Middlesbrough 2 Bournemouth 0
Ramirez 39 Downing 56
Gaston Ramirez scored a stunning solo-goal as Middlesbrough
recorded their first home victory of the season.
Aitor Karanka’s side may have recorded an admirable draw
away at Arsenal last weekend, however their supporters had not seen them win at
the Riverside since April following their promotion back to the Premier League.
This 2-0 victory over an in-form Bournemouth side should
help clear a lot of the descending tension, which was at its thickest following
a 1-0 defeat to Watford a fortnight ago.
In comparison, this was a much-improved performance, which
moves Boro up to 14th in the table.
Ramirez’s goal was the moment of quality which Boro’s fans
have craved for over recent weeks.
The Uruguayan, who worked tirelessly all afternoon, picked
up the ball inside his own half before charging towards the Bournemouth goal.
His adventurous run took him into the opposition penalty area, where he cut
inside of Andrew Surman before slotting the ball beyond goalkeeper Artur Boruc.
The hosts added a second ten minutes after half time, when
Stewart Downing poked home Alvaro Negredo’s knock-down from Adama Traore’s
cross and the result rarely looked in doubt after that.
Bournemouth, who hadn’t lost in four games before this encounter,
had started brightly. Their front three of Josh King, Callum Wilson and Jordon
Ibe regularly interchanged positions while Jack Wilshere was always on the
lookout for a killer pass.
Things could so easily have been different if the visitors
had converted a pivotal chance after 26 minutes. It came when Wilshere clipped
a delightful ball over Boro’s defence for King, whose shot was brilliantly tipped
onto the crossbar by Victor Valdes.
Ramirez’s goal came 15 minutes later and it always had the
feel of a match where the first goal was going to be vital.
Like at Arsenal last weekend, Boro’s defence stood firm
throughout as they recorded their second clean sheet in succession.
Karanka made two changes from the side which left London
with a point, the first of which saw Calum Chambers replace Daniel Ayala at the
back.
Downing was also recalled on the left and there was a clear
switch back to Karanka’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
That allowed Ramirez, who played on the left at the Emirates,
to move back into the centre while Marten De Roon missed out.
Eddie Howe made just one change from the Bournemouth team
which played out a goalless draw at home to Tottenham last Saturday. It saw
Surman, who was ill that weekend, replace Dan Gosling in midfield.
There was little to choose between the two sides in the
early exchanges, as Boro managed just a few shots from distance.
King’s chance was the first real opening for either team but
Boro responded commendably.
Ramirez then lit up the contest with a moment of magic on 39
minutes, which saw him recorded his first goal of the season.
Boro picked up exactly where they left off after the break,
as they forced two corners straight after the restart.
They doubled their lead moments later when Traore, whose
pace and tricky had caused the visitors plenty of problems from the left, received
the ball on the edge of the penalty area.
His cross with the outside of his boot picked out Negredo at
the back post and the striker’s header across goal presented Downing with a
tap-in.
Boro looked comfortable after that and Valdes barely had a
save to make in the second half.
The visitor’s went in search of a quick response and almost halved
the deficit courtesy of Adam Smith. The defender’s shot appeared to be heading for
the bottom corner, however he was denied by a brilliant block from Chambers.
There was a standing ovation for captain Grant Leadbitter,
who made his first appearance of the season - off the bench - following his
hernia operation in the summer.
Bournemouth saw a lot of the ball late on, as Boro were
content to play on the counter-attack. They could have added a third on the
break, however Negredo and Traore squandered good opportunities.
It didn’t make a difference, though, as Boro gave their fans
a much-needed lift.
Player Ratings
Victor Valdes 7- Made
a brilliant save to deny King but didn’t have too much to do after that
Antonio Barragan 7- Made
a couple of runs forward in the first half and looked comfortable in defence
Ben Gibson 7- Once
again looked assured at this level, regularly organising Boro’s backline
Calum Chambers 7-
Made several important interceptions and blocks, including one from Smith late
on
George Friend 7.5- Didn’t
put a foot wrong at the back and added a threat going forward
Adam Clayton 7- Protected
the back four and kept a close eye on Wilshere
Adam Forshaw 7- A disciplined
performance in midfield and played a couple of inviting passes forward
Adama Traore 7-
Provided a threat on the break but sometimes lacked an end-product
Stewart Downing 7-
Hard-working performance was capped off with a goal. Crosses sometimes let him
down
Gaston Ramirez 8-
Worked tirelessly until he was substituted. Capped it off with a stunning goal
Alvaro Negredo 6- Good
knock-down to set up Downing, however he was anonymous for most of the game
Subs
Grant Leadbitter 6-
Made his first appearance of the season and slotted into midfield comfortably
Jordan Rhodes – Replaced Negredo with five minutes to go,
not enough time to give a fair rating
Viktor Fischer - Replaced Traore with five minutes to go,
not enough time to give a fair rating
My Boro Man Of The Match: Gaston Ramirez
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