs on the counter attack gave Town all sorts of problems in the
second half and led to the second goal which Nugent finished well.
Thorn In The Side
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| Ipswich's Brett Pitman (Picture from pbs.twimg.com) |
Brett Pitman
The first goal was always going to be key in this game, unfortunately
for Town it was Boro who got it. Things could have been different if the hosts
had struck first and in the opening 45 minutes Pitman looked the most likely to
break the deadlock. His shot from range forced an admirable save from Dimi
Konstantopulos and after the break the Boro keeper denied Pitman again when he
stretched across goal to keep out the strikers back post header.
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