When Watford equalised with 15 minutes to go at Vicarage Road it was hard not to feel if Middlesbrough left with anything less than all three points it would be quite frustrating in the context of the game.
That encapsulated the 74 minutes that preceded the Watford equaliser and how comfortable Boro had looked to that point, particularly after taking the lead early in the second half through George Edmundson. That they didn’t even take one point from the game in the end after a late implosion following the equaliser goes beyond frustration. And Michael Carrick looked as fed up as he’s ever been in his post-match debrief as a result.
The story of the defeat at Watford – which saw Boro lose their positive winning run and miss the chance to go into the international break back in the top six – can be easily explained by two factors, ultimately. One, we’ve unfortunately spoken about time and time again, while the other was a surprise in that it’s an element of Boro’s game that has tended to be excellent since Carrick’s arrival 12 months ago. On this occasion, it was not.
Watford was never going to be an easy away game, let’s get that straight. Not only are they unbeaten on home turf this season, but head coach Tom Cleverley is yet to lose a game at all at Vicarage Road since taking the reins back in March. Despite that, Boro followed up on a brilliant away performance in midweek at West Brom and quickly asserted their control over the game.
That they weren’t out of sight by the time Edo Kayembe fired in that 75th-minute equaliser is of Boro’s own doing ultimately – that same old issue with being ruthless and making dominance count to blame again. Finn Azaz ghosted into the box inside five minutes and headed wide with the goal at his mercy. The wrong player for such a chance? Maybe. But it was a sitter.
Emmanuel Latte Lath missed a similar chance later in the game. His was a little harder than Azaz’s as he had a little more attention from opposition defenders. But a striker of his quality should still be at least hitting the target there, and his reaction suggested he knew it.
Latte Lath saw an effort from range saved too, with Jonathan Bond then getting up well to block the follow-up effort from Ben Doak, who might have been more clinical. As too might Micah Hamilton, as his touch set him well to drill across goal from a narrow-angle. He didn’t quite get the power behind it.
It was quite clear that the missed chances weren’t Carrick’s biggest bugbear, however. A recurring issue that keeps costing Boro points, it’s something he knows his side have to start being much better at. But it was the second factor that cost Boro this game – a surprising one given how rare it is – that annoyed the Boro boss the most.
The greatest irony is that Boro got their lead at Watford in probably the scruffiest attack of the match. Azaz completely scuffed his wide free-kick into the area and it ought to have been cleared by the first defender. That it wasn’t left Edmundson well-placed in front of goal to flick home from close range.
Having finally taken the lead though, you’d have bet your house on Boro going on to claim a third successive win. Even if being clinical had been an issue again, Carrick’s side are normally so adept at grinding out results. It’s exactly what they did on Tuesday at the Hawthorns and something they’ve done consistently well when needed to throughout Carrick’s time. You can go as far back as a huge pre-World Cup break win at Norwich for the first example of Carrick discussing the importance of that kind of mentality. His side do it time and time again, and quite often profit from the increased attacking ambition of the opposition with a second goal on the counter too.
And yet, on this occasion, Boro completely sank. Watford’s subs made a big impact, while Boro’s made little, but still, until that equaliser, Boro didn’t look uncomfortable in the slightest. Their position in the game looked a commanding one.
There had been two first-half warnings of Watford’s potential on the counter. Tom Ince missed two quickfire chances before Boro quickly reorganised and appeared to have shut that avenue down. When caught out losing position on the right wing with everyone naturally weighted towards that end of the pitch, however, the ease with which Boro leave themselves open to the transition reared its ugly head once again.
One quick flank switch was all it took. Ryan Andrews now in possession, Neto Borges scampered across to face him up but allowed the wing-back inside too easily. And with Boro still trying to reassemble into a defensive shape, they were at sixes and sevens as Andrews teed up Kayembe to fire in the equaliser. A frustrating one from nowhere, ultimately.
As annoying as the goal was, and in the context, only a taking a point might have been, that had to be the first priority for Boro from there. As was to prove the case, there was still plenty of time for a winning goal for either side, but Boro’s first priority was composing themselves after the blow – game-management normally one of Boro’s strengths.
It’s something they didn’t do though. An already-planned change saw Delano Burgzorg replace Latte Lath up top but it did little to help Boro reassert any kind of control of the game. In the space of minutes, Boro had gone from looking like a commanding side who wouldn’t concede, to one who were almost waiting for the inevitable.
And the inevitable came, three minutes from time – and in poor circumstances too. A long throw flicked on at the front post, with another sub, Kwadwo Baah reacting quicker than two Boro defenders to get on the end of it and volley beyond Seny Dieng, who’d not long made a good stop to keep Boro level. Not heeding the warning, they collapsed and surrendered all three points in the blink of an eye.
“I wouldn’t say a surprise,” Carrick said when asked about his side’s implosion. “That’s what football throws at you and you have to be ready for it. Largely the boys have been really good and they’re bitterly disappointed because they’ve put so many good things into the game. We managed the game fantastically well on Tuesday night so we know what it takes but that’s a warning shot of what can happen.”
A warning shot it may prove to be. Hopefully. Nothing more, in the grand scheme, than a bit of a kick up the backside for Boro who, before this, looked to be finally clicking into gear. For 75 minutes, the positive momentum and potential of this side, built in wins over Stoke City and West Brom, looked to be continuing into the second international break. As Carrick struggled to contain his frustrations, he tried to offer that more balanced and optimistic view.
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