How a tactical surprise flummoxed Middlesbrough in Sunderland defeat with a familiar feel

Middlesbrough's George Edmundson tackles Sunderland's Jobe Bellingham
-Credit: (Image: PA)


Sunderland won bragging rights in the Wear-Tees derby as their 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough temporarily moved them top of the Championship table.

Chris Rigg's clever flick from a narrow angle was the only goal of the game and saw the home side take all three points - this just the second time in the last ten meetings that Boro came out of a game with Sunderland empty-handed.

And ultimately, from a Boro perspective, it was far too much a case of same old story as the problems that have stopped their decent start to the season being anything more than that came back to haunt again. Here are the game's key talking points at a glance.

READ MORE: Regis Le Bris explains his big tactical switch to help Sunderland beat Middlesbrough

SIGN UP: Middlesbrough FC news straight to your phone on WhatsApp

The game-changing moment

Carrick might argue the game-changing moment came in the 16th minute when Trai Hume clattered Emmanuel Latte Lath just outside the box rather recklessly. Though the Ivorian played on, he was never quite the same after it, with the Boro boss feeling it was a certain red card.

While such a decision would have undoubtedly changed the game, Boro cannot use that as their excuse for losing this one. In that respect, the game-changing moment arguably came before a ball was even kicked - with Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris' tactical surprise ultimately proving Boro's undoing.

A very good start at Sunderland has come from his quickly established aggressive high-press. With Boro expecting Sunderland to do the same and be positive in general, the pre-match expectation was that Boro would have far more space in the final third, having struggled all season against sides who sit behind the ball.

It proved the case again as Boro just didn't have the answer to Sunderland's compact defence, with Le Bris explaining after that his side's work was all about closing off the central corridor that Boro look to play through. Ultimately lacking quality, as they so often have so far this season, when getting into the promising key areas, Carrick's side had just one shot on target in the whole 90 minutes. It might not have been pretty from a Sunderland perspective, but Le Bris had done his homework on Boro and found the solution - which is a concerning sign.

Boro's best player

Very few Boro players were able to emerge with much credit from this one. It was ultimately one of those days where almost every player was well below par, and that ultimately proved costly. Tommy Conway was bright throughout but should have scored from Boro's best chance. George Edmundson rarely put a foot wrong on a good battle with Eliezer Mayenda.

But Boro's best on the day was Aidan Morris, who returned to the side at the expense of Dan Barlaser. Outshining Hayden Hackney who struggled alongside him, the American was aggressive in the tackle and energetic to often pop up in key areas to stop Sunderland counter attacks.

With Sunderland retreating in the second half, he pushed further on after the break trying to help Boro make something happen on an increasingly frustrating afternoon. His only disappointment might be that he didn't make more of the only real opening of the second half as he sliced a left-footed effort wide.

The positive

Carrick will understandably point to the general control of the match. Seny Dieng had very little to do throughout and the goal, while again avoidable, also had an element of fortune to it as George Edmundson's block fell kindly to Rigg with the Boro keeper left helpless on the floor.

In possession, Boro enjoyed the majority of the ball and, despite Sunderland's tactics, Boro still managed to find some openings - none better than the Conway headed chance early on that crashed against the bar. That Boro are continuing to enjoy the better of so many of their games is both a reason for optimism, and also a real cause for concern as the results just aren't coming.

The negative

Sunderland were happy to let Boro have the ball throughout and, with something to protect, they retreated more and more in the second half as Carrick's side pushed for an equaliser. In truth, however, it didn't ever really feel like it was coming - even after Ben Doak offered a bit of a spark from the bench.

That Boro failed to register a single shot on target while chasing the game in the second half encapsulates the problems that are spoken of above - and in reality for much of this season again and again. Boro are struggling in attack to be ruthless. They often struggle to create chances against low-block defences and when they do create chances they're simply not clinical enough. All the possession in the world will count for nothing if there's no end product to match.

The verdict

Boro's attacking misfiring is a real cause for concern for Boro because when it happens so often that it becomes a bit of a theme, it gets harder and harder to defend it, as Carrick continues to, by merely saying it will come. It isn't coming is the problem, and Boro continue to drop early points.

Carrick believes it's a compliment that teams sit off against them, and in some respects it is. However, it's quickly looking like the way to get a result against Boro as well because they just can't find the answer to break such a defence down. That's the challenge for Boro now, with huge improvement needed as Boro are in danger of becoming a little too predictable.