Middlesbrough 1 West Ham 3
Stuani 27 Carroll 9, 45
Calleri 90
Middlesbrough missed an opportunity to sneak away from the clutches
of relegation zone after a 3-1 home defeat to West Ham.
Two goals from Hammers striker Andy Carroll, either side of Cristhian
Stuani’s equaliser, inflicted the damage on Aitor Karanka’s as Boro’s winless
run was extended to five games.
The hosts dominated possession after the interval but were
unable to make a breakthrough before substitute Jonathan Calleri added a third
in stoppage time.
Karanka threw on January recruits Rudy Gestede and Patrick
Bamford with ten minutes to go, however it proved too little too late on a miserable
day at the Riverside.
Boro’s shyness in front of goal has been well documented in
recent weeks and they remain the lowest scorers in the division with just 18
goals.
For all their possession, they managed just two shots on
target here, and there were long spells of sideways and backwards passing - much
to the frustration of the home fans.
Yet, the worrying thing for Karanka will be how his side
conceded three goals for only the third time this season.
Boro’s often sturdy backline was breached after just nine
minutes when Manuel Lanzini’s corner was powerfully headed home by Carroll, who
had been presented with a clear run at goal inside the host’s penalty area.
Karanka had made two changes from the side which played out
the goalless draw at Watford last weekend, yet more significantly the Boro boss
switched back to his preferred 4-3-3 formation which he has deployed for most
of the campaign.
Calum Chambers was moved across to right back while Ben
Gibson and Bernardo Espinosa started in the heart of defence.
That meant Fabio dropped to the bench along with captain
Grant Leadbitter, as Adam Clayton and Adama Traore were recalled.
Slaven Bilic made just one alteration after West Ham’s 3-0
victory over Crystal Palace, it saw Sam Byram replace James Collins in defence.
Boro had looked vulnerable down their right-hand side, where
the chemistry between Traore and Chambers was clearly lacking when the hosts
were defending.
However, the pair combined well to create Boro’s equaliser
on 27 minutes, when Traore released the overlapping Chambers, who then had time
to pick out Stuani at the back post, before the Uruguayan forward duly
converted from close range.
The hosts had momentum after that, however brief lapse in concentration
proved fatal two minutes before half time.
Michail Antonio’s skimming shot from the edge of the area
was only parried by Boro keeper Victor Valdes and Carroll was the quickest to
react, stabbing the ball into an unguarded net.
Valdes perhaps could have done better but the goal scorer
was alert and earned his reward.
Boro attempted to go on the attack after the break, however
they were disrupted when West Ham captain Mark Noble was forced off injured and
replaced by Edimilson Fernandes.
The visitors almost doubled their lead when Antonio headed
wide before Lanzini fired an effort straight at Valdes moments later.
At the other end Marten De Roon forced the Hammers keeper Darren
Randolph into a flying save following Traore’s cross from the right.
Karanka’s side continued to push forward but when Alvaro
Negredo’s cut-back deflected off West Ham defender Aaron Cresswell and on to
the crossbar, you got the feeling that it just wasn’t going to be Boro’s day.
With ten minutes to go Karanka finally called for the cavalry
by introducing Bamford, who received a warm welcome, and Gestede.
It was the latter who almost drew Boro level with a
spectacular volley which flew inches wide two minutes from time.
Boro were then undone on the counter attack when Calleri
sealed the victory in stoppage time, prompting the fans to head for the exits.
Player Ratings
Victor Valdes 5-
Possibly could have done better with the second goal which he parred in front
of Carroll.
Calum Chambers 6.5-
Looked good going forward but a little vulnerable defensively at right back.
Bernardo Espinosa 6-
Made a few important interceptions but his distribution let him down at times.
Ben Gibson 6.5-
Organised the defence throughout
George Friend 7- Threw
himself into areal duels with Carroll and often came out on top.
Adam Clayton 6- Gave
protection to the back four but made a few loose passes.
Marten De Roon 7-
Full of energy, making tackles and interceptions in the middle of the park.
Adam Forshaw 6- A
few too many touches on the ball as Boro struggled to break West Ham down.
Adama Traore 6- Some
good bursts forward but faded in the second half and often received the ball in
areas too deep to make an impact.
Cristhian Stuani 7-
Showed good instinct to score the goal, looked to get in the box and add an
extra goal threat.
Alvaro Negredo 6- Often
received the ball with his back to goal, a couple of clever flicks to link up
play.
Subs
Patrick Bamford – Came on with 10 minutes to go, not enough
time to give a fair rating.
Rudy Gestede - Came on with nine minutes to go, not enough
time to give a fair rating.
No comments:
Post a Comment